Going Green

I live in a rural area of a county with only small towns. The closest decent size city is about an hour drive away. Recycling centers and whole food markets are not around every corner like they are in big cities. When we buy groceries, we are lucky to have a choice between paper and plastic. This area is not exactly what you would consider a “green” area. That does not mean that it has to stay that way. Even if you live in a similar area, you can still make some green changes of your own.

The environmental message for decades has been to “reduce, recycle, and reuse.” Now, the buzz word is “living green.” These two things are similar but yet far apart in their meanings. If we make the decision that we too are gonna be green, then we can start by following the old mantra. We can reduce the amount of items in landfills by recycling items or reusing them. If we decide to continue the process to living green, then we are not only trying to reduce our impact on the environment but we are also striving to live a healthier lifestyle at the same time.

Since I have been addicted to home improvement shows for ages, I started out by watching Renovation Nation on Planet Green. It would require some major changes and a lot of time to do what this show inspired me to want to do. It was interesting, but to be honest, the changes they showed were far out of our family budget. It would be wonderful to be able to take such a giant step at making our earth a better place for future generations, but I had to think that surely there were other ways that I could make a difference that did not require me to spend that much money.

Time may not be our planet’s best friend but even if we have to take a little longer to make the changes we want to make, they are still going to be beneficial. Setting short term goals that work towards a long term goal helps to keep the motivation level high and allows the same ending destination to be reached.

Do not let where you live or the difficulty of finding green resources stop you from doing what you can. Do not get side tracked by listening to those that declare their way is the only way. Unfortunately, we are not all living in exactly similar situations with the same amount and type of resources available. We have to do what we can with what we have as we look for ways of having more options made available. We can take this journey together. Step by step, you and I are both gonna be green.