Adding some "green" to your daily routine
By MARLA PRINCE As 21st
century women and mothers, we are
expected to be house managers, executive chefs, chauffeurs, financial planners and now, we are expected to be environmentalists as well? Who has time to make sure the aluminum cans are separated from the plastic bottles? Who has time to rinse out the mayonnaise jars? Are your days filled with endless duties with no time left over to “think green,” let alone “go green?” If you are like many Americans, you take your
trash to the curbside and forget about it. You probably don’t even consider the consequences of your actions. You are not alone. Each year, the U.S. population discards 16 billion diapers, 1.6 billion pens, 220 million car tires and enough office paper to build a wall 12 feet high, stretching from Los Angeles to New York City. Our husbands, children, teachers, co-workers, you and I can generate up to five pounds of trash, per day. For the average American household, this equates to 20 pounds of garbage daily!
The Three R’s The obvious way to reduce those astonishing pounds of trash we create every day is to recycle.
But this is only the first step. We wouldn’t have as much to recycle if we would reduce and reuse in the first place. In other words, go on a garbage diet. Learn to live a little more like our grandparents lived when things were scarce and money was tighter than it is today. If all this trash talk makes you a
little green around the gills, it’s time to make a change. Since April is Earth Month, it’s a perfect time to start making a difference. The tenants of one local commercial office decided to go green and do their part in reducing workplace trash. They went from throwing all their garbage in the office away to recycling 8.5 tons of material in just five months. This is equivalent to saving 144 trees, over 59,000 gallons of water and 3,000 gallons of oil.
Did you know… … turning the water off while brushing your teeth saves one gallon of water? … recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees, 6,953 gallons of water and 463 gallons of oil? … recycling 10,000 tons of waste can create over 36 new jobs?
Recycling has become mainstream and should be done in every household, office and school. It’s time to ramp up our efforts and do more than just schlepping reusable shopping bags to the grocery store. Make a difference, even if you start small. Who cares if the Starbucks barista looks at you funny when you bring your own cup? No one is asking you
to go out and purchase solar panels for your house, but recycling and responsible behavior is not the flavor of the month. It is here to stay. So, instead of dumpster diving for coupons, try
dumpster diving for recyclables and reduce the five pounds of trash you send to the landfill every day.
As Kermit says, it isn’t easy being green, but what does he know?
Marla Prince has worked in the environmental industry for over 20 years. She was green before green was cool. Her goal is to recruit everyone to join her on her journey to protect and enhance the environment in which we live. Marla resides in Alpharetta with her husband and two sons.
20 |
northsidewoman.com | april2012
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44