Green Up in 2010

Happy 2010! This is the first day back for most of us and we are all focused on the goals we want to achieve this year. As you list those tasks, I hope you will think about what you can do in your work and home life to be more sustainable. Perhaps you’ll make an effort to print less frequently, print on recycled paper, print on reused paper OR maybe you’ll lead the effort to become a paperless work environment. If the building you work in doesn’t have a recycling program, begin a petition to start one. If your office still engages in practices that are not Earth friendly, start a green committee where you can brainstorm with your co-workers about policies you can initiate like replacing bottled water with filtered and providing all staff with an aluminum water bottle.

At home, perhaps you can begin to compost your leftover food scraps and unplug major appliances when they are not in use. Swap your incandescent lights with compact florescent light bulbs and turn off lights when you leave a room. Switch to wind power.

There are so many things we can all do and most take little or no effort. Here are some things you can do in your HOME that don’t cost a penny.

Turn off the lights in any room when it is not in use.

Unplug your TV, DVD and phone charger when not in use.

Take a 3-minute shower.

Wash clothes in warm or cold water and always rinse in cold.

Wash dishes by hand or run the dishwasher only when it is full. Don’t rinse plates in advance.

Say NO to bottled water. Drink filtered or tap water from a glass or reusable water bottle.

Set your thermostat to 65 degrees in the winter and your water heater
to 120 degrees.

Don’t let your vehicle idle for more than 20 seconds.

Say NO to paper AND plastic bags wherever you shop. Bring your own canvas bag leftover from a conference or trip.

Recycle every scrap of paper, newspaper, cardboard and junk mail as well as every plastic, glass or aluminum container.

Pledge to NEVER throw anything in a trash can – at home or outside the home -- that can be recycled, and then recycle!

Earth Day Should Be Every Day and Preserving the Earth

Last week, I went to an Earth Day rally that featured many fabulous speakers that kept me motivated to continue on my mission to make changes to the special event and meeting industries and the world in general. I then realized that these people were preaching to the choir. They don't need to sell me on anything. I'm on their band wagon! While I'm pretty darn green (some say "off the deep end green") I started to realize that I need to invite my friends who are light green and even brown to these rallies so that they can hear how critically important it is for us to start making serious changes NOW!

Our Earth is a gift to us and we need to be thankful for it, cherish it and take care of it. We have been doing a very bad job lately, just ask James Hansen from NASA, one of the speakers at last week's rally. He had very disturbing information to share with us. Essentially, we are on the road to the point of no return, but we can turn this ship around if we all get SERIOUS about changing the way we function. We need to make serious lifestyle changes NOW! Our disposable world (or should I say country?) that is all about convenience isn't good for our home we call Earth.

Make changes today and every day. Check out the tips listed under my Green Tip of the Week. Spread the word. Talk to your family and friends. Save the Earth.

Green Tip:
Preserving the Earth

The guys at Sunnyside Solar Energy put together a fabulous list of 12 Easy Things You Can Do At Home to Preserve the Earth. Read it. Do it. Share it with your friends and family. Now.