You’re here. So, chances are, you’re aware of what’s at stake. Chalk it up to Hurricane Katrina and Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, followed by news of ice caps twice the size of Great Britain disappearing in one warm week1 and oil prices reaching an all-time high.2 Americans have taken notice of our impact on earth. But why go green now?
Scientists would tell you that our climate is warming at exponential rates, every day, fueled by a rapidly expanding global population (growing from 6 billion3 to more than 9 billion by 2050). We humans consume 20 percent more natural resources than the earth can produce.4 That imbalance has put the squeeze on economies, ecologies and families all over the world.
You’ve no doubt felt it at the pump, where gasoline prices have fluctuated considerably over the last year. (This reality makes everything—from the grain farmers feed their chickens to the delivery trucks that carry their organic eggs to market—cost more.) And home heating oil, natural gas and electricity followed suit. In some parts of the country, people paid double to heat their homes this year than last year.
Economics alone may have compelled many people, businesses and non-profits to explore alternative fuels, recycling and ways they can conserve—now. The bottom line? Saving the earth saves real people real money. And nearly effortless changes can mean big benefits. Case in point: With a little common-sense conservation, the average homeowner can cut power bills by up to 40 percent5—saving money and the environment .
Good health is what sends parents, who learn that traces of pesticides on most conventionally grown produce can be toxic to their families,6 straight for the organic food section. Natural makeup, green cleaners and low-VOC paints often follow. Reducing toxins in your bodies, homes and water makes going green better for you.
Luckily, there is plenty of good we can do—if enough of us do it. If every household purchased one package of 100% recycled napkins instead of a non-recycled version, we’d collectively save 1 million trees from logging7. Here are many other ways you can get started . The momentum of today’s growing green movement means that we have more and better green, organic and sustainable products from which to choose. And many are available locally, at prices we can afford.
In fact, there’s no reason not to start small, and go green now.
