Bella Notte

I guess you can say that I have always been a little green. And by green I mean environmentally friendly, not to impune your intelligence. I discovered this past week that I am very green without even realizing it. I was camping this past week and I wouldn't let my friends throw plastic away, I saved it and brought it home to be washed. Okay, but I am not here to tell you about all of my accomplishments, I just wanted to say that everyone needs to be conscious about what they are doing because what you do now effects the lives of the people after you. I'm not saying that you should give up your car and to forget about using hot water, but I think that everyone needs to do  their part in helping. Here are a few tips I have picked up on through reading and researching that might be helpful to you. 

First, change is hard, but everyone can make small adjustments at first, and then eventually they can be made into big adjustments, but any adjustment helps

Suggestion #1

Change your light bulbs from incandescent bulbs (what you probably use now) to energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL's). CFL's take two-thirds less electricity than incandescent light bulbs. This is because 90% of the energy from an incandescent light bulb is converted to heat, not light, so, that energy is wasted. The only thing about CFL's is that the initial costs is a lot more than an incandescent bulb, but CFL's will last a lot longer than the incandescent bulbs. If you have a light that is on four hours a day and you use a CFL bulb your carbon emissions will reduce about 150 pounds per year. If every household did this it would save as much energy as it takes to light 2.5 million homes per year! However, if you use these light bulbs don't throw them in the trash because they contain levels of mercury. There are different ways of disposing them, so, research, or just ask.

Suggestion #2

NEVER LEAVE LIGHTS, TV, OR RADIO ON IF YOU AREN'T IN THE ROOM. This is the easiest thing you can do because it just is a little flick of the wrist to turn it off.

Suggestion #3

Don't drink bottled water. The bottles are normally made from plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which comes from petroleum. Trust me, all these big terms, I don't really know what they mean, so, if you don't either, don't be scared. By producing this plastic water is used and carbon dioxide is omitted into the air, which is BAD. And, only about 20% of these bottles get recycled. The water found in bottled water really isn't better than tap water, it basically is tap water. Bottled water isn't as strictly regulated as tap water is therefore bottled water could contain harmful chemicals, where tap water is regulated closely and you can be assured that you are drinking safe water. AND! Don't refill plastic water bottles, that's baddd! The little ridges around the edges of the water bottle get bacteria stuck in their even if you do wash it, and the plastic could potentially leak carcinogenic chemicals into your water. And, re-used water bottles aren't very cute. The most green choice for a water bottle is either glass or stainless steel. Just ultimately try to stay away from using plastic water bottles. 

Suggestion #4

This relates to the suggestion above. If you are a regular coffee drinker, I have news for you. The easiest way to be green is to purchase a stainless steel reusable mug. In the US we use about 14 billion disposable paper coffee cups a year and 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups each year. If you use one non reusable coffee cup a day for a year, you are generating 23 pounds of waste. And, because of the materials that these cups are made out of they aren't easy to recycle, they require a lot of energy to produce, and they leach harmful chemicals into your coffee which can be hormone disrupters.

Suggestion #5

Keep water running for as short of a time as possible. The average faucet runs three gallons of water per minute. If you leave the water running while you brush your teeth for the recommended two minutes twice a day, that's 12 gallons a day and 4,380 gallons a year just simply going down the drain! And, the water that comes out of our faucet also takes energy to clean at the water treatment plant, so, you aren't only wasting water, you are wasting energy to. So, here's the difficult task: TURN THE WATER OFF! There is a lot of water on this planet, but only 1% is usable for humans. In the United States water use has tripled in the past fifty years, because of this, 36 states are predicting water shortages by 2013. 

Suggestion #6

When you buy something small tell the checker out person that you don't need a bag. Simply carry it or put it in your purse. Plastic bags and paper bags are both bad for the environment. If you do use a bag, never throw them away! Reuse them!

Suggestion #7

Showers are responsible for 30% of the hot water usage in the US. Using hot water also increases carbon dioxide emissions. Just cutting your hot shower 2 minutes can decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 400 pounds. It's difficult to apply this to everyone because it depends how long and how hot your showers are, and it also depends on whether or not locally your city uses coal or natural gas to create the hot water. Reducing shower time is the beat way to be green, but reducing the temperature can also help. And, spending a lot of time in the shower is bad for your skin. The heat can dry out your skin 

Suggestion #8

Ladies, reduce the time you use your hair dryer. By using an 1875-watt hair dryer for 12 minutes you can produce more than 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year. The best thing to do is to let your hair air dry half way and then dry your hair with a hair dryer after it was air dried. If you are in a hurry squeeze out as much water as you can and then dry your hair. Don't ever rub a towel on your head though, it created frizz. And by not using the hair dryer as much you decrease the chance of split ends, dryness, and frizziness. 

Suggestion #9

Unplug your chargers after using them. The biggest one: the cell phone charger. Even though you aren't charging your cell phone or any other thing for that matter, like your computer, ipod, PDA etc. energy is still being transmitted by having it plugged in through the wall. And never throw away old cell phones, there are a bunch of ways to easily recycle old cell phones. Ask me if you need to.

Suggestion #10

Do all your laundry in cold water. Trust me, it does just as good a job as hot water. And, if you aren't using hot water you aren't using all the energy needed to heat the water and eventually decreasing carbon emissions. And, washing clothes in cold water will help prevent your clothes from fading faster. If you have a tough stain treat the stain first before you wash it with stain remover or detergent. 

Suggestion#11

Adjust your thermostat. In the winter turn the heat down i degree and in the summer turn the air conditioner i degree higher. If you have electric heat turning your thermostat down i degree can save up to 240 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. For gas heat, you save 320 pounds of carbon dioxide. In the summer, you can save 120 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. If you are buying an air conditioner or any other appliance for that matter, look for the energy efficient star. And, choose new over old. Newer appliances and air conditioners are more energy efficient than old ones. Excessive indoor heat or coolness creates dry skin and when you turn down the air or heat you create more humidity which helps your skin. And, an air conditioned area contributes to weight gain because when you are hot your body works to keep you cool. Lastly, when it's hot don't automatically turn on the air, maybe you could open the windows. 

Here are some last thoughts. Don't go out and buy all new light bulbs, a new air conditioner and water bottles. Consumerism isn't being green! Just think about what you are buying before you buy it, and slowly replace the not so green things with green things once they run out. The best way to be green is to purchase things when you need them. But, while doing this, be careful of greenwashing. Greenwashing is when companies and products claim to be green, but they may not be, or there is suspect. Just because a package says it's green or environmentally friendly isn't always true. Just think and be smart about what you are buying. I hope that these suggestions helped.