Living green means having a lifestyle that is environmentally conscious. It means being earth-friendly or environmentally friendly, rather than doing things that are harmful to our world. In general, living green can be accomplished through doing what is know as “the 3 Rs”: recycling, reusing and reducing.
Reducing waste helps lower the amount of garbage in landfills. Garbage piled up causes pollution; it’s difficult to dispose of cleanly and some of it ends up in the oceans. Some groups focused on green living have protested the amount of packaging that manufacturers use in making products, such as having an item in a box with plastic wrap over it. Many companies today have new packaging designs that are more environmentally friendly, resulting in less waste.
One of the most important ways of living green is to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles. Emissions from cars are a strong threat to sustainable living. Environmental sustainability refers to the maintenance of resources for healthy living to continue. It’s a known fact that if we continue to pollute the earth, it will no longer be a sustainable environment for future generations. Not only driving less, but buying food locally rather than having it transported from long distances is another way of participating in green living by helping to reduce carbon emissions.
Reusing items helps keep them from piling up in the landfill. Donating still usable, but unwanted clothing and household goods to people or organizations allows the items to have a second life rather than having to be processed as garbage. Reusing stained or ripped clothing as cleaning rags is another way of living green. In addition to being reused, cloth rags cut down or eliminate the amount of paper towels needed in a household. Unless they’re made from recycled materials, paper towels aren’t considered environmentally friendly as the pulp they consist of comes from natural resources including trees.
Many companies today are more environmentally conscious than they were in past decades. Some manufacturers choose greener methods for producing goods, while others use recycled materials. Using recycled paper products made for the kitchen and bathroom that earth-conscious companies produce are a part of living green today.
Most cities have recycling programs in which residents not only place garbage out for pick up, but items that can be recycled rather than sent to the landfill. Bins can be used to store glass bottles, newspapers, plastic containers and many other recyclable goods in the home until pickup day. Living green means never throwing anything into the garbage before considering whether it can be recycled instead. Container manufacturers today place numbers on items such as margarine tubs and inserts that hold commercial cookies or crackers so that consumers know whether certain product containers are recyclable.