So what do you think the future looks like? Is the green movement a fad or is it something that will last and eventually just become part of our society and the way we live our lives? Did people only care about fuel-efficient cars when gas was $4 a gallon and now that it’s down we don’t care?

While there are always people on the bandwagon I do believe that social responsibility, sustainability, green, environmental or whatever you want to call it is becoming mainstream. I totally agree with Brett’s comment…”"Green” needs to move away from being a subculture and an identity to just being a part of our lives.” And I truly believe that we’re getting there. I see more and more people using canvas bags, I see less people buying bottled water, I see more options for green cleaning products.

I think the real challenge is to get people to understand why. Why should we begin to change these habits. I’ve already mentioned a few but there are so many other things we can do in our daily lives…

• Stop buying bottled water (doesn’t a reusable water bottle just make more sense.) It saves money and greatly reduces your waste. Plus we all know “bottled water” is just tap water right?
• Turning off lights and electronics when we don’t use them. It’s truly just wasting electricity.
• Start using all-natural cleaners, I can tell you they work just as good. Plus they aren’t made with harsh chemicals and who really wants to use that many chemicals.
• Talk to other people about the changes you’ve made and let them know why.

I think we should really start to rephrase the issues. Stop saying don’t do this because it will destroy our planet and instead say do this because it just makes sense.

I’m certainly not the expert and I’m definitely not perfect. In fact right now I’m using a space heater (very inefficient) to heat my office. I bet if I checked I have a light on I don’t need. The point is not to be perfect but to begin looking at daily habits with a new perspective.

Here’s a perfect example of an opportunity to phrase the problem in a positve way instead of negative. Instead of telling you to stop using plastic bags I think it’s better to ask if you’ve considered using canvas (or some kind of reusable) bags. I’ve been using the canvas bags for almost a year and I really love it. For one things it’s cut down on the number of plastic bags that are floating around our house. (I’ve been using the old plastic bags as trash bags therefore cutting out my need to buy trash bags.)

So again we ask why? And I say let’s look at the issue from an objective position. Why do we need plastic grocery bags everytime we go to the store? Where do those plastic bags? Well honestly they end up in a closet or get thrown away and end up who knows where (landfills, streets, anywhere.) The initial investment is probably $10-20, or just keep reusing all those old plastic bags you already have. Plus you will also look really cool and hip walking out of the grocery store with your awesome canvas bags. This really is another great opportunity to make one small and easy change to really begin making a difference. I think anytime we can find an opportunity to reduce what we consume that’s a good thing.

A few months ago I stopped buying paper towels to see if I could live without them. I was VERY resistant to stop using them because they were so convenient, but when I logically thought about it I realized I didn’t need them at all. We had a drawer full of regular towels from our wedding (yes 4 years ago) that we’ve never used. So I just started using those as a replacement for paper towels. When they get dirty I just put them in the laundry room and throw them in with our clothes when I do laundry. The first real benefit is that I don’t spend any money on paper towels anymore. I haven’t figured my cost savings exactly but I estimate it to be about $120-140 a year. Modest but savings nonetheless.

Like I said I was incredibly hesitant to do this, mainly for reasons of convenience but I haven’t looked back. I think this is a perfect example of looking at an issue rationally and making an appropriate decision. I don’t need paper towels. I bought them because I thought I needed them and when I realized they weren’t necessary it was easy to change. I’m saivng money and I’m reducing the amount of waste I create. (And the regular towels don’t take up any extra space in the laundry.)

Thanks for the comments and the great thoughts already on this subject (Brett that was very well done.) I totally agree that it has to become part of our lives and that we can’t be self-righteous about it (like Mr. Gore.) But at the same time we do need to talk about these subjects and educate and inform people about the different options that exist.

Green ideas and green information for the blog this week.

So what do you think it means to be green?

It’s pretty amazing how quickly this word has made it into our vocabulary and our lives recently. Everyone is using it and talking about, claiming their business or product is green. But often times I wonder what does it actually mean to be green? Is it the car you drive, the way you do laundry, how you drink water, the clothes you wear, the stores you shop at? Is it just to make us feel good or is there real value to being green?

I believe there is real value to being green and I also believe that there are simple, concrete steps you can take to be more green. I also believe there is real benefit to doing things that make you feel good. I think the big problem is that we associate being green with being an environmentalist or a tree-hugger. Al Gore made a huge mistake with his message that we must take care of the environment or else the world will end and we are all bad human beings. People didn’t like that message, we don’t like being told what to do and nobody wants to hear that living our normal daily lives will destroy our world.

So why should we recycle and drive fuel-efficient cars and use less water? We should do it not to save the world (although I think taking these actions can have significant positive impacts on this world) we should do it because it makes sense. Water IS a limited resource and we shouldn’t waste it, our dependence on oil is a bad thing and we should try to reduce it, the sun is an amazing energy producer and we should harness it’s power. We should begin to change our habits because taking these steps just make sense (common sense and in many cases financial sense.) We shouldn’t do it because Al Gore scared us into thinking global warming (or is it climate change) will make our planet barren and inhospitable. We should do it because change is good, times are different and our mindset needs to shift.

Everyday this week I’m going to be posting a green tip or topic so make sure to check back tomorrow.