These days we live in a world of convenience. Anything we need is right at our fingertips.
This is a huge advantage, because it enables us to live a fast-paced lifestyle and get many things accomplished during the day.
However, there is a drawback to our on-the-go way of living. We are moving so fast, we often can forget the amount of waste we leave in our wake. We have come to live a disposable lifestyle, and if we want to continue to enjoy our beautiful planet, we must learn how to make small changes that can make a big difference.
Water
Let’s begin with water. This is our most valuable resource, and it is often our most abused one as well. If we were to collect the amount of water we used in one day, we would be amazed by our individual level of consumption. For example, the average shower consumes 94 liters of water per day. We use about 4,542 liters per year to brush our teeth. That’s a lot of water!
One of the best ways to conserve water is to turn off the faucet when you’re not using it - both in the shower and while brushing.
A great trick I discovered is when my kids come home with half-empty water bottles, I pour the rest in my hot water percolator and boil it up, so it kills all the bacteria. I can’t believe how much water I saved in one week by this trick alone.
Fuel and Plastic
A great and fun way to cut down is by carpooling. If you have kids in your neighborhood that go to the same school as yours, offer to take them. Not only will you do a good deed by helping your neighbor save gas, but your kids will enjoy the ride with their friends.
If you do a lot of food shopping, try to cut down on the number of times you have to go to the store. Even if sometimes you need to spend more money because you are buying more groceries at once, you will actually save a lot of time and money on gas.
As for plastic bags, if you have a pet, these are great to reuse to pick up their waste instead of buying special bags. I also use them in my small garbage cans in the bathroom instead of buying special small garbage bags. Not only do I use less plastic, I save money as well. Also, many stores now have reusable bags available for sale. Just make sure to wash them every once in a while.
Recycling
Which brings us to the controversial subject of recycling; in particular, paper. It turns out that trees are a renewable resource, and there are tree farms which are specially grown to supply us with all types of paper goods.
I believe the process of recycling paper is not healthy for our environment. It creates more waste and uses more raw material than just making a paper item from scratch. If you want to do your part to help, just use less paper. Instead of using a small sticky note pad that only allows for one note, use a larger one on which you can add all of your notes and make the necessary changes throughout your day.
If you still get bills in the mail, you might want to consider doing all of your bill-paying online.
Switch In Consciousness
We may live in a fast-paced world, but we are all becoming more sensitive and spiritually-minded. In our hearts we all want to do the right thing and help keep our earth beautiful and life-giving. One of the best ways to live a more earth-friendly lifestyle is by first making a switch in consciousness.
From the moment you get up in the morning, make it your goal to be more thankful of all the conveniences and beauty our Mother Earth has given us. Thank her for the fresh water; thank her for the trees; thank her for the sunshine and fresh air. By expressing our sincere thanks for all of the blessings that we have, we can use our enhanced mental awareness to keep our environment as beautiful and energized as possible.