A Green, Mean Daily Routine
A dawn-to-dusk guide recycling your day to help you lessen your impact on the planet
Here’s a sobering thought: On average, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that we create 4.4 pounds of trash per person, every single day of our lives. Figure a lifespan of 85 years, that adds up to more than 135,000 pounds (equal to more than 68 tons) of garbage over the course of a lifetime.
The good news is, we’re producing less than we used to. In 1960, only 6.4% of our trash was recycled. By 2005, that figure had increased to more than 32 percent.
And of the trash we do throw away, 51% ends up in a landfill, and about 16% is burned—compared to 63% put in landfills and more than 30% incinerated 50 years ago.
Progress is progress, but we ought to be doing a better job of lowering our impact on the environment by keeping as much as possible out of the waste stream.
With that in mind, we’ve created a step-by-step guide to helping you produce as little trash as possible, and fewer resources, starting today.
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7:00: Get Up and Go Green!
The alarm clock rings, and that means it’s time to start your day! If you’ve had the heat or air conditioning running, now’s the time to reset your thermostat. The temperature won’t rise or fall fast enough to make you uncomfortable, and you don’t want to heat or cool an empty house, do you?
And if you haven’t already done so, think about investing in an Energy Star-certified programmable thermostat that will help you make sure your energy use is optimal, 365 days a year. ? |
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For that matter, what about a
solar alarm clock? Okay, so at
3 kilowatt hours per month, it’s not like your clock radio is an energy hog, but every little bit helps, no
A typical non-conserving showerhead will spray over five gallons per minute (GPM), so cutting your shower from ten minutes to five will save a whopping 25 gallons of water. Over a lifetime, that’s enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool. And a shorter shower not only saves water, but also saves on the energy used to heat that water.
And while you’re at it, bring your toothbrush in with you. On average, if you let the tap run,
you’re letting four gallons of good, clean water run down the drain when you brush your teeth at the bathroom sink. Even if you’re turning it off while you brush, that’s still a full gallon of water.
Curious about how much water you’re consuming? Check out this
nifty chart that does the calculations for you.
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7:30: Dress for Green Success
Here’s a radical idea. That blouse, shirt, slacks or skirt you wore yesterday? If it isn’t dirty, wear it again today.
And if it isn’t dirty, don’t wash it. The typical top-loading clothes washer requires a whopping 55 gallons of water per load. Furthermore, a whopping 90% of the energy used by a washing machine often goes just to heat the water. Washing in cold water will get your clothes clean just as well as warm, and you might want to think about investing in a front-loading machine, which uses about 63% less water than a top-loader (and therefore spend less to heat the water.) |
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8:00: Breakfast of Green Champions
Your breakfast won’t just keep you going all morning; it can keep your garden grow green, help your dog’s bones stay strong, or help you scour your pots.
This is where the “reuse” portion of going green comes in. Your
coffee grounds,
eggshells and
orange peels can all be reused in a variety of ways. Compost anything you don’t find a use for, including your empty paper milk carton!
8:30 Get Green to Work
Time to head into the office? There are a number of ways to get there while still going green.
If you’re close enough, take your
bike. According to the
League of American Bicyclists (of which
Lance Armstrong is a proud member), Motorized vehicles are responsible for 70% of the carbon monoxide, 45% of the nitrogen dioxide, and 34% of the hydrocarbons people produce in an urban environment. Riding a bike is a simple way to improve the environment.
Public transportation and carpools are two other green options. Most mass transit websites have trip planners that will get you into the office on time, or if you’d prefer to share the ride, check out
eRideshare to find others in your neighborhood who are looking to do the same.
Your best bet, though, is
telecommuting. According to the
Consumer Electronics Association, telecommuters saved the equivalent of 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity last year – enough to power 1 million U.S. households.
9:00 Environmentally Friendly Workday
If you’re like most workers, a computer factors large in your workday. Since you can’t switch it off, make sure it’s as energy efficient as possible.
First,
turn off your screen saver. Not only does it waste power, but it can shorten the life of your monitor or screen.
If you’re working on an Energy-Star certified machine, make sure you’ve set your power settings to the “Power Saver” mode, allowing the computer to “sleep” when it’s idle for more than a few minutes. According to the EPA, that could reduce your computer’s energy consumption by as much as 70 percent.
Then encourage everyone in your office to do the same.
And think twice before you hit the “print” button. According to U.S. Department of Energy,
it takes the equivalent of about 17 Watt-hours (Wh) of electricity to make a sheet of virgin (or nonrecycled) paper from wood (and about 12 Wh for 100% recycled paper). That’s enough energy to power an 80-watt light bulb for an hour.
And despite recycling, a large amount of paper still ends up in landfills, so whenever you can, go paperless.
12:30 Sustainable Lunch
One of the best ways to save green and go green at the same time is to pack your own
litterless lunch to take to work each day. Remember, paper napkins, plastic utensils, plastic wrap and plastic bottles are out;
Bento boxes,
reusable cloth napkins,
compostable bamboo utensils and
aluminum thermoses are in. There are even handy-dandy
reusable lunch kits to take the guesswork out of the equation!
3:00 Green Your Coffee Break
Whatever you do, don’t reach for the disposable paper cup for your afternoon pick-me-up. Whether they’re stacked up next to the office coffee machine or coming from the local coffee bar,
paper coffee cups are a real problem for the environment.
Instead, bring a
travel mug into the office and take it with you to the café. Your local
barista will happily fill it for you, and
you might even get a discount.
5:00 Quitting Time
Unless you do something about it, while you’re happily enjoying your downtime, your office machinery—computers, routers, servers and data centers—are still sucking up almost as much power as they do during the day.
If your organization is large enough and you’re in a position to do so, consider installing a Cisco
Integrated Services Router, which combines routing, switching, wireless, security, IP PBX, wide-area file services, and WAN optimization in a single box. The energy savings are significant.
At the very least, actually
turn off your computer and monitor, and all unnecessary office equipment and lighting is turned off.
6:00 – 11:00 Green Evening
Hungry for dinner? Have a
vegetarian meal. The
UN estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that accelerate climate change, so even one meat-free meal a week can have a significant impact.
Need recipe ideas? Check out
Meatless Monday.org, an non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the financial, health and environmental benefits of eating less meat.
And instead of settling down in front of the TV after dinner, why not go for a
walk around your neighborhood? Or how about an
environmentally themed board game with the family?
Bedtime already? Well goodnight then. Sweet dreams. And thanks for doing your bit for the planet.
- Take me back home -