Easy Fuel Conservation

Want to start conserving fuel? The easiest way to do this that everyone can handle to some extent is walking. Not only is it good for you but it is good for the environment!

Start walking as often as possible instead of driving short distances. Park in the back of parking lots where parking is immediately available, instead of driving around for a parking spot, and walk a few hundred extra feet to your destination. When shopping at a strip mall park your car and walk the length of the shops instead of continually moving your car.

This is so easy people! You will conserve fuel and find you start feeling better and maybe even loose some weight. You will also save money because you will have to fill the tank less often.

10 most walkable cities:
1. San Francisco, CA
2. New York, NY
3. Boston, MA
4. Chicago, IL
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Seattle, WA
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Long Beach, CA
9. Los Angeles, CA
10. Portland, OR
TheDailyGreen

Water Woes

Did you know that it takes 200-400 years for your disposable plastic water battles to break down in a landfill? Did you also know that you shouldn’t re-use those polycarbonate plastic bottles as they are a breading ground for bacteria and your beverage will, over time, leach chemicals from the plastic that have been linked to some serious health problems? The chemical we are most concerned with at the moment is Bisphenol A (BPA). Knowing this, don’t you think it is time we explore alternatives to getting our drinking water?

We can always go back to tap water. Most of us grew up on it and we are still here, no worse for the wear. But, I get it, tap water tastes like crap. There are relatively inexpensive filters for your tap. If you prefer cold water there are filtering pitchers that can be placed in your refrigerator.

Many consumers have started using the “office water coolers” right in their kitchen. Buy filtered water from your grocery store in 5 gallon jugs and always have filtered cold or hot water at your fingertips.

There are filtration systems called whole house water filtration. This filtration process will filter all the water you are using. This is a preferred filtration method for many people because, as we all know, not only should we worry about consuming unfiltered water but our bodies suck the stuff up like sponges while bathing, showering or washing our hands.

So, we have alternatives for drinking water while in the comfort of our own homes. But, what are we to do when we would like to take that water with us on a hike, to the gym or while driving in our cars? Glass or Thick plastic water bottles are always a good alternative to the pre-bottles water you can buy. The containers can be washed and re-used, they come in many sizes and some are made to be very trendy. Just remember to watch out for even the thicker plastic bottles made from polycarbonate. Even some so called re-usable bottles have nasty chemicals that can be leached by your beverage and ingested. The more you wash these bottles the more likely they will release chemicals into your water.

Use what you know

When I decided to start blogging I was a little apprehensive about finding stuff to write about. And, would I have enough “educated” material to keep my readers interested? The best advice I was given was to write about what I already know and to use a blog like my personal diary. When I have something to say, or have heard/learned something useful I should write it down.

This advice holds true for going green. There are many reasons for taking hold and running with the movement. What is yours? Some people recognize the economic value of living a greener lifestyle. Some people are passionate about treading lightly and leaving the environment around them in the same shape that they came into it. And, others believe in righting a wrong that has been done to the planet. There are many, many reasons to green your lifestyle. As I have said before this is not an all or nothing thing. Do what you can when you can do it.

All of us are starting this race from a different spot. Some of us have our toe to the starting line and others are a mile back from it. Take what you already know and what you are already good at and figure out how that can help the Ecological cause. I, for example, am an elementary school teacher turned financial analyst.

I have found that I am able to use my background in teaching to take all of these ideas and break them down to the simple so that anyone can grasp and implement the concepts. I have also used my financial and database background to calculate ROI and long term savings of energy efficiency. There is also a profit and loss to recycling, using renewable energy, re-using materials. Actually, there is a profit and loss to just about every action we take in our lives. My goal is to show people how the profits far outweigh the costs when it comes to anything green.

Green T's first blog

Sitting in a breakfast meeting the other day I was told by someone who, in my opinion is much more “green” than I, that if she heard one more person say they were going green, are green, working green that she would turn green.

As I was thinking about her comment I started to see where she was really coming from. “GREEN” is a fad. It is a passing craze and will soon be “unpopular” again. “GREEN” means something else to every person and there are just as many word combinations for the acronym.

As we embark on this new “GREEN” Journey I think we need to stop thinking, passing craze and start thinking sustainability. We as American’s are way behind the 8 ball. Other countries have become Eco-friendly and Eco-conscious in recent years. It is in the face of a depression deep in a recession that Americans are starting to think of cost saving solutions to their current situations. Many of these cost saving solutions are also Eco-friendly.

Don’t feel bad that if in coming to your “GREEN” lifestyle you were actually selfishly looking to save money. The effect is the same. And, there are many ways to save some green and save the planet at the same time.

Also, please don’t think that becoming Eco-friendly it is an all or nothing thing. We don’t have to follow the advice of such people as Sheryl Crow who said we should start using only two squared of toilet paper per visit to the commode. A good friend of mine says of these people…”You first”. Turning a new leaf to a new “GREEN” lifestyle can be done at your own pace and to whatever extent you are comfortable with. Remember, if each ONE of us just does a small amount WE can make a huge difference.