Eco Friendly Living

Eco friendly living is a must if you want to protect your health and the health of the planet. We evolved in harmony with nature. When we create disharmony, instead, we, and all the creatures of the earth, suffer.

When you cut back your consumption of energy and chemicals, and incorporate green living tips into your daily life, you contribute to the wellness of all beings on this planet, including yourself. We must all do our part if we want a chance of living a healthy lifestyle for ourselves and our children.

Clean air, food, water and land improve quality of life. Beauty and nature are good for the soul. Not only that, you conserve resources and are even likely to save money, especially in health care.

Toxins in all forms compromise your quality of life in mind, body, and spirit.

Poisons from pollution are a major source of many health problems because what is in your air, water, and food supply eventually ends up inside you.

When these poisons get absorbed by your tissues and stored in your body, they interfere with proper cell functioning. Your energy and vitality diminishes and you become more susceptible to diseases like asthma and cancers.

Living Green Tips

The idea of eco friendly living can be overwhelming and it is tempting to think that your little part doesn't matter. You don't have to live a total Mother Earth lifestyle to make a difference. Start with the following living green tips. They are easy to implement and will save you money. As you practice eco friendly living habits you will naturally grow in awareness and will find even more ways to go green.

1- Bring reusable canvas or cloth bags with you on shopping trips. Return plastic bags to the store for recycling or even better reuse them on your next visit. Why? Plastic bag manufacturing in the U.S. burns approximately 12 million barrels of oil and hundreds of millions end up in landfills and our waterways. They take 1,000 years to degrade.

2-Buy it local. Eco friendly living starts at home and in your neighborhood. Transportation requires a lot of fuel. Support your local economy including local small farmers. Much of their produce at farmers markets is fresh, high quality, and organic or pretty close to it. Feel free to ask.

3-Reduce use of lights, TV and appliances when possible. Electronics using phantom power waste energy and create tons of emissions. Unplug or turn off the power strip when you are finished using them for the day. Turn off lights when no one is in the room for more than 10-15 minutes. Set your freezer to 2-3 degrees and your refrigerator to 37 degrees. That is cold enough.  Set your hot water heater to 120 degrees. That is hot enough and safer too. These simple practices limit pollution, save natural resources and lots of money over time.

As a bonus, you will cut down on the electro magnetic waves in your home. Always limit how much you stand close to, or touch electronics, including your cell phone. 

4-Choose non-toxic green cleaning products to protect your family and environment from chemical toxins that make you sick. 

Natural cleaning supplies protect your health and the environment from toxic fumes and chemicals.  They do a great job for all but the toughest cleaning needs.

• Baking soda deodorizes carpets, refrigerators, dog beds and upholstery. Brush it into the material, leave 15 minutes or so, and vacuum it up. Use it in place of gritty cleansers.

• Detergents and cleansers should be plant based, not made from petroleum. Trust your nose. If it smells like chemicals, that's probably what it is.Use castile soap with or without essential oils for general cleaning.

• For a little more 'oomph' on grease or harder to remove scum, try Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds. I use it full strength in the tub. Steam mops use only water and make cleaning a breeze.Protect you skin and lungs when you do have to work with chemicals.

5-Think eco friendly living when remodeling. Use green home products such as low VOC paints, carpets and countertops made with recycled materials, and natural sustainably grown products over synthetics. This practice will cut back greatly on unhealthy indoor air pollution. Boycott unsustainable hard woods harvested from rain forests. 

Utility companies sometimes offer free energy assessments and make suggestions about remodeling to optimize energy saving. Solutions such as weather stripping and caulking are inexpensive and easy. Bigger projects such as insulating ceilings and walls, or replacing old windows are more costly in the short term. However, within a few years, they will pay for themselves and save you loads of money for years to come. Not only that, they save literally tons of energy resources and spare the earth tons of CO2 emissions making them win-win for everyone.

6- Boycott plastic water bottles. Keep a pitcher or jug of filtered water at your desk. Use a refillable stainless steel bottle on the go. Why? Every year, the U.S. dumps enough plastic water bottles to circle the earth over 100 times. Plastic is made from petroleum. Plastic bottles (even BPA free ones) leach hormone-disrupting chemicals into your drinking water. BPA free may simply mean it has been replaced with equally toxic BPS. These chemicals are obesogenic, and even worse, can cause cancer. When you taste plastic, you are drinking plastic.

7- Limit disposable items. Use real dishes and silverware. Drink from a mug, not styrofoam. Why? Styrofoam takes 500 years to degrade and leaves chemicals behind. It's made from coal, petroleum and ethylene which pollutes air and water. It can cause lung cancer and neurological problems. 25% of landfill waste is styrofoam. Need a doggy bag? Bring your own container.

8-Use compact fluorescent bulbs. They use four times less energy than regular bulbs and last fifteen times longer. If every American household changes out ten lights it would be like taking 16 million cars off the road for a year. You can now get them mercury-free.

9-Use your clothes washer and dryer efficiently.  Wash in warm or cold water. Hot water is rarely necessary. Do a few loads at a time. A warmed up dryer saves drying time and energy. Remove lint after every load to dry clothes faster. Too much lint is a fire hazard and wastes energy. 

10-Be conscious about what you put on your skin and in your body.

• Pharmaceutical drugs can be toxic in your body and end up in the water supply for other people to drink when you use the bathroom. Follow directions for use carefully. Do not flush unused drugs. Consult with your health care provider about natural alternatives.

• Many personal products such as soap, shampoo, feminine products and cosmetics contain unnatural ingredients. These get absorbed through your skin and end up in the air and water supply. Ditto for the laundry soap you wash your clothes with.

• Choose organic or more natural products whenever possible.Read labels carefully or make your own chemical free natural beauty products that nurture your health instead of putting you at risk. It's worth it.

These ten green living tips are small changes you can easily make. There are many more. Once you start implementing them and establish new habits eco friendly living will be second nature.

Start implementing eco friendly living tips as you are able. Green cleaning products that you buy or make yourself and green home products like recycled plastic rugs and low wattage bulbs are 'no brainers' because you don't even have to change your habits.

By yourself the effects of living green on the planet may appear insignificant. Do not kid yourself. When lots of people pitch in, the benefits are enormous. Please do your part. The health advantages of living a chemical free lifestyle are huge. Your home and our planet will be a healthier place for you and all of us to live.

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