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Tuesday, 07 October 2008
Archives 2006 Jan/Feb Everyday Ecology™: Simple Ideas for the Greening of your Environment:
| Everyday Ecology™: Simple Ideas for the Greening of your Environment: | | Print | |
| Written by Patti Williams | |
 Affluenza--Do you have it?Well, what exactly is it? A. An Unfulfilled feeling that occurs from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. B. Stress caused by pursuit of the American Dream. C. A television program that explores the social and environmental costs of materialism and over consumption. Actually, it’s all of the above. See their website:www.PBS.org/kcts/affluenza and take their tests to see if you have it. Even though Americans comprise only 5% of the world’s population, we use nearly a third of its resources and produce almost half of its hazardous waste. Simple living (a.k.a. voluntary simplicity) is not about poverty or deprivation. It is about discovering what is “enough” in your life––based upon thoughtful analysis of your lifestyle and values––and discarding the rest. Sometimes the process of simplifying may be anything, but simple. At www.simpleliving.net you can find a list of resources to gain an understanding of the simplicity movement, where we are as a culture, and where you are personally. A new American Dream is emerging, according to Betsy Taylor, president of the Center for a New American Dream (see www.newdream.org) with a trend by Americans to improve their quality of life by changing the way they consume. Their website is an extensive look at living consciously, buying wisely and making a difference. Here is a shopper checklist from their site. • Reduce, reuse - Take care of what you already have! Make things last. Don’t let a little wear send you on a shopping spree. • Buy recycled products - Recycling is great. But the recycling loop isn’t complete until materials collected are remanufactured into new products and purchased by consumers. • For paper products - Buy paper with the highest percentage of “post consumer waste” (PCW) and, when possible, paper that is “process chlorine free” (PCF). • Buy energy efficient products - whether it’s a car or a computer, choose the most energy efficient model. For electrical appliances, look for the “Energy Star” logo. • Buy local - This supports your local economy and reduces energy consumption required by the global transport of goods. Farmers’ markets are excellent resources. • Avoid excess packaging - A large percentage of our municipal solid waste stream is the result of unnecessary packaging. When given a choice, select the product that is sensibly, not over-packaged. Whenever possible, reuse or recycle packaging. • Avoid polyvinyl chloride, or “PVC” - Often labeled as “Number 3” plastic, PVC is a leading source of dioxin (a potent toxin). • Look for green labels - Look for labels that show product is certified environmentally friendly. But be careful - don’t blindly accept a “green” product that doesn’t offer any substantiation. To get smart on what labels mean, visit Consumers Union’s Eco-labels website: www.eco-lables.org. A few tips: • Look for Green Seal or Scientific Certification Systems labels, or other labels offered by respected environmental organizations. • For wood products, look for FSC certified labels. • For seafood, look for MSC certified //eng.msc.org/labels. • For coffee, look for fair trade, “organic” and “shade grown”. Want more? See www.thegreenguide.com Another resource I enjoy is Natural Home, a magazine whose motto is Living Green, Living Well - See www.NaturalHomeMagzine.com PATTI WILLIAMS can be contacted with your questions or comments at: |
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