"Don't just do what's your responsibility, do what needs to be done." – Pivot
So a while back everyone was carrying a “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” bag or wearing a t-shirt with the recycle symbol (courtesy of Anya Hindmarch and your local Forever21) I thought there was hope. I thought maybe then I wouldn’t be out driving one day and the person driving ahead of me, without any hesitation, just lowers the car window and tosses out whatever garbage they don't want in. But, no. They still do it. Despite the fact that going green is supposed to be the cool new thing. Saving our planet is supposed to be a fad. So why? The country has garbage cans everywhere. Why are we so careless?
It is amazing how everyone can sit around and complain about how gross all the garbage on the street is and yet when topics like beach-cleanups and other such activities come up, it generates collective nose-wrinkling. Why is that? It’s our country. Should we just sit back and expect third-world workers who, in all honesty, probably don’t care if our country is actually clean or not? Is that really the right thing to do?
No it’s not. It’s crazy how often you see families, generally not locals but some are, picnicking by the beach or in a park and they will leave their leftovers scattered all over what could and should be a beautiful clean area for people to enjoy. I, for one, do not like strolls on a chicken-wing-and-diaper-infested beach. It’s gross.
So why do people litter? It’s a number of factors; including people thinking an item is not litter (such as a cigarette butt), laziness, absence of penalties or consistent enforcement, lack of social pressure to do the right thing, seeing litter already in a given area, or a lack of trash bins. People who litter often feel no sense of pride in the areas they are littering. Is that true? Do you litterbugs dislike your country so much that you feel the need to dirty it?
If keeping our country clean isn’t motivation enough to think more green, here’s a little more incentive – going green can be credit-crunch friendly. How?
Instead of buying small mountains of books, CDs, DVDs, and even magazines that you barely use and will mostly likely end up tossing out, download! If you’re against pirated music and movies – some sites make you pay for everything you download. As for magazines or newspapers, most have websites now (such as this one) so you can get your updates online.
Learn to cut your grocery bills by 25%. Quick tip: shop for groceries not more than once a week by shopping smart in order to avoid spoilage.
If you still use electronics that require the usage of batteries, invest in rechargeable batteries (USB Cell by Moixa, which can be recharged via any available USB connection) and you’ll save money over time. The less you rely on single-use, disposable items, the less money you’ll burn through.
Switch off your lights when you leave the room, and don’t leave your laptop on for hours on end. Converse water and remember, the less hot water you use, the less energy you pay for as well.
Print on both sides of the page, and use scratch paper for notes. If you rarely use your school notebooks, just rip the pages you did use and re-use the notebook itself instead of buying a new one.
Another cheap hidden investment is the humble power strip. Today's electronics use power even when you're not using them. Cell phone and other chargers left in the socket draw electricity even if they are done charging, or you've walked off with the phone. Hooking electronics that get infrequent use into a power strip lets you really turn them off when they're not in use.
Every little thing you do can makes a difference over time. Simple green differences.
