7 Ways to Start Going Green.

Many experts give us a limit of 40 years to clean up our act before irreplaceable damage is done. Our future generations deserve clean air and water as we all have had in the past centuries. It is estimated that within the next 10 years we can begin to see more plastic than fish in our oceans and seas. Our future generations should not have to worry about checking the pollution status before they walk outside, although I hope it does not end up to be one of those situations, if we do not make a change soon that might have to be the future of the coming generations.

1. Consider going solar.

Solar power is relatively new technology. However, we have seen many advances in the Solar Industry. Many have already switched. In addition to cheaper electricity prices, users also receive federal tax credits for selling their energy back to the government. Finding the funds to go solar is the hardest part as installation will set you back somewhere around $10,000. However, this short term setback will set you up for a cleaner and cheaper future. I anticipate as we evolve and grow solar might just be the new normal. Hop on the wagon early and see what types of incentives your government offers.

2. Reuse

Many glass jars or other types of packaging can be saved, washed and reused. For example, my family saves and reuses the Ragu sauce jar for salsas. You can also find a lot of little glasses that we use to drink water that we at one point used to can Mole. Reusing what we can, can help us produce less waste day by day. Sites like pinterest make it easy to reuse day to day items like glasses boxes and many other types of packaging containers in artsy and creative ways. You can find a lot of decorations that are easy to make with very few household items.

3. Reduce plastic waste.

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Many brands have already begun their race to reduce plastic packaging day by day we are presented with options to buy eco friendly or not. For example, Adidas Parley line is a line of clothes that uses recycled ocean plastics and turns them into stylish shoes, jerseys, gloves and many more creative ways to reduce a number of plastics in the ocean. I suggest switching up your favorite brands for something a little bit more eco friendly. At the end of the day who knows you might just find something better. Hopefully soon we can go truly plastic free and use 100% biodegradable packaging.

4. Recycle anything you can.

Many things around us in our day to day life can and should be recycled. Take a second and look at your waste if it has either of the images below. Water bottles, paper, cardboard boxes and many other things that we find in the house are recyclable. It only takes a few seconds to look and to separate the recycling from the waste. My neighborhood gave us recycling bins to encourage us recycle but check your area for a recycling plant or to see if you can arrange recycling pick up every so often

5. Separate recycling

I would suggest getting two bins in the house. One for recycling and one for the trash. However, be very cautious and try to keep them separated. Trash mixed into a pile of recycling can ruin a whole pallet. That leads to tons of recycling in landfills for one piece of trash. Be aware and sure to separate the two different piles. Make sure to try and wipe down and clean off anything that you can. But the most important part is that you try and put an effort into recycling what you can.

6. Consider making your own mulch.

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If you ever considered gardening or even have your own garden, try making your own mulch for your garden. Many of the items that you consider “trash” could be a tasty nutritious treat for your Grass, Flowers, Trees or Bushes. This can be a fun activity for the family garden. It's also way cheaper than going to Home depot and buying a blend of mulch there. Your plants will definitely appreciate the gesture and, it will reflect within your garden. There are plenty of good mulch recipes online using day to day items like coffee grounds, egg shells and so much more!

7. Consider buying electric

I guess they found the replacement for displacement. The Electric Vehicle market is kicking off. In the past few years we have seen the rise of cars like the family friendly Hybrid Toyota Prius to the luxurious Tesla. The reality is we are in the future many predicted. Many of our favorite car brands like Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota and more unveiled that they plan to go fully electric by the end of 2024. We can see cheaper prices for a charge rather than gas and less emissions as two reasons to consider the switch. The initial price to purchase an electric vehicle might look high right now but with the evolution of the car market we can expect prices to fall.

Conclusion

Going green should be taken seriously. It would suck to have a list of activities we simply cannot do with our future generations when we could’ve done something to prevent it. Consider the switch, a little step today can make a big change for tomorrows' generation. My grandma started recycling when we were little tykes because my brother told her he did not want to live in a Wall-E World. If my elder grandma can take a few minutes to clean up a little so can our young souls.

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