How To Go Green And Save
Green with Envy
"Going green" is all the rage these days. Being a hipster that lived next to the Green Political Party headquarters, across the street from organic/local food co-op The Dill Pickle in the liberal city of Chicago, let me share some tips from the source on practical tips you can adopt to join this lifestyle trend. This list is for beginners or intermediate; if you have questions, I will certainly help you below in the comments. It doesn't matter if you are unsure or unclear about this topic, I will try to help you understand it a little better.
Install Green Lights
Our eyes perceive ourselves through the lens of the sun's light, but that may not be true reality. It is not an objective perspective of who you really are, just what you look like by standing semi-close to the nearest star. By installing a green light, you will be more green and save money over the long run!
The product description on Amazon.com reads, "Create an atmosphere of fun and responsibility". Who doesn't want to play Pickleball or read The Farmer's Almanac in a atmosphere of responsibility!
Also, green lightbulbs, like this one featured, use only 13 watts and last up 7 years (8000 hours life).
Locally grown restaurant food
Grow your menu on your roof
Are you a restaurant stuck in the "boring traditional" way of shipping your ingredients in from corporate headquarters? Trying growing your ingredients on your roof!
According to Michael Oshman of the Green Restaurant Association, "uncommon ground is now the Greenest Restaurant in America". After eating there, I can certify that they do grow their menu on their roof, and serve it to you in true organic style.
After eating the menu, made out of kale, you might say to yourself, "I want some real food!" Well, they have other items that are featured on the menu that you can order as well, and some of them are grown on the roof as well in the urban jungle of metropolis. Although I do like my animals, I also enjoyed my meal there as a nice change of pace. I think rooftop gardens will be a big new market for urban dwellers from Shanghai to Houston.
Bike to work in sun, rain and snow!
Get The Word Out
It is great that you are feeling the urge towards living "green", but you must remember that you are only one person. It's time to get the word out!
Canvassing
- When I was living next to the eco-friendly Green Party headquarters, each time I came out of my apartment to the street, I was given a brochure on them. This was very effective, as after a month was through, I had maybe 297 brochures on their cause littering my apartment. There was no way I was forgetting them. Large-scale mass papering of the your neighbourhood will ensure that the residents know about the benefits of being eco-friendly, so dream big, and attack big. You have to spend money to make money, and you have to spend trees to save trees.
Green foods
NON GREEN
| GREEN
|
|---|---|
slave harvested green tea
| fair trade coffee
|
St. Patrick's Day green beer
| Lifeway kefir
|
ungraded beef
| lamb w/ mint jelly
|
spinach in a can
| food labeled as organic
|
red gooseberries
| natural gooseberries
|
You can help become more and more green through being a socially conscious consumer. Here is a grocery list of beginning steps towards that!
Look For Eco-Friendly Buisinesses
Farmer's Markets
If you live in a big city like Chicago, you probably have seen Farmer's Markets all over the place. They are an excellent source of green food, and businesses! In Chicago, many of them accept the Illinois Link/Snap program as well!
Many green businesses show up at somewhere like the Logan Square Farmer's Market to promote their eco-friendly web design, optometry, and so forth, so it is a good place to start to get an overview.
Quick Tips
- keep your freezer full of food. It will use less electricity to cool a full freezer than an empty one. Note: do not fill your freezer with other things to keep it full. Go to the grocery store, and start buying lots of yummy food! Bake a lot of yummy food and freeze it! Do not buy some non-yummy food.
- go jumping at the "Green Mill" jazz club in Chicago. Perhaps you will become more green.
- use green dry cleaners if you can afford it. Make sure they don't give you more plastic bags than articles of clothing in return (ask for recycled paper bags?)
- make your own eco-friendly cleaning agents. Research this if you have time.
Women's Products
Women, did you know that some of your makeup products are developed by breeding animals to test on for their whole life? http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/search.aspx?Testing=1 This is not the eco-friendly way.
A new movement is arising which hopes to do away with that practice and promote healthy standards for both people and animals, as well as being green and sustainable. It is called "using less or no makeup" and I'm sure the guys in your life will appreciate it. They will see your real beauty!
Green Fashion by celeb Julia Stiles
Recycled Fashion
What is more friendly to the environment than recycling?
Because of this, you should look to shop at recycled fashion shoppes which, in addition to the amazing work of recycling, are a source of amazing creativity and new ideas when it comes to the latest trends in defining looks.
Some of my favourite recycled fashion markets in Chicago exist as:
- Buffalo Exchange (on Evergreen ave -- how green is that! -- and Milwaukee)
- Ragstock (near Buffalo Exchange)
- Mr. Mrs. Digz (on Hollywood (hey!) and Clark)
You will have quite the good time, I assure you. You might want to start this trend in your own town as well!
