Some of the Best Things in Life Are Green
Sep 14, 2010 Environmentally Friendly
You’ve heard the saying “the best things in life are free.” It’s true enough, although not everyone will perfectly agree with that sentiment. Now if you start listing the things in your life you most look forward to doing, you may find that not only are many free or very cheap, they’re pretty eco friendly.
In my life, a big thing is playing with my kids. We can walk to the playground and they’ll have fun there for as long as I care to stay. It’s usually sad to leave. Free to do as well as green.
Better yet are hiking trips. We love getting out in nature as a family. There’s a small cost in terms of driving to a good hiking spot, but from there it’s quite reasonable and helps to build an appreciation for nature in my children, and it’s quite relaxing for me… so long as all the kids stay more or less in sight. It will be more relaxing once my toddler quits deciding that running off in random directions is the way to go.
Thinking about the free and eco friendly things you can do in your life can help you to cut down on the amount you spend on entertainment. You may find that you don’t really need to spend money to have a good time.
You can spend time with your family using things you already own, and I don’t mean the television or computer. Try some of the board games you already own, play tag or just goof off together.
You can read a book. You can get a new book from the library if the ones you already own aren’t inspiring you.
You can work on a hobby that you already have the supplies for. If you tend to go overboard on supplies, you could even go through and figure out something to do with the excess.
Start a new, eco friendly hobby. You may find that you love organic gardening, for example or making recycled crafts.
You can watch a sunset.
You can look into the free activities available in your local area. Most communities have resources to help you find activities online.
If you think there isn’t much you enjoy doing for free, start a list. Get a good start on it, and add to it over time. Use it as a resource when you need something to do. It may help keep you from spending money out of sheer boredom.
Where is the Balance Between Eco Friendly, Convenience and Cost for Your Family?
Sep 13, 2010 Environmentally Friendly
Being eco friendly is not the easiest thing to do as a family. If you’re serious about it and not just doing the convenient stuff, there are going to be some sacrifices made. Where do you find the balance for your family?
Most of us simply cannot afford to do all of the eco friendly things we dream of. Getting to a point where your family can live off the grid takes a huge investment that most of us simply can’t afford.
The cost factor is the simplest line to draw. If you can’t afford the more eco friendly option, of course you aren’t going to go with it!
Fortunately, many eco friendly decisions don’t cost any money or help to save money. Continuing to use what you have is often the greenest decision you can make. There may be a difference in energy efficiency, but how long does it take to offset the energy cost from a new item being made? Can you dispose of the old item in a way that is better for the environment?
What About Inconvenience?
The inconvenient decisions are much harder to make. How often should you walk or ride your bike rather than take the car? Are you ready to give up your little luxuries?
You can change your perspective on some inconveniences and make them into a treat. You may find that you love riding your bike to run errands, for example. You might enjoy having television free nights, weeks or even a complete television free lifestyle. You won’t know until you try.
I love walking my kids to and from school, for example. We live very close, but many people who live closer still drive their kids to the school.
I find it’s more fun to walk. It’s a great time for just talking with my kids.
It’s also faster than loading the car, driving to the school and dealing with the crowds in the parking lot would be. I was told by one parent that they have to get there at least 20 minutes before school gets out in order to get a parking space. Why would I drive there when I can walk it in under 10 minutes?
Kids love walking in the rain, by the way, or at least mine do.
Don’t Feel Like a Hypocrite for What You Can’t Do
Odds are good that you aren’t going to live your dream eco friendly life. For most of us the realities of just getting by are going to keep us from that. There isn’t always public transportation to replace the car, and there aren’t always jobs in range of a bicycle.
Have a priority list for what matters most to you and what you can afford to do. Starting a garden is a great choice if you the chance. Rethinking your choice of electronics and cutting out the ones you really don’t need is a great choice. Skipping unnecessary purchases is a great choice. Keeping reduce, reuse, and recycle in mind and in order is a great choice.
If you can do every eco friendly thing you want to do, you’re one of the lucky few. The rest of us have to prioritize and find ways to make enough happen while understanding that it can’t all happen.
Tags: convenience, cost of being eco friendly, eco friendly living, hypocrisy
Why Don’t People Buy Environmentally Friendly Products?
Aug 30, 2010 Environmentally Friendly
Lots of people want to be more environmentally friendly. Not everyone; in fact, some are downright opposed to the idea, and strongly. But even those who want to be more eco friendly in their homes won’t buy the products. Why is that?
Confusion
Confusion may be a large part of the problem. The various claims are confusing and often misleading. People don’t always know which products are really eco friendly versus merely being greenwashed.
Uncertainty About Quality
Many people aren’t at all certain that eco friendly products are going to be as good as conventional products. Conventional products are comfortable to use, and people know what they do. They’ve been using them after all.
Eco friendly products, on the other hand, are less well known. Many people don’t have a friend familiar enough with the products to share success stories or to say to avoid particular products that don’t work so well.
Many eco friendly products are not advertised in the same way conventional products are. You don’t see them on television so much unless they’re made by one of the big brands. While some don’t like to admit it, such advertising has a big effect on how products are viewed.
Hard to See Personal Benefit
Telling someone that a product benefits the environment is great. Lots of people like to hear that. But it’s hard to get people to take action without a quickly obvious personal benefit.
That’s much harder to demonstrate, as the basic benefit of using an environmentally friendly product is about the same as using a conventional product. The potential long term personal health benefits and benefits to the environment are much harder to see.
Cost
Eco friendly products are perceived as more expensive. That’s because many of the most visible products do cost more. Organic cotton products cost more. Hybrid cars cost more. Solar panels are expensive.
Yet many eco friendly products are easily affordable. Vinegar and baking soda work very well as cleaning products, but many people aren’t aware that they can be used in this way or that they do such a good job. Other eco friendly products can also be affordable.
“One Person Can’t Make a Difference”
Many people feel that what they do personally doesn’t make a significant difference. They’re both right and wrong about that.
Choosing eco friendly products can be better for your health, and while you can’t define that difference much of the time, it can be a difference.
But even more important is that as each individual makes the choice of buying eco friendly products shows businesses that it’s worth their time and money to provide eco friendly products. Choosing to do business with companies with eco friendly practices makes it worth their while to continue to improve those practices. It takes more than one to make that difference, but if individuals don’t make those choices, the pressure never builds up on the businesses to make the change.
How to Jumpstart Your Eco Friendly Lifestyle
Aug 3, 2010 Environmentally Friendly
Making the initial changes to a more eco friendly lifestyle may not be the hardest part of your journey to be more green, but it’s often one of the most intimidating. There are so many options that it’s really hard at times to know just where to begin.
Make a List and Prioritize
If you’re ready to be eco friendly, you probably have some idea as to what changes you would like to make in your lifestyle. You just don’t always know which to make first. Some steps may seem to be too big to do right away while others may feel too small to make a real difference.
This list should be the things you think you want to do. You may not be able to make all of these changes right away; that’s why you prioritize them.
You can also assign a cost to the various steps. If some will take a bite out of your budget, you should plan for that. But remember that many eco decisions will save you money. These are great for getting started.
Some simple steps are:
1. Drive less.
2. Change to CFL or LED light bulbs.
3. Eat less meat.
4. Buy a programmable thermostat.
5. Check out local thrift stores.
6. Buy a stainless steel water bottle instead of plastic.
7. Review what can easily be recycled in your community.
These aren’t particularly expensive for the most part. Switching to LED bulbs can be expensive as they aren’t that common yet, but even those should pay for themselves in time.
For many of us, more expensive options such as installing solar panels may not be possible right away. If that’s what you want to do and you can afford it, go for it! But if it’s not in the budget, be realistic enough to admit that it’s not time for you to do that yet.
How Fast Should You Make Changes?
It’s tempting to just plunge in and make all the changes you know you should make right away. It’s great if you can manage it, but most people will have a lot of trouble that.
That’s fine. None of us are perfect.
Start with some simple changes, and add to them over time. I won’t say to go really slowly, but make changes at a rate where you can accept the new habits. Otherwise it’s far too easy to slide back into bad habits.
Some changes you’ll be amazed at how comfortable they are. Others will challenge your resolve. We’re all human and there are things we all want in life. Choosing a slightly different lifestyle isn’t always going to be easy. You will find that it gets better with time and you’ll find new ways to enjoy yourself and what you’re doing. A more eco friendly lifestyle is worth the effort.
What About Skeptics?
Unless you’re extremely lucky, you’re going to have some skeptical people in your life who don’t see the need for such changes. Some don’t believe in protecting the environment because they don’t believe in climate change while others don’t think they or you can make a difference.
Talk to them as you find appropriate. Some people are really great for having spirited, respectful arguments with. Others respect only their own opinions and aren’t worth the trouble. Still others may find what you’re doing interesting and decide to give it a try themselves.
Remember that when you’re talking about living an eco friendly lifestyle that you do not need to focus just on climate change. Talk about pollution in general. Talk about ocean acidification. Talk about decreasing fresh water supplies in many communities. These are areas that give a different angle to the usual environmental arguments many skeptics are used to.
How Can You Make Your Summer Road Trip More Eco Friendly?
Jul 14, 2010 Environmentally Friendly
Summer is a great time for family vacations. The kids are out of school in most areas and the weather is great… so long as you aren’t after snow or something. Now you just need to find that balance between a fun vacation and being good to the environment, particularly with the Gulf oil spill much on our minds. You have a few options.
Staycation
A staycation is often the most environmentally responsible choice. Check out the fun things to do in your own area. Often people skip the tourist destinations in their own area because they’re always there. You know you can visit them eventually, and often eventually is really far away.
Use your staycation to do the fun things in your area. Visit local historic sites, parks, beaches, trails and so forth. Try out unfamiliar restaurants.
Local Road Trip
Next best is a local road trip. Find some nearby areas you can drive to visit and stay there. This can include camping, exploring sights a bit further from home, staying in a hotel and so forth.
Longer Road Trip
A long road trip can be a lot of fun for the family. Mine someday wants to do a long road trip up the California coast on the 101, camping whenever we need a break. It’s a great way to appreciate the natural beauty of a place.
If you’re driving for your vacation, short distance or long, make sure you inflate your tires correctly, remove excess weight from your car, use your cruise control and obey the speed limit. These tips should improve your fuel efficiency.
What About Buses, Planes and Trains?
This is a complex calculation. Which is the best depends on what’s available for your transportation, the distance and how many people are in your group and sharing the transportation with you. A full flight is going to be more efficient per person than a half empty one, after all! Depending on where you’re going, you may still need to rent an efficient car to get where you’re going. Most of us aren’t going to spend a vacation in the immediate vicinity of the airport.
Time is also a factor. Planes are fast, but may not be the most efficient option in terms of direct fuel cost. If you don’t have the time to drive, take a bus or train to wherever you’re going, that’s the option you’re going to pick, regardless of efficiency.
There’s a good review of the options at Scholars and Rogues that discusses the lifecycle cost of each type of transit. It has a lot of food for thought. It covers the issues from more than just the viewpoint of fuel consumed by each vehicle. There’s the entire complex lifestyle, and the results go against the usual calculations done based on fuel expended per person. It’s an interesting perspective.
Don’t Forget Bicycling
Bicycling isn’t an option for all family vacations. Kids can only ride so far, and may not be able to do distance riding safely. But of all options, it’s the most energy efficient and the best way to appreciate nature. If you’re going on your vacation by car, consider taking bikes along, remembering that the bike racks will decrease your gas mileage.
No option is perfectly environmentally friendly, but then living isn’t perfectly environmentally friendly. Think about your impact before you pack.
Tags: eco friendly vacation, family vacation, green travel, staycation, summer
