green living is the best living: part iii

photo credit: i'm eco friendly

minimize waste

another important part of being eco-friendly is that you reduce your carbon footprint- the impact of your actions on the environment. by working hard to minimize our carbon footprints, we can better preserve the earth for future generations. now doesn't that sound quite lovely?

one way to reduce your carbon footprint is by minimizing waste. the average person produces about 4.56lbs of trash a day- that's 56 tons of trash a year. i think we definitely have room for improvement, and i can only hope that the number starts going down, and does not continue to go up.

so if you're with me on lowering the amount of waste we produce a day, try to follow these rules:

• use a reusable shopping bag to carry your groceries in a week. recent statistics estimate that about 1 million shopping bags per minute are consumed. that's quite a lot of bags. 
• try to only buy products that come in recyclable containers, and make sure to always recycle as much as your can.
• find substitutes for common paper products. for an example, you can use a sponge instead of a paper towel to clean, and a cloth napkin instead of a paper napkin. 
• avoid buying single-use products like disposable razors, plastic cups and utensils, and paper plates. 
• use reusable storage containers for your food, instead of wrapping it in tin foil or saran wrap.
• get your bills and statements electronically to your email, instead of receiving a paper statement each month. 
• use your own reusable coffee mug when you go grab your next cup of coffee at starbucks. some starbucks will even give you a certain percentage off if you bring in a reusable starbucks mug for them to use. 
• pre-plan your meals for each week, so that you do not end up with extra food that will go un-cooked. 
• buy a composter, which would allow you to directly turn your kitchen waste and leftover food into compost for your garden or lawn.

while it is difficult for many to compost their own waste, the other eight rules are easy and will make a significant impact on how much waste we produce each year.and when it comes to being environmentally friendly, any change for the better is a great improvement.