No better time that the present to start eating and living green. Here are 15 tips on how you can change every day meals and habits and help lessen your carbon footprint at the same time.
• Eat more veggies, they produce no greenhouse gasses and use less water and energy to grow. Better yet, start your own garden and grow your own!
• Reusable grocery shopping bags.
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• Choose grass-fed meat and free range eggs.
• Bring your own lunch to work, it's less wasteful packaging and your be consuming less processed food.
• Take your left overs with you, the energy that went into making the meal is greater than the packaging you'll be taking it home in.
• Go local! Support locals farmers, winemakers, bakers, butchers. The less distance the food has to travel, the smaller the carbon footprint.
• Chill out on the paper towel use, instead use a cloth dish towel.
• Recycle, recycle, recycle. Seems like a given but sometime the simplest things are the easiest to forget.
• Bike or walk to the supermarket, not only does it feel good but it saves money on gas too!
• Step away from the plastic bottle water. Americans dispose of over $25 billion of them a year! Instead get a Brita filter, or a Nalgene bottle, like this one.
• Use environmentally friendly cleaning products to clean up with in the kitchen, less chemicals and less impact on the planet. Seventh Generation has got you covered.
• Turn off lights when you leave a room.
• Hit up the bulk bin section at your grocer. Granola, flour, dog treats, grains, coffee beans, seeds, nuts, dried fruits are just a few things you can stock up on and the best part is it's way less packaging.
• Eat Heirloom! There are over 1,000 varieties of these non-genetically modified veggies.
• Organization is key! Making sure the dishwasher is full means less water and energy used. The same goes for your fridge, the less time you stand there looking for that day-old meatloaf the less wasted cold air.
Want to know more about your Carbon Footprint and just how much of an impact you have, check out The Nature Conservancy's website.
