{"id":526096,"date":"2010-04-13T13:51:26","date_gmt":"2010-04-13T17:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/the_conscious_consumer\/129\/don-t-bother-with-this-for-earth-day.html"},"modified":"2010-04-13T13:51:26","modified_gmt":"2010-04-13T17:51:26","slug":"dont-bother-with-this-for-earth-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/526096","title":{"rendered":"Don&#8217;t bother with this for Earth Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"image\" style=\"float:right;padding-left:8px;\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"image name\" height=\"200\" src=\"http:\/\/a323.yahoofs.com\/ymg\/the_conscious_consumer\/the_conscious_consumer-710664989-1271164921.jpg?ym5Pg.CD0A_BJ6UL\" width=\"350\"\/><br \/>\n<br \/><em>(Photo: Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--[if gte mso 9]> \n \n  \n \n--><!--[if gte mso 9]> \n \n  0\n  false\n  \n  \n  18 pt\n  18 pt\n  0\n  0\n  \n  false\n  false\n  false\n  \n   \n   \n   \n   \n  \n \n--><!--[if gte mso 9]> \n \n \n--><\/p>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<p><!--[if gte mso 10]>\n\n\n<style>\n\ntable.MsoNormalTable\n\t{\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nfont-size:12.0pt;\nfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\n\n\n\n\n}\n<\/style>\n\n\n--><\/p>\n<p>Looking to make some greener choices in your daily life, but<br \/>\ndon&#8217;t know where to start or how to take the next step? You&#8217;re not alone. It<br \/>\ncan be hard to know what will really make a difference. <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Besides the prospect of having to completely revamp your<br \/>\nlifestyle or spend a lot of cash on &#8220;going green&#8221; can seem daunting. Luckily,<br \/>\nsuch drastic steps are completely unnecessary. <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are plenty of simple steps you can make that will have<br \/>\na positive impact on the planet (and in most cases are better for your health<br \/>\nand your pocketbook). Focus your time and money on <a href=\"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/the_conscious_consumer\/64\/pick-your-green-battles.html\">things<br \/>\nthat will really make a difference<\/a> instead of sweating the small stuff or<br \/>\nfeeling like there&#8217;s no point in making any change unless you take a huge leap.\n<\/p>\n<p>Here are things you <strong>DON&#8217;T<\/strong><br \/>\nhave to do: <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Always buy organic.<\/strong><br \/>\nInstead focus on buying what&#8217;s in season and local for produce that tastes<br \/>\nbetter, is more nutritious, and doesn&#8217;t have to travel thousands of miles to<br \/>\nreach your table. Find out <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nrdc.org\/health\/foodmiles\/\">what&#8217;s<br \/>\nin season where you live<\/a> right now. Search for <a href=\"http:\/\/search.yahoo.com\/search?p=local+farmers+market&#038;ei=UTF-8&#038;fr=moz35\">local<br \/>\nfarmers markets<\/a> or visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.localharvest.org\/\">LocalHarvest<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you can afford to buy <a href=\"http:\/\/www.care2.com\/greenliving\/15-reasons-to-eat-organic-food.html\">organic<\/a>,<br \/>\nthen spend your money on the fruits and veggies that tend to have <a href=\"http:\/\/shine.yahoo.com\/channel\/food\/the-dirty-dozen-top-12-foods-to-buy-organic-521422\/\">the<br \/>\nmost pesticide residues<\/a> such as peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, and<br \/>\nnectarines. You can skip organic versions of onion, avocado, sweet corn,<br \/>\npineapple, mango, <a href=\"http:\/\/shine.yahoo.com\/channel\/food\/the-clean-15-foods-you-may-not-need-to-buy-organic-521435\/\">and<br \/>\nothers<\/a> since they&#8217;re typically light on pesticide residues. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One thing we all could do (whether we care about creating a<br \/>\nmore sustainable lifestyle or not) is to <a href=\"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/guest_bloggers\/9\/50-ways-to-never-waste-food-again.html\">try<br \/>\nnot to waste food<\/a>. If every American were to <a href=\"http:\/\/switchboard.nrdc.org\/blogs\/slyutse\/the_one_billion_ton_opportunit_1.html\">reduce<br \/>\ntheir food waste by 25%<\/a>, it would have a big impact on greenhouse gas<br \/>\nemissions (not to mention your budget), according to a recent Natural Resources<br \/>\nDefense Council (NRDC) report.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Go vegetarian.<\/strong> Instead<br \/>\nfocus on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2008\/06\/11\/dining\/11mini.html\">consuming<br \/>\nless meat<\/a> and dairy products. How? Smaller portions. Stop eating meat <a href=\"http:\/\/www.meatlessmonday.com\/\">one day a week<\/a>. Don&#8217;t eat meat at<br \/>\nevery meal. Anything goes. The kind of meat you choose is also important. Red<br \/>\nmeat <a href=\"http:\/\/graphics8.nytimes.com\/images\/2008\/12\/04\/world\/meatgraphFull.jpg\">is<br \/>\nharder on the planet<\/a> than poultry and pork. The NRDC says that <a href=\"http:\/\/switchboard.nrdc.org\/blogs\/slyutse\/the_one_billion_ton_opportunit_1.html\">swapping<br \/>\nred meat for poultry and skipping dairy twice a week<\/a> are two relatively<br \/>\npainless ways to make a big difference. It&#8217;s also healthier and easier on your<br \/>\nwallet. <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy green products.<\/strong><br \/>\nInstead focus on buying less stuff. It&#8217;s tempting to think that purchasing a<br \/>\nbunch of &#8220;eco-friendly&#8221; products is the best way to be supportive of the<br \/>\nenvironment. But resources are used to make, package, ship, and ultimately<br \/>\ndispose of all products, green or not. When you do have to buy new, then of<br \/>\ncourse it&#8217;s best to choose products with sustainable attributes such as those<br \/>\nthat are energy efficient, are made of recycled or recyclable materials, or<br \/>\nhave minimal packaging if you can. But first try <a href=\"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/daily_green_news\/315\/five-products-designed-to-fail-early.html\">prolonging<br \/>\nthe life<\/a> of what you already own, borrowing or <a href=\"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/daily_green_news\/201\/12-things-you-didn-t-know-you-could-rent.html\">renting<br \/>\nsomething you&#8217;ll use infrequently<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/the_conscious_consumer\/53\/how-to-find-free-stuff.html\">swap<br \/>\nwhat you no longer need<\/a>, or buy a used product. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy a hybrid.<\/strong> Instead<br \/>\ntake good care of the car you already own and don&#8217;t idle. We know you&#8217;ve heard<br \/>\nit before, but if everyone made these simple steps it would have a <a href=\"http:\/\/switchboard.nrdc.org\/blogs\/slyutse\/the_one_billion_ton_challenge.html\">measurable<br \/>\nimpact on global warming emissions<\/a>. Better yet, figure out a way to <a href=\"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/greenpicks\/89\/buddy-up-in-the-car.html\">carpool<\/a><br \/>\ntwo times a week or <a href=\"http:\/\/planetgreen.discovery.com\/work-connect\/convince-boss-telecommute.html\">telecommute<\/a><br \/>\none day a week if you can. When it&#8217;s time to buy a car, choose <a href=\"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/living-green\/buying-a-fuel-efficient-car.html\">the<br \/>\nmost fuel-efficient car<\/a> in the class of car you need. Some smaller cars not<br \/>\nonly rival <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/transportation\/cars\/stories\/union-of-concerned-scientists-questions-true-value-of-hybrid-cars\">hybrids<\/a><br \/>\nwhen it comes to fuel efficiency, but also have lower price tags.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Invest in solar<br \/>\npanels.<\/strong> Instead buy <a href=\"http:\/\/apps3.eere.energy.gov\/greenpower\/buying\/index.shtml\">green power<\/a><br \/>\nfrom your local utility. An increasing number of consumers have the option to<br \/>\nbuy electricity from renewable sources, such as wind or hydro, from their<br \/>\nelectricity supplier or another utility. Ask your utility if they offer <a href=\"http:\/\/apps3.eere.energy.gov\/greenpower\/markets\/pricing.shtml?page=4\">a<br \/>\ngreen pricing program<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/apps3.eere.energy.gov\/greenpower\/buying\/buying_power.shtml\">click<br \/>\nthis map<\/a> to see if it&#8217;s available in your state. You&#8217;ll have to pay a small<br \/>\npremium each month for the company to use renewable energy or develop sources<br \/>\nof it, but it&#8217;s a lot cheaper than slapping solar panels on your roof. <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Better yet, take steps to use<br \/>\nless energy around your house. Some ideas of <a href=\"http:\/\/switchboard.nrdc.org\/blogs\/slyutse\/the_one_billion_ton_opportunit.html\">small<br \/>\nchanges that can add up to big savings<\/a>: Replace six incandescent bulbs with<br \/>\nCFLs, use a <a href=\"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/the_conscious_consumer\/14\/how-to-program-your-thermostat.html\">programmable<br \/>\nthermostat<\/a>, set <a href=\"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/the_conscious_consumer\/20\/how-to-enable-the-power-save-mode-on-your-computer.html\">computer<br \/>\nto hibernate<\/a> mode, <a href=\"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/the_conscious_consumer\/61\/when-to-switch-off-your-lights.html\">switch<br \/>\noff unused lights<\/a>, seal leaks, insulate your attic, wash you clothes in<br \/>\ncold water.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips<br \/>\nand product reviews with Yahoo! Green&#8217;s users. Send Lori a <a href=\"http:\/\/help.yahoo.com\/l\/us\/yahoo\/green\/forms\/consciousconsumerblog.html\">question<br \/>\n or suggestion<\/a> for potential use in a future column. Her book,<\/em><br \/>\nGreen Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a<br \/>\nPart of Your Life <em>is available on <a href=\"http:\/\/shopping.yahoo.com\/p:Green%2C%20Greener%2C%20Greenest%3A%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Making%20Eco-Smart%20Choices%20a%20Part%20of%20Your%20Life:3005209514?clink=dmps\/lori_bongiorno\/ctx=mid:1,pid:3005209514,pdid:1,pos:1,spc:14489115,date:20081009,srch:kw,x:\">Yahoo!<br \/>\n Shopping<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Green-Greener-Greenest-Practical-Eco-Smart\/dp\/0399534032\/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&#038;s=books&#038;qid=1228865081&#038;sr=8-1\">Amazon.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Check out Yahoo! Green on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/YahooGreen\">Twitter<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/yahoogreen\"> Facebook<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Photo: Getty Images) Looking to make some greener choices in your daily life, but don&#8217;t know where to start or how to take the next step? You&#8217;re not alone. It can be hard to know what will really make a difference. \u00a0 Besides the prospect of having to completely revamp your lifestyle or spend a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3953,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-526096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3953"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526096\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}