There’s no dispute that we are using up the resources of our planet at a rapid pace. The damage that is caused as a result, both to our health and our environment, is definitely unsettling.

How are things going to be in 10 years? What about 50 years from now? Are there things we can do now to make a difference for years and generations to come?

More importantly, is living green a choice we each make, or should it be viewed more as a responsibility? I’ve asked some different people in my own life about this, and I’m curious what your opinions are.

Chad and I are passionate about making choices that are greener, which in turn are better for both the environment and for our health.

We certainly don’t make perfect choices all of the time and I can’t imagine anyone who does; after all, we are all human. However, when you make decisions from day to day, do you consider the impact you’re leaving on the environment?

Is it important to consider how the things we do, the products we purchase, and the food we eat may impact our health and our environment?

We are faced with decisions every day. Which cleaning products should we use in our home? What about using air fresheners and sprays?

Is it our responsibility to recycle? What if recycling isn’t “convenient” at the moment? Should we be more mindful of not leaving TVs and lights on all over our house when we may not need them on?

Which foods should we purchase? Is it important to try to purchase local and organic foods as much as possible? Or does it make a difference where our food comes from?

Does the origin of our food or the way it is grown impact our environment or our health?

It definitely does.

We have to think about it this way: the farther food has to be shipped, the more energy is used in the shipping process which certainly doesn’t help the environment at all.

In addition to local foods, what about organics? Aside from the health benefits that we’ll save for another day, purchasing organic foods helps to preserve the integrity of the soil that we grow our food in.

Growing organic foods also helps avoid large amounts of chemicals and toxins that are part of the “conventional” farming system from being released into the air. Do we really want those chemicals in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe?!

The same applies with the cleaning products we use in our home. Not all cleaning products are created equal. Some (many) have toxic chemicals in them that can be dangerous to our planet and our health with long term use.

How do we choose what products we are going to use? Is it something we even really think about, or do we pick out the one we think smells nice or we recognize from a commercial?

Doing this doesn’t make us bad people, rather a product of our culture. We grow up and learn about so many different subjects in school, but do we really learn about these everyday things?

We can’t blame ourselves for making certain choices because sometimes we just don’t know any better. One of my favorite sayings is “You don’t know what you don’t know.” – which is why self-education is so important to me.

One of our biggest obstacles is where the majority of our information comes from.

We are bombarded with advertising for so many different things and we aren’t really taught to question any of them.

Well, what if we did? What if we realized that what we all do has an impact on our planet and it’s future?

Would it be our responsibility to make better, more environmentally friendly choices or is it someone else’s problem? Are there some tips to living greener that we can all implement?

I always find it interesting when people refer to those living a “green” life with some sort of nickname. There are so many, I’m sure we can all think of a few.

But why? Why do we outcast people who are passionate about preserving our planet and maintaining a healthy environment? Why is “being green” not only a fad, but sometimes an oddity? Why is caring (passionately!) about our planet and future so rare and unusual?

This leads us back to my original question which I think we should all at least take a minute to think about.

Is living a greener life a choice, or is it a responsibility we all have?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Chad and I are far from perfect when it comes to being environmentally friendly, however we strive to make good decisions whenever possible and think about the impact we are having on our planet. Many people say things like, “oh you are going green” or “oh are you green now?” We think the perception of a lot of people is that living a “greener” life is some type of radical behavior and big change in your life, however that is simply not the case. There are many things we can all do on a regular basis that don’t cost money (in fact, many of them save you money) to do our part in preserving our planet.

Here is our list to get you started!

1. Turn off lights when you are not in a room. We’re not suggesting you go around using candles, but if you are not actively in a room, then turn the light off
2. Don’t take so many napkins!!! You know who you are (we are all guilty of it at one time or another)…you go to your favorite ice cream stand or fast food place (ugh) and take a handful of napkins as if you are expecting your food to explode all over you or something?! Just be more mindful of what you are taking and if you don’t use all of the napkins you took, stash them in your glove box or somewhere where they might come in handy…don’t just throw them away!
3. Adjust your thermostat when leaving your house…why blast the A/C or the heat when you are not even home to reap the benefits. Even better, you could get a programmable thermostat which you could set to raise/lower at the times you predetermine. Heating and cooling requires a lot of energy and is costly so you are helping the planet and saving money too!
4. Try planning errands you have for the day/week so that you are not making multiple trips in your car releasing more harmful emissions into the atmosphere!
5. Don’t take unnecessary plastic bags (or paper for that matter) at your local stores like CVS or Walgreens. If you have multiple items, try keeping a cloth bag in your car and bringing it into the store with you. If you only have one item, it is ok to say “no thank you” if it is something you can carry by hand easily enough!
6. Use reusable water bottles whenever possible and when you do drink bottled water, please recycle the bottles!
7. Your couch doesn’t need to watch TV, so if you are not actively watching a TV, turn it off. There is no need to have 3 TVs on at one time…you know who you are
8. Try to transition at your own pace to greener home products and personal care products. You don’t need to do this all at once as it might feel a bit overwhelming, but if you change say one product a week or a month (whatever you are comfortable with), you probably will hardly notice the difference. At the end of a year, you will look back and realize how much changed, but because you did it gradually, it was an easy and almost seamless transition! This will also be much healthier for you and your loved ones
9. Buy as much local and organic foods as possible!!
10. Recycle…Recycle…Recycle…this one is so easy, but many of us don’t do it and it’s maddening. Many people have the mentality that “it won’t make a difference.” Just think, if you recycle one bottle, or one jar, or one piece of paper a day, then that’s 365 more items recycled a year from just one person! Last count, I think there are well over 300 million people in the US alone and close to 7 billion on the planet…sorry I only minored in math so you are going to have to figure out that number on your own!

Well, I hope these tips get you started in the right direction and make you realize that “going green” isn’t about living some “hippy” lifestyle. It’s about recognizing that we all have the responsibility to take care of this planet that we live on. Try by implementing at least a couple of these things into your life and share them with your friends…because maybe together, we can make a difference

Feel free to leave your thoughts and tips in the comments section as we’d love to hear them!!