4 Easy Steps For Going Green

Thinking about going green? Don’t worry; it’s definitely not as daunting a concept as many make it out to be. You don’t need to sell your house and live in a tent in the wilderness to show that you care for the environment just quite yet-being green is really about all the little things that add up. Have a look at these four easy steps that can easily be implemented into your every day routine that will make a huge difference in the long run!

1. Bring your own grocery bags
Paper or plastic? Neither! Garbage is a serious problem that we are facing. Canadians produce more waste per person than any other country in the world. In fact, the average Canadian produces 2.2 kilograms of waste per day. Remember, there is no such place as “away”; everything that we supposedly throw “away” has to go somewhere, and it will always come back to haunt us. An easy way to decrease your waste production is by toting around your own reusable bags when you are grocery shopping. Not only are they light-weight and environmentally-friendly, but they also come in adorable designs. Many stores also offer a small discount if you bring your own eco-friendly shopping bag!

2. Switch to eco-friendly hair products
Not only are green shampoos and conditioners kind to the earth, but they’re also easy on your hair. The purpose of washing hair is to remove excess oil and dirt, not to strip hair of its natural moisture, which is what inorganic shampoos do. Inorganic shampoos are loaded with harmful chemicals such as MIT (methylisothiazoline), a chemical linked to neurological damage) and sodium laureth sulphate (a cheap foaming agent that is a known carcinogen). Exposure to MIT while pregnant can put the fetus at risk for abnormal brain development). Think about it this way…of a stranger was standing on the street corner offering bottles of a coloured chemical liquid and told you that using this would cause neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and birth defects, would you buy that product and scrub it into your scalp under warm water? Eco-friendly and chemical-free shampoos are readily available and affordable.

3. Go easy on the gift wrap
It’s easy to get lost in a sea of wrapping paper, ribbon, and gift bags during the holiday season. The average Canadian family produces 25% more waste during the holidays than any other time of the year! Open gifts carefully instead of tearing them open so you can reuse the wrapping paper, and decorate shoe and cereal boxes to hold gifts instead of buying new ones. Wrap in tea towels, t-shirts or reusable eco-friendly bags. Even better, give the gift of an experience, like concert tickets or ski passes.

4. Become a flexitarian
Instead of cooking up a steak every night, try going one day a week without eating meat. This will help the environment immensely, as the meat production process causes significant pollution, is very lengthy, energy consuming, and can be unethical. The health benefits associated with vegetarianism are extensive. Vegetarians live about seven years longer than meat eaters, and vegans live fifteen years longer! Studies show that eating red meat is associated with breast cancer-those who eat meat every day are four times more susceptible to the disease. On top of all that, replacing meat, chicken, and fish with vegetables and fruits is estimated to cut food bills by $4000 a year. So become a flexitarian-the animals, your body, and the planet will thank you for it!

Going green means a variety of things to most people. Every little bit does indeed count, no matter how small the action may be. Living eco-friendly is easy to do when you take small steps.

About the Author
Ivy Newport is the resident “green expert” at Every Little Bit Eco Shop, an online store offering everyday products that are conveniently green. Visit http://www.everylittlebitgreen.com for more tips & education on going green, as well as a wide variety of eco-friendly products for greener giving and greener living.