Let's Get Greener

Recently, a friend told me about a web site that determines your "green IQ." The web site is http://www.greeniq.com/about-us/. I got a 62, which isn't horrible, but still has room for improvement. I felt frustrated because I can't afford to be totally green. It's too expensive for our family to buy all organic, replace our windows, install solar panels and buy a hybrid car. So I decided to look up tips for greening my life that don't cost money. I found a great web site called Green Your.com http://www.greenyour.com/. It provides tips for improving the environment in every aspect of your life, from feminine hygiene to solar panels. I haven't read through the whole site, but got a lot from a quick overview. For instance, I didn't know that daily water usage in the typical single family home is 69.3 gallons, with showers accounting for 16.8 percent of total indoor water use. The site recommends buying low-flow shower heads--something we need to do in the future--but in the mean time it suggests just turning off the water while your soaping up. I tried it this morning, and it wasn't bad--I thought I'd be too cold, but I was fine.

The site also suggests making your own facial cleanser, as well as cleaning supplies. I never really thought about how I'm polluting our water supply with toxic chemicals every time I clean our house--as well as my face. It's definitely something I'm going to look into.

Incorporating these tips into my life gets me excited--I feel like I'm doing something to take care of what's precious to me: preserving our beautiful world all of us to enjoy for the future.