Just Another Green Lens

It's so easy to feel overwhelmed and confused when we listen to the media about the state of our beautiful plant, Earth.

However, we should not allow depression to paralyze us into taking no action! There are many things we can do each and every day to help lessen the impact on the environment, starting right now.

Here is a list of things you can start with - and it won't even break a sweat.

Use Reusable Bags - You see them all over the place: plastic shopping bags. They're not always carrying goods. We often see them floating outside (empty) or flying in the breeze from some bush or tree. YUCK!

Instead of using new plastic bags offered by so many food and department stores, how about reusing the bags you have already accumulated? And after you used them up, use cloth bags that your keep in your car for shopping purposes.

Using and keeping reusable bags in your car for those grocery store and other stops, you would make a huge difference in the number of plastic bags that end up in landfills, all of which will still be around when your great-grandchildren are alive.

If you look around your home, you may have several cloth bags already that would be suitable. If not, Trader Joe's and other retail stores sells attractive reusable grocery bags.

Save Water - Take a 5-minute shower. Start out by using a timer. You will soon get a natural feel of how long a 5-minute shower lasts!

If you took a 5 minute shower every morning instead of a 15 minute one, this would save tons of water in a year as well as save you money on your water bill.

Turning off the water while you soap your body and lather the shampoo in your hair as well as shave will help you save lots more.

To make this easier, turn on your knobs to where you like them for the perfect shower temperature, and mark the faucets with red fingernail polish so you know exactly where to turn them.

Go Digital - Going digital is getting easier and easier in this age of fast Internet connections and more businesses offering online bill paying.

Could you read an ebook instead of a paper version? I read the local newspaper every day online (for free).

Online banking is extremely convenience - and safe. Do online banking instead of getting a statement in the mail? Pay bills online instead of using an envelope? (You'll save money for postage, too!)

Cloth Not Paper - Go back to cloth diapers.

Yes, it may not give you the convenience of the commercial diapers, but can you imagine how full the landfills must be just with the plastic from these?

My niece uses cloth diapers for her little one. She will only use the plastic diapers if she's away from home traveling.

If you don't have the ambition to do cloth diapers, then at least choose biodegradable diapers.

Cloth diapers make great cleaning cloths after you are finished using them for baby!

Drive Green - While it may not be affordable to buy a hybrid right now, you can at least lighten up on the gas pedal.

Today, driving is certainly an "attitude." So if you adjust your attitude and drive at a slower pace, you may find that you will be less stressed! (And you won't have to sweat it when a police car pulls behind you).

Environmentally, you'll use far less gas if you accelerate slowly.

Keeping your car in good repair can also help. And obviously, combining errands as much as possible and not leaving your car to idle are also good ideas.

Bring Back Frugal - I say let's make frugal the "in thing" again!

At one time in this country, people prided themselves on "do without, use it up, wear it out". They tried to stretch things as far as they would go, repair them when they broke, minimize what they purchased in the first place, and in general have a frugal outlook.

Not only will your pocketbook thank you, but you'll keep a lot of stuff out of the landfills.

When you are done with something, Freecyle it (Freecyle.org), have a yard sale, or give it to charity instead of just tossing it.

Remember, set goals for yourself and your family and commit to making changes slowly. This way, good habits of stewardship of our planet are more likely to stick and become permanent lifestyle choices.