Earth Day All Year: 5 Ways to Transform Your Lifestyle
With Earth Day around the corner, we're wondering how we can have a lighter footprint this month. To really make a difference, though, we have to make changes to last all year. Some of the things on the list below are major, but you don't have to overhaul your life completely to do some good. Look for something that will work for you and commit to doing it all the way.
1. Move to a smaller house. McMansions in areas of exurban sprawl are in no way good for the Earth. They require heating huge foyers and other spaces you might not use often. You're so far away from public transportation that you need to drive everywhere. And the chemicals required to keep spacious lawns green are damaging. What about moving to a smaller place closer to wherever you work?
2. Turn your lawn into a garden. Local food is a good thing, and luckily many of us have a lawn that would be a perfect place to produce the ultimate local food. If you aren't interested in farming it yourself, you can rent it out to some enterprising urban farmers who might be interested.
3. Drive less. City living can be greener than suburban life because you can probably ditch your car, or at least use it a lot less. Whenever possible try to go with public transportation or ride a bike, a scooter, a skateboard, whatever. If you're so fortunate, you can opt for a hybrid or an electric car, but nothing beats the greenest locomotion of all: your feet.
4. Use less water. There are many ways to cut down your water usage, from getting low-flow showerheads to taking shorter showers to collecting rainwater to water your plants instead of flipping on the hose. Also, only run your clothes washer and dishwasher when they are full.
5. Throw out your dryer. Drying clothes in a dryer uses a lot of energy, but luckily there are other ways of doing it. Drying clothes on a clothesline is a great, green alternative, and has the added effect of making your clothes smell like sunshine. If you don't have a backyard or an urban clothesline between buildings, consider using a rack that sets up on the floor, hangs from your ceiling, or flips down from a wall.
If you make any of these changes, the Earth will smile on you.
