Earth (Every)Day

In celebration of Earth Day, I wanted to share a list of ways to make your life a little greener. Although there is no doubt that Earth Day is a wonderful holiday to spread awareness, one day of not driving your car or not buying fast food is not going to solve anything. It needs to become a lifestyle. And guess what? It's actually pretty easy! These little changes to your everyday life can eventually make a huge impact.

I found this list on the Worldwatch Institute's website and picked out the 5 easiest, most practical ways to live a greener life (but you might as well check out the list and just do all of them, right?).

1. Buy used.
• Whether you’ve just moved to a new area or are looking to redecorate, consider a service like craigslist or FreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items, rather than buying them new. Check out garage sales and thrift stores for clothing and other everyday items.
• Use your creativity in gift giving, including making homemade gifts, donating to a good cause, or even regifting. (And gift green, in general.)
• Your purchasing habits have a real impact, for better or worse. When making new purchases, make sure you know what’s “Good Stuff” and what isn’t.
2. Buy local.
• Shop at your local farmers’ market. Though the offerings can be more expensive, you can generally count on a higher quality product—and the entire purchase price goes directly to the farmer. Buying any goods produced locally saves energy by reducing the fossil fuels needed to transport food and other items across the country and around the globe.
3. Add one meatless meal per week. (or more!)
   
• While strict vegetarianism isn’t for everyone, even the most devout carnivores can cut back on meat consumption without cramping their style—and save money in the process. Industrial meat production requires huge energy inputs and creates noxious waste problems. The proliferation of factory farms is damaging the environment, and the global nature of the industry creates conditions that promote the spread of diseases such as avian flu, potentially costing society billions.
4. Think twice about new electronics.
• E-waste from discarded cell phones and computers is a growing environmental problem. Mounds of electronic refuse are being shipped abroad illegally for ‘disassembly’ by workers with little protection against the mercury and other toxic substances they contain.
• Keep your electronics as long as possible and dispose of them responsibly when the time comes.
• Buy higher-quality items and don’t give in to ‘psychological obsolescence’ marketing campaigns.
• Recycle your cell phone and support good causes at the same time!
5. Use your local library and other public amenities.
• Borrowing from libraries, instead of buying personal books and movies, saves money and printing resources. Consider donating the money saved to your local library.