Reduce Reuse Recycle

So I thought before I get started actively, I would spend the day researching Why a Greener Way of Living is a Better Way of Living. I found that  it all starts with these 3 little words:

 Reduce  Reuse  Recycle

This is what starts it all off and it's a great way to keep a "Green" frame of mind. 

Reduce

I found out today that Global Warming is the direct result of increased carbon dioxide and other gases in the earth's atmosphere. This increase is a direct result of burning more and more fossil fuels while clearing trees and forests. 

While I knew what Global Warming was, I needed a simple way of putting it and this was the clearest definition I've found. So we all know how important it is to keep our earth beautiful and we want to reduce our carbon "footprint" by as much as we possibly can. Simple things we've grown up knowing, like turn off lights when we leave a room and turn off water when we are brushing our teeth still apply today. We can now add using energy-saving light bulbs and buying items that have the least amount of packaging and took the least amount of energy to make.

Reuse

Try to use plastic containers for your left-overs or lunches instead of plastic bags you throw away after one use - this saves money as well as the environment. And you'll never have to eat a smashed PB&J sandwich again! Another good thing is to start is using cloth napkins instead of paper napkins or paper towels. These can be bought or even made. You can also bring your own coffee mug to the cafe every morning instead of using their disposable cups. Convenience stores will let you use your own cup and even places like Starbucks - and it's a great way to put to use those expensive cups you buy with their logo!

Recycle

Recycle cans, bottles, plastics and paper any and every time you can. This is maybe the easiest thing to do because you can keep containers labeled for these and just toss them in ... Done! If you have a Recycling pick-up, you put them out just like the trash. If not, you can make one trip a month and drop everything off while running errands. More things are recyclable than people realize. It's just doing a little bit of homework to find out where to go in your area. They will even give you a list of what they take! 

So I've started my research and I'm ready to get my containers labeled! This will be my Active first step. I need to call tomorrow and find out where to bring my plastics and glass because the place I bring my cans and other metals to doesn't accept plastic and glass.  And also I don't want to pay to have them picked up. That's suppose to be one of the benefits of being Greener - it's also cheaper! 

So ... here I am, already Greener :-)