Being Green

Well I guess to each person being green means something different – for some it is recycling, for others it is a complete change in their way of life. Doing a small bit to making the planet a better place to live with something like recycling of paper, card, plastic and glass is becoming more and more part of everyone’s daily life and it is a good thing. Whatever we can do to help with saving the planet’s resources whether it be a small gesture like this or using alternate energy sources like wind power, solar energy or biofuels, or a much grander gesture like living in a completely eco friendly environment (like self sustaining communities that are popping up everywhere) with a totally green way of life. If you don’t know where or what to start with then start low scale by trying recycling which can be easily stored in separate boxes or bins (i.e. one for glass, one for paper, one for plastic etc.) and for some of you these are provided by your local council who will also collect these items for you on a weekly or fortnightly basis. You can also take your items to a recycling centre near to you. You can also easily set up a compost bin to recycle your food waste – these bins can be purchased quite cheaply from your local hardware store or DIY store and also from online stores. Once your compost has been formed you can re-use it to fertilise your garden. Recycling and composting can not only be used at home but also in the office. There are many businesses now that have a very strong eco culture which is carried out by their entire workforce. This can be as easy as putting recycling bins for drink cans and waste paper to more advanced installations of solar panels providing energy to heat water or provide electricity. The kitchens in offices as well as food related businesses such as cafes and restaurants can keep their food waste for composting and then in the future use it in their gardens. Kids and adults are both getting involved in creating a greener place to live in. Schools have been doing a great job in helping to educate their children and the parents in some cases as to what being green is all about. Don’t think of it as a hard task or a pain to incorporate into your life. If you start with a small activity such as recycling you will find that it becomes a natural reaction to automatically think of the green aspect of whatever you are doing. And, if everyone does a little bit it all adds up to a very large bit which can make an impact on the world we live in.