7.) For the smokers: Smoking is bad m'kay! I know, I used to smoke from time to time myself. What is more harmful than the millions of cigarette butts stinking up the air around the globe is the millions of cigarette butts adding to the stink factor of landfills in our backyards. The best thing as a smoker that you can do for the environment is ask someone else for a light...who knows why, just do it! But seriously, if you're going to smoke, you're going to smoke. I know, I know, I hate those damned commercials just like the rest of you. The easiest thing to do as a smoker is to switch from a disposable to a refillable lighter. Think of how many lighters the average smoker loses/throws away in just one month. I counted 2 for me each month when I last smoked (like a year and a half ago) and I smoked maybe 8-10 cigarettes a month. I do tend to use lighters for lighting incense and candles as well. I'm switching as soon as I save up for a nice engraved Zippo. It'll make me want to keep using it. I suggest you go out and buy a beautiful new refillable lighter as a treat to yourself right now!
As of right now I am not smoking for health reasons...AKA an eleven month old who was three months premature. It's just easier to not smoke in the world we live in anyway. Oh, and much better for your lungs! LOL
8.) Use bar soap instead of body wash. I can hear you protesting this one right now. I have to tell you that the average bar of soap only lasts for 16-20 showers while a 16 oz. bottle of body wash lasts for 80 showers. Even though the liquid soap lasts longer it is comparably more expensive than the bar soap. So save yourself some money and 2.5 Million Pounds of plastic waste being deposited in the waste stream every year.
9.) On fabrics and fiber arts: Buy recycled or recycle it yourself! This gives us all a chance to use and reuse what we don't want to wear anymore! See that perfect yarn for your winter hat/glove/scarf ensemble already made into a hideously designed sweater from the 80's hanging on a thrift store rack? Snatch it up! In the long run you could save yourself 100's of dollars a year! I'm serious. A garment from a thrift store that you can take apart yourself is going to cost you approx 3-5 dollars. How much is just ONE hank/skein of that same wool blend going to cost at any "yarn-mart?" About the same amount right? And how many hanks could you potentially get from that sorry excuse for a sweater that would make a beautiful winter set? 2, 3, 5? More? You won't know until you try it! What are you waiting for? You know you want some!
10.) I'll leave you with one last money/time/environment saving tip: Don't use more than you need, and don't forget that you have neighbors. We have been taught since birth that it is our right as an American citizen to eat, drink, drive, fart what and when we want. The fact of the matter is when you waste that ten pound bag of potatoes...there's another one waiting for you at the store...but wouldn't it be nice to offer it to the nearest food bank or women's shelter instead of watching it rot on the counter?
That's all the tips for Greener Living I have for you today. They're fast, they're easy, they're greener! There is really no excuse for you not to be able to do ONE of these things at some point this year. I know I try, I'm not better than anyone, but I try to do what's right for everyone.
I'll leave you with this:
I'm sure you know that local churches are accepting donations all the time. Give your clothes to Goodwill or hand them to that little old lady down the hall that's about your size. If you see a homeless person on the street don't just keep walking (unless threatened or alone). Use your senses, hand them a blanket, go back to your car and dig out your change and buy them a damned sandwich from Wendy's.
The moral of this story is: If I've got it and you need it,it's yours. I won't do without, but neither will you. Remember your manners, remember everything you were taught in mass/temple/service/ritual and do the right thing for the environment...but most importantly for yourself and eachother.
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