Random Acts of Greenness

Today is the start of Earth Week. There have been 30 Earth Days until now and look how far we've come. Our awareness of the impact we have on this planet has greatly increased as well as our treatment of it.

Although we have a long way to go and some irreversible damage has already been done, we can be grateful that it has become so much easier to be environmentally friendly than it was 30 years ago. We have many systems in place such as blue boxes, bike paths, wind farms and community gardens that demonstrate the public's desire to be earth friendly.

I compare this time we are in to how a train changes direction; it takes a long time for it to slow to and stop before it can start moving in a different direction. And with a wink to the poor state of the economy, we now have the perfect storm (pun intended) of events taking shape for our green revolution to shift into high gear.

So as we watch the great ice shelves crumble, listen to the predictions of impending environmental disasters and feel the weather changing around us, it may be time to solidify this new “era of less” by taking advantage of this teachable moment and adopting a new lifestyle habit; let's call it Random Acts of Greenness.

So, what exactly is a RAOG. Some of you already participate to a great degree. A RAOG is a simple act that benefits our environment; from recycling water bottles to picking up a piece of garbage off the ground to turning off the lights when you're not at home. If we all increase our green productivity especially in public, this domino effect will continue and grow stronger.

Since Earth Day is less than a week away, how about intensifying our efforts with RAOG so we can start to feel good about our connection to this planet.

Here are some tips on how to green yourself even more this earth week:

1. Do you have a coffee mug yet? How about a stainless steel water bottle to carry around? We really need to stop creating garbage...even if we plan to recycle it. Reduce and Reuse so we have less to recycle.

2. Shop Smart. Buy locally grown foods and products when possible. Instead of arriving home with a million plastic bags from the grocery store, try to put your items all into one, large cloth bag. When shopping for appliances, look for ones that are energy efficient. Stay away from Styrofoam containers. Try to buy items in bulk not only will it help the environment, but it might even save you money.

3. Rinse, Reuse, and Recycle! Just because it's empty doesn't mean it's useless! Save old butter containers or jelly jars for places to put your leftovers stay away from foils and plastic wrap. Try to use washable rags to wipe off your counters and eat dinner with cloth napkins. Recycle everything you possibly can: paper, plastic, cans, glass, metal, etc.

4. Drive only when you have to. Carpool or take public transportation when possible.

5. Read more about environmental topics

6. Ask yourself some simple questions about the products you use and the packaging involved.

7. Educate yourself and others about how important it is to protect our environment. Challenge yourself and friends to do an act of Greenness just once a day. You really can make a difference!

8. Get together with your neighbours and have a community clean-up.

9. Teach the children in your community about the importance of RAOG in order to help them to appreciate and respect the environment.