love the earth, love yourself

Nowadays, being "green" is the new trend. However, I remember that when I was a child, I felt the deep need to protect and honor the environment. There are many simple, no-hassle ways to make a difference. Alot of people feel like one person can't have a major impact. This is totally untrue. Think of the massive impact every individual will have over a period of a lifetime when grouped with a collective effort. It makes a huge difference! Here are a few tips that I practice which you can use if you haven't started to already:

1. Buy some reusable grocery bags. Plastic is the mother of all evil in a way. Reusable bags are inexpensive and they hold alot more groceries anyway.

2. Donate and shop at thrift stores. This is another form of recycling. In today's economy, there is certainly no shame in shopping at your local Goodwill, Savers, or Salvation Army. I have been shopping at thrift stores for many years and I always find great treasures. I have even come across things that were brand new. By donating, you can rid your house of unnecessary clutter (good feng shui!) and also pass an item on to someone who truly needs it.

3. Buy from local markets/get organic food. Keep your local grocery chain in business. Rethink the way you shop, it's good karma. If possible, invest in more organic food which is free of hormones and pesticides. Your body will thank you.

4. Consume less. We all know that money can not buy you happiness. How much plastic junk do we need from China? Look around your home and take an inventory of how much money you are throwing away on items that you don't absolutely need.

5. Reconsider your cleaning products. Especially if you have children, do you really want them ingesting or inhaling toxins? Ofcourse not. There are a variety of cleaning products that you can use which are earth friendly and people friendly. I use Greenworks, which is plant-based but it's does an awesome job.

6. Donate time to environmental causes. You can donate time, money, energy to environmental causes in your local community and beyond. Just spreading knowledge and getting people more aware helps.

7. Say no to plastic bottles. Depending on where you live, for the most part, drinking water is safe. The production of plastic is very harmful to the environment. If you don't like your tap water, get a water filter or add some lemon to it. Purchase a sturdy, reusable drinking bottle.

8. Recycle. This is a no-brainer! More and more containers are able to be recycled now. Take advantage.

9. Consider a vegetarian diet. "The largest consumption of water comes from raising cows for meat, dairy, and leather products. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef." (Virtue, 2001) Conserve water by turning off the water while you brush your teeth, consider efficient shower heads, and always only run of load of wash when it's completely full.