You can always have a greener lifestyle. Whether you live in the city, the suburbs or the countryside, there are always lifestyle changes you can make to cut down on your carbon footprint and nourish the earth.
Here are a few ideas & tips to help you live a greener lifestyle:
- Alternative Transportation
Traffic is a pain unless you live in the countryside, and if you commute, rush hour can take hours, burn gallons of gas and release major emissions into the atmosphere. Alternative transportation options have grown in the last five years beyond the limits of public transportation and bicycles, to encompass car-sharing programs like Car2go and Zipcar. With Car2go, drivers only pay for the time they use the car. Furthermore, in downtown areas, drivers park the car for free without feeding the meter on public streets. Zipcar, on the other hand, requires a monthly or yearly subscription. These car-sharing programs limit your need for a consistent automobile option.
You can also cut down car use by living in a location near public transit stations. For instance, if your apartment is in New York City, research the public transportation options near your home. If you plan on a move anytime soon, check out cities that have bicycle-friendly infrastructure like Portland, Oregon.
- Garden Not Grass
If you live in the suburbs or the country, chances are you have a small bit of land on your property. Grass lawns are a holdover from medieval time periods in which an unused lawn was a sign of great wealth. While you are probably far more wealthy than anyone from that historical period, there’s no reason to waste space with a patch of grass instead of an organic garden. If you have kids, this can be a valuable experience for them as well. When children learn how plants grow, they are more likely to show awareness of the natural world around them. When kids help grow healthy foods like tomatoes, carrots, kale, etc., they are more likely to eat that food as well. This lawn-to-garden conversion isn’t only good for the planet, but for your family as well.
- Solar Power Roofs
The power of the sun is renewable and clean. With the advancement of technology, solar panels have also become more affordable, if not more inexpensive. Many home owners with solar panel roofs make more energy than they use, which they can sell a portion of that energy back to the power company. If you’re not a home owner, you can still live in a solar-powered building, as Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, has set a goal for his solar power company, SolarCity, to replace 5 million home rooftops with solar panels. While this may be ambitious — especially as the cost of solar panels, while down, are still expensive — be sure to keep an eye on the market in the next few years as more buzz will likely hit the airwaves as the project develops.
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Hi Marla,
I love using greener transportation alternatives and lawn to garden conversions. Thanks for sharing these eco-friendly lifestyle changes we can make to cut down on our carbon footprint and nourish the earth with us on the Healthy Happy Green and Natural Party Blog Hop. I’m pinning and sharing.
HI Deborah,
I feel we all can and should be doing our part in living an eco-friendly and green lifestyle. Thanks for sharing my article. Have a healthy, happy & blessed day!
this is a great idea! Any advice for gardening on a 4th floor apartment? Things always seem to shrivel up and die the moment temps go above 80
Hi Tianna,
If you are on a 4th floor apartment I am assuming you are planting plants in pots and if so you need to water them thoroughly and regularly because will dry out very quickly in the heat. Make sure you have good potting soil too – organic preferably and fertilize adequately too. Hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Have a healthy, happy, & blessed day!
I love your ideas, especially about the lawn. We do have a green lawn and live in a subdivision where there are rules about having one. 🙁 I wish people would get more on board with the idea that green grass is not a necessity.
HI Holly,
It a shame that they wouldn’t let decide for yourself what you want your lawn to be – a garden can be so useful. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Have a healthy, happy & blessed day!
Thanks Marla for sharing this at the HHGN Party Blog Hop where I read it. Like the idea of a garden not grass. We live in the southwest, where there is a severe shortage of water and we see lack of water up close and personal. I’ll be pinning and stumbling it.
HI Nancy,
I know that I have never experienced the lack of water as you do in the Southwest. I have only experienced it went we had dry summers which is only short term and not nearly as devastating as you would be aware of. Thank you for stopping by, commenting and for sharing my post. I hope this article helps others to live greener. Have a healthy, happy & blessed day.