Gradually Going Green
If you're looking to affordably incorporate green technology into your lifestyle, don't look for the big fix but instead gradually transition aspects of your life to incorporate the benefits of green technology. Use the suggestions below for ways you can expand your use of green technology in your everyday life.
You can break down your recycling activities even more than you do now. For most individuals recycling is far more complex than paper and cardboard in one place and everything else in another. If you're looking to expand your use of green recycling technology, look up local locations where you can recycle additional items in your home rather than place them in your ordinary garbage pail including old electronics, paint supplies, batteries, and old cell phones.
You can support the use of recycled products by expanding your list of items that you purchase from recycled materials. Depending on the purpose of your purchase, this can range from a permanent change in the way you buy, for instance only buying coffee filters made from recycled paper or purchasing a reusable coffee filter, to one-time purchases such as gifts.
Consider green technology options that you believe improve the healthiness as well as the green aspects of a process, making it safer for the environment and you. For instance, you might switch from traditional dry-cleaning to wet cleaning which removes the presence of VOCs found in traditional dry-cleaning methods.
Consider transitioning to green cleansers that are frequently safer for the environment and for you. If you've already made this transition, consider switching to natural fiber sponges.
Determine what you're looking for in terms of the products you purchase concerning their manufacture versus their composition before committing to a product as green. While many products have a green composition, their manufacture is not green. This is difficult to check on for many products but should help you decide on whether you want to use a particular green product without making the purchase on some false premise that you're doing good for the world by buying a product.
Look at other ways that might work better for your overall lifestyle than incorporating a specific green technology into your life, such as riding a bicycle to work rather than purchasing a car that uses green technology. If bicycling is possible, it will not only increase your exercise regimen but will leave a far smaller footprint on the environment than any motorized vehicle.
Do something positive for the environment in addition to your efforts to do certain things such as driving in a "greener" way. By engaging in activities such as planting trees or working in a community garden, you can support the environment and make a contribution to greening your neighborhood.
Don't assume that green efforts are all positive when you're making your green technology choices in order to avoid simply choosing to use a specific technology because it's green. Research the drawbacks of any green technology you're using.
Your expanded use of green technology does not have to be a sudden and expensive transition. Use the suggestions above for supporting green technology through everyday changes that support the environment and your lifestyle.
