Going Green Facts

Millions of people talk about going green as a great way to help the planet and its inhabitants, but for most people this is just a vague concept. First of all , we believe that you need to be aware of a number of going green facts that may guide you. These will, in turn, lead to everyday actions you can take to make the changes in your lifestyle a reality. Activities like recycling, saving water, cutting down on the use of fossil fuels and making different choices when it comes to food, travel, entertainment and work can all play a role in helping you to live more sustainably. With a little thought and planning you can take small steps each day towards a greener planet.

Taking the time to recycle is one of the simplest steps towards going green, that any family can start doing immediately. Discarded trash does not magically disappear. It goes into landfills and can take years to breakdown. Today many municipal landfills are at or near capacity. Taking the time to separate your trash into recyclables and biodegradables can be very important, and make a real difference. Many cities have recycling centers for your old newspapers, plastic, metal and glass containers. Some centers even pay you for your waste products. Many local waste removal companies can provide special bins for plastic, metal and paper products. Look into it. You could be well on your way to having a greener lifestyle by learning about these go green facts.

Saving water is another ‘going green’ activity most people can adopt without radically changing their lifestyle. An easy way to ensure you and your family cut down on the amount of water you use is by installing low flow shower heads, fixtures and toilets. People waste tens of gallons of water each day without realizing it. By cutting down on the amount of water you use each time you take a shower or use the restroom you can be on your way to going green while saving yourself some green on your water bill. Water is our most precious resource and we cannot take its availability for granted any more.

Walking is another excellent way to do your part to create a greener planet, and appreciating its benefits is one of the most significant go green facts. The average person jumps in their automobile several times a day to go to work, school or just to the store. Combining trips or walking to do an errand when possible can do wonders for your health and the health of the planet. Walking produces no dangerous emissions, saves energy and is a free, fun way to get some exercise. If there are safe sidewalks where you live, take the children for a walk with you. You will be helping the planet and helping your children develop  healthy habits. Walking is truly the perfect activity.  It is wonderful for the mind, for the body and for the soul – and for our Earth too!

As you become more aware of more going green facts you will recognize many opportunities for small alterations to your behavior at home and at work. For example, changing the standard light bulbs in your home to energy efficient Energy Star rated light bulbs is yet another simple step that you can take. Energy Star light bulbs reduce the amount of greenhouse gases people produce. It can also save them money on their utility bills. Some estimate if every household in the U.S. switched to energy efficient light bulbs they would eliminate the greenhouse gasses equal to that produced by almost 10 million cars. Walk around your home and begin changing to Energy Star light bulbs. You will see the difference on your energy bill and the planet will benefit from your sustainable action.

Replacing all your appliances with Energy Star qualified product is another great way to go green. Energy Star qualified products use less energy and release less greenhouse gasses into the air than traditional products. Running out and replacing all your appliances immediately might be unrealistic and prohibitively expensive. Instead, as your appliances need to be replaced be sure to replace them with Energy Star qualified products. They will save you money in the short term and go a long way towards helping the planet in the long run. It is only when we start to think about the long term, and the legacy we want to leave for our children and grandchildren, that we can begin to see the big picture and how important are our small, incremental changes that we make now.

Making sure your home is properly sealed and insulated is another excellent way to implement the knowledge from going green facts. Sealing and insulating your home helps you to save money while taking positive green actions. It can also be a fun and educational project for the entire family. Take time one day to walk around inside and outside your home and identify places where energy may be escaping. Work together to fix them. Share and discuss going green facts. Have family members suggest other green acts they think the family could take. Try them. And if you are too busy or unsure of what to do try contacting your local Utility company or City Offices, as there are many excellent schemes to help you. Often, a professional will visit your home for no charge and advise you of how to cut energy costs with a simple list of small actions to take.

Global impact is built on local action. Green living is a great way to help maintain a healthy global ecology. By making small changes in your lifestyle you too can have a global impact. Regular daily actions have an impact. Learn the going green facts so you have the knowledge to make the right decisions. The more you know, the more you understand how critical it is for you and your family to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. This is the first, vital step in the process of transformation and it all starts with you.  Choosing to drive less, use less resources and recycle everyday is not just a personal statement of your values, it is also a positive contribution to the health of our planet. These are the most important Going Green facts of all!

Save the Planet: 14 Benefits of Going Green!

14 Core Benefits of Going Green:

1. Save Energy – While solar and wind energy are awesome, at the moment, a great many westerners get their energy from fossil fuels, natural gas and coal. These forms of energy cause pollution as well as devastate and deplete the lands and waters from which they are obtained. The less energy you use the less that energy needs to be produced.


2. Save Resources – We’re so used to seeing products on shelves that we rarely consider the environmental impact of manufacturing our widgets and doodads. We see the chair but not the forest laid bare to build it. We make a squee over that cute stuffed toy but we don’t ponder the waste-dumping factory from where it came. When you buy products from sustainable companies, that means you’re saving the lands where they operate.


3. Save Economies – When some big-deal corporation tears up farmlands and empties rivers just to make room for another useless product mill, the regular people that live there suffer. Try to make sure you buy stuff that improves the lives of the people that live where that stuff is made.


4. Save Your Health – Not only is driving your car four blocks to the store incredibly wasteful, it’s a lost opportunity to get some exercise and breathe some fresh air. Filling your house with plants that clean the air naturally is better for your lungs than spraying it with chemical-laden perfumes. Going green makes you a healthier human.


5. Save Your Sanity – The world is a crazy, unpredictable place and feeling powerless is maddening. Taking control of your immediate surroundings is an excellent way to regain peace of mind.


6. Save the Future – This is pretty self-explanatory. If we don’t change they way we live in the world, the world will make our lives unlivable.


7. Save Ecosystems – When you choose recycled paper over virgin, you’re helping to preserve the ecosystems that would be destroyed by deforestation. Corporate minds are one-track. Profit is more important than biodiversity.


8. Save Money – Victory gardens. Responsible energy consumption. Re-use/Recycle. These actions save you money.

9. Save Your Reputation – You may not be the most awesome person in your town but when you dedicate yourself to green living, you will have earned respectability.


10. Save Local Producers – One of the lesser-known steps to going green is to buy local. Not only do you diminish the pollution resulting from cross-country supply delivery but you help support the livelihoods of your neighbors.


11. Save Local Economies – When a big-box store bulldozes into town, it kills virtually every small business in the area. Avoiding chain stores is another way to promote sustainability.


12. Save Jobs – Going green is all encompassing. When the big company is done flattening the countryside and collecting tax breaks, they just pack up and move, leaving entire populations in the dust. Buy local. Save local jobs.


13. Save the Planet – You may not think your one small effort makes a difference. This is the kind of mindset that stops a societal movement in its tracks. There is incredible power in leading by example. The more people you influence, the more people they will influence. Get enough people to change and the rest of the world will follow.


14. Save Yourself – Do you really want to wake up ten years from now to skies so filled with pollution that you can’t go outside? Do you want to die decades earlier than you need to? Do you want your life to be nothing but one natural disaster after another? Do you want food and water rationing for the rest of your days?

10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green

How can we live lightly on the Earth and save money at the same time? Staff members at the Worldwatch Institute, a global environmental organization, share ideas on how to GO GREEN and SAVE GREEN at home and at work. To learn more about Worldwatch's efforts to create am environmentally sustainable society that meets human needs, sign up here for weekly e-mail updates.

Climate change is in the news. It seems like everyone's "going green." We're glad you want to take action, too. Luckily, many of the steps we can take to stop climate change can make our lives better. Our grandchildren-and their children-will thank us for living more sustainably. Let's start now.

We've partnered with the Million Car Carbon Campaign to help you find ways to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint. This campaign is uniting conscious consumers around the world to prevent the emissions-equivalent of 1 million cars from entering the atmosphere each year.

Keep reading for 10 simple things you can do today to help reduce your environmental impact, save money, and live a happier, healthier life. For more advice, purchase State of the World 2010 - Transforming Cultures: From Consumerism to Sustainability, a report from 60 renowned researchers and practitioners on how to reorient cultures toward sustainability.

1. Save energy to save money.
   
   
   • Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.
   • Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.
   • Unplug appliances when you're not using them. Or, use a "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use.
   • Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
   • Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.
2. Save water to save money.
   • Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.
   • Install a low-flow showerhead. They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.
   • Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.
   • Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.
3. Less gas = more money (and better health!).
   
   
   • Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.
   • Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.
   • Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.
4. Eat smart.
   • If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it's even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.
   • Buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can. Purchasing from local farmerskeeps money in the local economy.
   • Watch videos about why local food and sustainable seafood are so great.
   • Whatever your diet, eat low on the food chain [pdf]. This is especially true for seafood.
5. Skip the bottled water.
   
    
   • Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but itgenerates large amounts of container waste.
   • Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.
   • Check out this short article for the latest on bottled water trends.
6. Think before you buy.
   
    
   • Go online to find new or gently used secondhand products. Whether you've just moved or are looking to redecorate, consider a service like craigslist orFreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items cheaply or for free.
   • Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.
   • Watch a video about what happens when you buy things. Your purchases have a real impact, for better or worse.
7. Borrow instead of buying.
   • Borrow from libraries instead of buying personal books and movies. This saves money, not to mention the ink and paper that goes into printing new books.
   • Share power tools and other appliances. Get to know your neighbors while cutting down on the number of things cluttering your closet or garage.
8. Buy smart.
   
   
   • Buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.
   • Wear clothes that don't need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.
   • Invest in high-quality, long-lasting products. You might pay more now, but you'll be happy when you don't have to replace items as frequently (and this means less waste!).
9. Keep electronics out of the trash.
   • Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible.
   • Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxics and is a growing environmental problem.
   • Recycle your cell phone.
   • Ask your local government to set up an electronics recycling and hazardous waste collection event.
10. Make your own cleaning supplies.
    • The big secret: you can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap.
    • Making your own cleaning products saves money, time, and packaging-not to mention your indoor air quality.

ENVIRONMENT DAY

UTP GREEN WEEK 2014