I recently made the shocking discovery that my lifestyle is
not as eco-friendly as I thought it was. I considered myself a tree-hugger with
a penchant for sequins, lingerie and bubble baths—a glamola girl! Other than my
proclivity for these luxury items, I thought I was doing everything I could to
not harm the environment. My awakening happened when I attended a “Green
Goddess” party last week where I learned that my personal footprint on this earth
was much deeper than I believed.
Here are some of the new environmental conserving things I
learned (with a little extra research for supportive data) and have committed
to learning and doing:
Buy Carbon Offsets When I Fly - I love to travel! But, airplanes
produce massive amounts of CO2, which pollutes the earth unless changed into
oxygen by plants. I just found out that I could purchase carbon offsets (which
go towards carbon reduction) to neutralize the pollution I am creating. Sites
like Travelocity and Expedia make it convenient to buy carbon offsets when booking
with them.
Get off junk mail lists - I
am going to register with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference
Service (dmaconsumers.org) and they
say I will see a significant reduction in mail after three months.
Replace my
light bulbs - I am going to replace all my light bulbs with an Energy Star
bulb – if every US home did just one, we’d save enough energy to light 3
million homes for a year.
Ditch the PVC Shower Curtain - PVC is one of the most destructive
plastics made, and has no place in a green bathroom. The production of PVC
creates highly toxic dioxins, and once in the home it also gives off chemical
gasses. PVC cannot be recycled, and once disposed of it leaks chemicals, which
can make their way back into the ground water. I will replace it with a curtain
made of hemp, which is naturally mold resistant.
Buy Green Towels - I didn’t know that conventionally grown cotton is one
of the most destructive and pesticide laden crops on the planet. Organic cotton
doesn't use chemical fertilizers or pesticides, which is healthier for the
planet and ultimately for me. Also I will try out fabrics like bamboo, which
are silky smooth are harvested from a renewable and fast-growing tree.
Recycle Gray Water - Soon, when I move and have a big
garden, I will recycle my gray water. It’s the wasted resource that is the
water that goes down the sink and tub. On average a person uses 60 gallons of
water during a shower, water that could be used to irrigate our lawns and
gardens.
Buy shade
grown coffee - its grown naturally under the rain forest canopy,
preserving forests from clear-cutting and leaving more trees to absorb CO2
Posted on
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
by Ms. Dolphina