GD Meg & Hubby Experiencing a California Sunset

Why Should We Care? by Green Diva Meg
These posts explore a myriad of topics relating to green, sustainable and healthy living and offer simple and clear information from the fun and quirky point of view of the Green Divas. Each post provides practical, no nonsense information on What Can We Do to make a difference.

This post isn’t exactly a “Why Should We Care.” It’s more “Hints on How To.” I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, but my husband and I have gotten into an annual habit of reviewing the year that is passing and imagining the year ahead. While we prefer to dwell on the winning moments of the past, we take the time to focus on areas that could use some improvement and strategize ways to manifest better versions of ourselves in the coming year. Always keeping in mind advice from some wise friends – progress, not perfection.

Here are a few ways we will be improving our green diva (and green dude) status in 2012:

…read more of 6 Low-Stress Ways to be a Better Eco-Citizen in 2012 here

Why Should We Care? by Green Diva Meg
These posts will explore a myriad of topics relating to green, sustainable and healthy living by offering simple and clear information from the fun and quirky point of view of the Green Divas. Each post will also strive to provide practical information on What Can We Do to make a difference.

WHY SHOULD WE CARE… ABOUT USING LESS WRAPPING PAPER THIS HOLIDAY?

The Clear Air Council figured out that we generate about 4 BILLION tons of wrapping paper garbage every holiday season.

Holy deforestation Batman! And wrapping paper is just one of those things that tends NOT to get re-used very often, unless you are my Nana, who used to take an excrutiatingly long time to open a gift, being careful not to inflict one tear anywhere lest this gorgeous commodity be rendered less than re-usable. She was totally right to consider it a wonderful luxury resource to be thoughtfully reused and reused and reused, but when you are a little kid and you have to WAIT for that gift to be opened it is hard to see the big picture.
…read more of 11 Ways to Save Green, Save Trees & Have Fun Wrapping Those Holiday Gifts here

Even when you are doing your green best when you grocery shop by focusing on fresh foods, buying in bulk, avoiding over wrapped products and using reusable bags, there’s no way to avoid carting home some packaged goods.

But there might be a light on the horizon. A number of manufacturers have been making strides to lessen the environmental impacts of their packaging with some innovative-sounding containers.

Seventh Generation recently introduced its Ecologic laundry detergent bottle made from an outer shell of 100% recycled cardboard and newspaper container (that is both recyclable and compostable) with an inner recyclable plastic pouch. …read more of New packaging — Does it promise more than it can deliver? here

Typically, the word “shopping” brings to mind hard-core consumerism, women strolling strip malls with arms loaded full of boxes and bags, wallets that grow lighter and lighter and carbon footprints that sink deeper and deeper.

But, for those of us interested in a sustainable lifestyle, there are actually ways in which shopping (as inevitable as it is on at least the basic levels) can be done in an eco-friendly manner. Even better, it’s often cheaper.

So, first off, where does one shop?

There’s been a lot of controversy lately about which is better for the environment: online vs. local. While many claim that the individualized packaging and shipping connected to online shopping outweighs the positive effects of staying home and not driving to the store, I’d say there’s stronger information to affirm that online shopping is a step ahead in terms of being more eco-friendly.

In case you need some convincing, here are some of the top benefits to online shopping, as well as some recommended sites to visit. …read more of Shopping to Support the Environment here

With all the gadgets today: cell phones, tablets, e-readers, GPS devices and a slew of other items, all needing to be plugged in and charged every night.

If you have just 3 phones that in a family, you can save $35.00 a month by using one or a combination of these quick tips. Yes, that is right, $35.00 a month, over $400.00 a year and in today’s tight economy we need to save every dime we make.

I tracked the savings in our home based on all other things being equal: we saved over $35.00 a month. You know what Abe Lincoln said, “A penny saved in a penny earned.” Still true today! Why don’t you try these effortless suggestions now? Save money, save energy, save the planet.

Charge devices for free, using these quick, convenient and easy tips:

·Use a USB to USB cord to plug into your desktop or lap top at work during the day (takes no more energy than to run the computer itself)

·Charge using your car cigarette lighter charger during your commute or whenever you are in the car.

I am all about BPO (Business Process Optimization) and this tip allows me to synch my phone to my laptop and/or desktop. Thus keeping all my contacts, tasks, documents and calendar events up to date, as well. Green, Lean, efficient: what more could you want?

I keep a mesh bag that I can pitch into my laptop bag for the cords and devices. On my desktop I keep a small wicker basket that will hold what I need when in the office.

Hope this saves you some time and aggravation as well. Anything that can simplify your life in today’s challenging world is great to share. Please comment, share tips and suggestions.

‘LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR‘

Loretta’s Green Building
Loretta White’s Business articles
Loretta White’s Simple-Living articles
Loretta’s Renewable Energy
Loretta’s Food Articles