When I first became interested in health 25 years ago, in addition to choosing a healthful diet, I learned the importance of taking care of our beautiful planet, its precious resources, and its inhabitants. Back then, I asked myself how I as an individual, could make a difference in making the world a greener place. I realized then that collective action from a number of people can absolutely make a difference, and that people do take action when they begin to realize the changes each person can make to add to the whole.
Since my health journey began, I‘ve seen many changes in the “green habits” people have adopted. Recycling is a great example. Growing up in the 1970s, my hometown did not have curbside recycling and I had not heard of any municipality that did. Today, I can’t think of a community that doesn’t offer recycling. This exemplifies the influence that groups of conscientious people can have on public policy. Fuel efficient cars are another great example. Over the last several years, wherever I travel in the U.S. I’ve seen growing numbers of hybrid and alternative fuel cars. The city where I live even gives financial incentives to people who replace their lawns with native plants, encouraging water conservation.
Here are several examples of simple things that Rick and I do regularly to make a positive contribution:
• Grow our own food
• Use vinegar as a weed eliminator
• Use gray water to water our lawn
• Use green cleaners and personal care products
• Wash and reuse produce bags
Rick and I have always grown our own food in the places we’ve lived, no matter how small. When we lived in apartments, we sprouted and did our best to grow food in containers on our apartment patio, when possible. When we moved into our house, we built raised bed gardens and bought some wine barrel planters. Since we live in northern California, our garden is productive all year, and we grow popular summer staple foods like tomatoes, lettuce, bell peppers, several types of greens, squash, and many other vegetables and fruits. Our winter garden is mostly composed of hardy greens like kale.
We’ve found that vinegar makes a great weed eliminator in the areas of our yard that do not have food producing plants like the front yard. One huge caveat would be to NOT use vinegar on lawn weeds, since it kills grass! We found this out the hard way. Fortunately, the lawn in these areas is growing back now— since we’ve watered it (and rest of our lawn) with gray water.
When we shower, we collect the gray water in buckets and use the water on our lawn, trees, and shrubs. This can be a little cumbersome at first, since we have to carry the buckets from our shower out to the front yard. When we started doing this, we were astounded at how much water we used for showering, but carrying the water has taught us to use much less, which is especially important now that California is experiencing a drought.
I’ve used natural and biodegradable household cleaners, soaps, shampoos, and conditioners for 25+ years, and am gratified to find many more quality eco-friendly products available today.
For many years, I’ve washed and reused plastic produce bags. This takes a little time, but I absolutely think it is time well spent and I’m happy to help keep plastic out of the landfill. Many communities now forbid plastic bags for purchases—another great sign of progress for going greener. Green bags and reusable mesh bags are now available for produce as well.
Another green strategy includes buying locally produced food to cut down on fossil fuel expenditure during transportation, opting out of receiving junk mail to save paper, using rechargeable batteries to run remote controls and other gadgets, and eating mostly organic food. A couple of years ago we replaced the single-paned windows in our house with double-paned windows to save on heat loss. Our best strategy of all is to eat a high raw, whole food plant-based diet, which provides numerous benefits both for our health and the planet.
This is just a sampling of our “go greener” strategy. We know that every positive change each of us makes contributes to a greener, healthier planet for all!
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