My Green Home

For my Wave Makers challenge, I chose to break down my home and our “green” habits. Allow me to begin by saying that we, my household and I, are not a 100% super green, eco-friendly home. We aren't, but the title isn't a lie either. More or less, we live by the ideology that if we don't need it, we don't use it and that if it's not safe enough to be recycled or broken down, then we don't need to be using it at all. With this in mind, we still have wasteful tendencies to an extent, but we try to make a difference in our choices to help out our beautiful planet.

For example, we don't use plastic straws. We use metal ones or biodegradable/cardboard recycled ones. Plastic one's are a waste of space; they are not biodegradable, they emit toxic chemicals when used, they aren't made for long-term usage and break quickly, resulting in dangerous shards that end up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans and inevitably get back to us. Yup, inside of our foods, drinking water, etc. That's where these guys come in:

They are made of recycled stainless steel or aluminum, are durable, keep the beverage cold and refreshing, and don't leave behind an unhealthy residue. I have had mine for roughly three years and it's still not broken. It came in a four-pack with a cleaning brush from Amazon.com.

The most significant change we made in our lives was that we don't throw away water bottles. Let me explain it a bit more. We buy things in disposable bottles once and a while, but we don't like to waste things that have use, so we reuse them by turning them into what we call "fridge water”, basically it's water we filtered by out at home Brita home purification system, then through an additional filter in our countertop pitcher and then put into the fridge for later consumption.

We got the idea after seeing how many plastic bottles ended up where they shouldn't be. Mainly in lakes, rivers, yards, and parking lots, but never in a dang trash can! Not to ruffle any feathers or anything, but its horrible to see how disrespectful people are to our planet.

I don't consider my household or myself to be eco-friendly geniuses, nor do we plan to be; however, I believe that certain compromises exist to make the damage humanity has done to Earth and that we should try them out. If you don't want to do a lot of work but still want to contribute, then think outside the box! Try reducing the amount of electronics you have on at a time. By doing so, you reduce the amount of electricity your household produces by a few percent every month, resulting in less wasteful wattage. Or better yet, sign up for Arcadia.

Arcadia is a utility extension program, that is free of charge, but converts up to 30% of your kilowatts into healthy, clean energy that is good for the environment. Basically, it's a commitment to turn pay extra every month on your bill in exchange for renewable energy that goes back into the centralized electrical system for others to benefit from. If that isn't something you are interested in, consider your gas usage.

Whenever gasoline burns, it emit carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matters, and unburned hydrocarbons into the air; causing air pollution. Anything that isn't safe for us to breathe in isn't safe for our planet! To help out, lets reduce our gasoline output. By taking public transportation, walking, or riding a bike, we can reduce our carbon footprint by up to 3% per year. Our household does use a car, but we have a fuel-efficient vehicle that gets 30 miles to the gallon at a minimum; we sparingly drive unless it's necessary, and we plan out our trips for fewer back and forth trips, maximizing convenience. Unless we go somewhere far, we walk to our local stores and restaurants.

Another thing that grinds my gears is trash. It's everywhere! Our neighborhood is terrible about stringing it all over the place. Whether it be the neighbors across from us having their kids take the bags out, resulting in a big mess, the stray dogs tearing open trash bags left out by the dumpster instead of in it. Unable to stand it anymore, my household and I go out a few times a week for a walk around the trailer park we live in and pick up the trash we find. It's not much, but it's an excellent way to reduce litter and ensure it ends up in the right place.

The Earth has taken care of us for 4.54 billion years, and now it's out turn to take care of it. Humanity has ruined the environment, the soil, the oceans, and the creatures, but it isn't too late to fix it! If we all pitch in and make a solid effort to change we just might be able to get another 5 billion years out of her. Food for thought.

Until next time, be safe and be green!