You Too Can Live A Greener Life

You don’t have to become a hippie and live on a commune to do your part for our planet. There are simple things you can do to live more sustainably.

Start composting.
Waste is just energy misplaced. Keep your kitchen scraps out of your garbage can by starting your own worm bin. Worm bin you say? Why yes. Everyone has a plastic storage bin so purge your self of some clutter and transform it into a worm breeding factory. Put 1/4inch holes on the bottom of the bin and along the lip to allow for airflow. Line the bottom with cardboard and fill with a thick layer of shredded newspaper and moisten with water, 1 quart of soil to help the composting process, and one pound of red wiggler worms. Place the bin in a dark area like a pantry or closet in a convenient place for you to access every time you cook. Place kitchen scraps daily. A powerful worm bin can digest its own weight in worms, in ideal conditions, every two days! The more worms, the more it can consume and turn into potent worm castings that you can use on container plants.

Eat locally produced food
Shop for your food at your local farmers markets. Your food will be seasonal and fresh so you’ll be eating healthier. Because your food hasn’t traveled far, the amount of gas used to transport your food is reduced. To top it all off, by buying directly from the farmer, your money stays in the local economy. If you are more adventurous start a vegetable garden! You can grow a surprising amount of food in a small amount of space and supplement your family’s diet with organically grown veggies. You can also become a member of a farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, where a monthly fee buys you a stake in the veggies produced by the farm. The fee is reduced if you can commit to working on the farm, harvesting and preparing the veggies for distribution.

Save Energy, Save Money, Save the Planet
Reduce your electric consumption by using Compact Florescent Light bulbs (CFLs). According to www.energystar.gov “If every American home replaced just one light bulb with and energy star qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars and removes as much greenhouse gas pollution as planting 2.85 million acres of trees or taking 2 million cars of the road each year.” This is a no brainer if you ask me. Other ways to reduce your electric consumption include, unplugging non essential things like ac battery chargers when not in use.

About the author

Patti Moreno is the host of www.gardengirltv.com and contributor to Organic Gardening, Fine Gardening and the Farmers Almanac magazines. She publishes the web magazine www.urbansustainableliving.com and she answers questions at www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard and the number one gardening expert on Youtube.

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