It's Not Easy Bein' Green
Oh but it is and it’s getting easier.
I was inspired by last week’s talk at the Natural History Museum to get green or at least get greener. Laurie David made a point that was very freeing: you don’t have to be perfect about it; it still counts if you do one thing consistently like using a canvas bag when shopping instead of plastic bags.
Said another way by Laurie: “Everyone doesn’t have to do everything but everyone should do something.”
So here are the small somethings I have done since Wednesday. I encourage you all to pick something, commit to it, and do it!
-I unplugged everything I wasn’t using immediately: my phone charger, my hairdryer, my electric toothbrush, my standing fan, my second computer - I turned off the whole strip. When you leave a plug in the socket the current is flowing, ever at the ready, costing you money, and wasting energy! I feel better already.
-Saturday, I took a nice long walk in the sunshine to the local, and now quite famous in its own right, Green Market. I’ve adopted the cotton bag that was stuffed with eco-swag from Wednesday's event and given out after the luncheon. And now I shop with it. I put all my newly purchased local goodies in there: local orange tulips that all have double buds, local onions, local fingerling potatoes, and local hard cheese.
-I called HSBC, my bank. They're running a promotion about Green banking for their new customers; existing customers can't take advantage of the promotion. Silly. I had a stern word with their customer service department about just how silly it was not to offer this to their loyal customers as well. In the meantime, I went ahead and ordered e-statements [paperless, online statements] to cut back on paper useage. Easy peasy.
-I’m looking into greener power through Con Edison Solutions.
-I’ve been meaning to go to Green Drinks NYC for months. Well this month, May 8th, I’m going! Right after I attend an event celebrating the relationship between the Jews and the Danes. (Jews and Danes, who knew.)
- Green Drinks NYC has linked up with wind power. I’m seriously considering it. That or some other mix of green credits.
-Also, NY Wind has a nice site with some other changes that are easy to implement:
• Reduce, reuse, recycle.
• Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl) CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. You can purchase CFLs online from the Energy Federation.
• Buy locally grown and produced foods - CSA and Farmers Markets- Eat locally grown foods seasonally and buy food with less packaging.
• Carry a cloth bag for shopping- turn down the plastic bag.
• Buy your electricity from renewable providers. Buy Wind Power
• Choose Energy Star energy efficient appliances when purchasing appliances.
• Use less hot water - It takes a lot of energy to heat water.
• Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
• Use clotheslines to dry your clothes- clothes dryers consume large amounts of electricity.
• Do you laundry and run your dishwasher at night- electric demands are highest during the day- use power at night instead of during the day- it will help us all.
• Get a home energy audit- NYSERDA can help you find an energy specialist.
• Walk and use public transportation.
• Compost- make dirt and lesson your contributions to landfills.
• Fly less- Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly.
• Vote for politicians who put protecting the environment as a leading issue.
I was inspired by last week’s talk at the Natural History Museum to get green or at least get greener. Laurie David made a point that was very freeing: you don’t have to be perfect about it; it still counts if you do one thing consistently like using a canvas bag when shopping instead of plastic bags.
Said another way by Laurie: “Everyone doesn’t have to do everything but everyone should do something.”
So here are the small somethings I have done since Wednesday. I encourage you all to pick something, commit to it, and do it!
-I unplugged everything I wasn’t using immediately: my phone charger, my hairdryer, my electric toothbrush, my standing fan, my second computer - I turned off the whole strip. When you leave a plug in the socket the current is flowing, ever at the ready, costing you money, and wasting energy! I feel better already.
-Saturday, I took a nice long walk in the sunshine to the local, and now quite famous in its own right, Green Market. I’ve adopted the cotton bag that was stuffed with eco-swag from Wednesday's event and given out after the luncheon. And now I shop with it. I put all my newly purchased local goodies in there: local orange tulips that all have double buds, local onions, local fingerling potatoes, and local hard cheese.
-I called HSBC, my bank. They're running a promotion about Green banking for their new customers; existing customers can't take advantage of the promotion. Silly. I had a stern word with their customer service department about just how silly it was not to offer this to their loyal customers as well. In the meantime, I went ahead and ordered e-statements [paperless, online statements] to cut back on paper useage. Easy peasy.
-I’m looking into greener power through Con Edison Solutions.
-I’ve been meaning to go to Green Drinks NYC for months. Well this month, May 8th, I’m going! Right after I attend an event celebrating the relationship between the Jews and the Danes. (Jews and Danes, who knew.)
- Green Drinks NYC has linked up with wind power. I’m seriously considering it. That or some other mix of green credits.
-Also, NY Wind has a nice site with some other changes that are easy to implement:
• Reduce, reuse, recycle.
• Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl) CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. You can purchase CFLs online from the Energy Federation.
• Buy locally grown and produced foods - CSA and Farmers Markets- Eat locally grown foods seasonally and buy food with less packaging.
• Carry a cloth bag for shopping- turn down the plastic bag.
• Buy your electricity from renewable providers. Buy Wind Power
• Choose Energy Star energy efficient appliances when purchasing appliances.
• Use less hot water - It takes a lot of energy to heat water.
• Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
• Use clotheslines to dry your clothes- clothes dryers consume large amounts of electricity.
• Do you laundry and run your dishwasher at night- electric demands are highest during the day- use power at night instead of during the day- it will help us all.
• Get a home energy audit- NYSERDA can help you find an energy specialist.
• Walk and use public transportation.
• Compost- make dirt and lesson your contributions to landfills.
• Fly less- Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly.
• Vote for politicians who put protecting the environment as a leading issue.
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