Going Green Is A Conscious, Courageous Choice

By: The Green eBooks Directory Team

Global warming and the consequences of humans' actions are rapidly changing the face of our planet. As climate becomes unpredictable, ecosystems die out due to hostile conditions, and each year sees bigger natural disasters. Caped comic book superheroes are not about to step in. Awareness, accountability, and green-thinking are the best way to save our home, planet Earth.

Green living is not a fad. It is not about doing things the hard way or spending more to do the same stuff differently. Green living is a philosophy, a way of life that people are choosing to adopt as their contribution towards environmental consciousness and being responsible.

A green lifestyle needs to be, above all else, sustainable. Anybody who has tried to get into serious recycling mode will realize that this is easier said than done. As most people know, to-go containers cannot be recycled so there is no point saving them in your recycle bin. Ditto for many milk cartons. Cans, bottles and containers, however, can be recycled but need to be rinsed out first. Though it seems like a lot of work to do so, by conditioning ourselves to take care of this chore throughout the week, rather than letting things accumulate, we can turn this into a second-nature, sustainable habit. There is also the feel-good aspect to it, which adds to the sense of satisfaction green actions can bring.

It is very difficult to change multiple facets of how we live concurrently, such as the way we eat, travel, work, shop for groceries, and dispose of garbage. But, given that each tiny action of each person reflects on the overall environment, there is tremendous incentive to make the effort. If each of us made the conscious choice to live green, the world would truly be a better place.

While no one really knows what it will take to seal the hole in the ozone layer, one thing is unambiguous: by adopting the mantra of reduce-reuse-recycle in your everyday life, it is possible to cut down on the size of the carbon footprint you create. This translates to cleaner air, cleaner water, and fewer greenhouse gases - all because you cared enough to make a change.

For you, going green may be about walking your child to school or perhaps carpooling to work. For your neighbors, it may be about growing their own tomatoes and herbs. To someone else, it may mean installing solar panels on their house. To a mother, it may be about teaching her child to turn off the vanity lights after brushing. The logic is simple, though. If you have to go out of your way to do anything, no matter how well intentioned, it will eventually become a chore and will likely be discontinued.

Thus, if you are contemplating adopting a green lifestyle, it's a good idea to take it slow and do the easier stuff first. For example, recycling plastic bags is simple. Save them all in the trunk of your car for a week and drop them into the bag-to-bag bin at the grocery store on your weekly shopping trip. The sense of achievement it will give you will make it easier to implement increasingly important changes in your lifestyle. Who knows? Maybe you'll catch the bug and become like Ed Begley!

While your actions will not show immediate, tangible benefits in terms of the environment, they will definitely show up as smaller power, gas, and water bills. Your green lifestyle might also mean a cleaner garage, an emptier attic, and less clutter (because you recycled!). It may even mean smaller credit card bills when you shop for food at the supermarket.

Choosing to go green is a courageous and smart choice. It entails a conscious decision to change one's living patterns, and that takes determination. But when embraced, a green lifestyle can lead to a more fulfilling, rewarding existence and a peace of mind to which no monetary value can be assigned.