Most people I know (myself included) have grown up in a culture of abundance.We have all the food we can possibly eat, all the water we care to pour, all the heat we need to stay toasty warm—all within arms’ reach and at a reasonable cost. We are incredibly lucky, but the downside is that we tend to be wasteful.We leave the water running when we brush our teeth. We throw perfectly good food in the garbage. We buy clothing we don’t need. Our culture of abundance has turned into a culture of excess. And this culture of excess is bad for the planet.
These days, terms like global warming, climate change and carbon footprint (your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly by you) are commonplace—and that should make us worried. Runaway consumerism and an attitude of entitlement has led us to this point. Perhaps it’s time to reexamine our lives and look for ways to conserve the resources we are so lucky to have rather than waste them.
That said, I’m trying hard to be a more mindful consumer of resources these days. That means thinking twice about whether I really need something before I buy it and often passing up on the “good deals” that come my way. It means actively buying products that generate less waste and figuring out how to recycle much more than aluminum cans. It means keeping a closer eye on my consumption of resources like energy and water in my home. It also means being creative and resourceful by finding new ways to use things and learning how to get by with less.
In many ways I have found that less is more. My kitchen looks much better with fewer appliances on the counter than it does cluttered up with all the latest gadgets. It’s easier for my son to pick out an outfit to wear when there are fewer clothes in his drawer to choose from. It costs less, too: When I buy in bulk instead of buying excessively packaged products or lower my energy bills by making environmentally friendly changes to my home, I have more money in the bank for other things.
In this chapter you will discover how easy it is to conserve resources in your home. Not only are most of the ideas pretty painless, but they will often save you money. The Buy It Green section is filled with practical advice and guidelines for reducing the amount of stuff you buy and cutting way back on the amount of waste you bring to the curb. It also contains tips for managing energy and water consumption in your home in ways that may surprise you.
In the Do It Green section of this chapter, I’m hoping to help you get up and over any hurdles you may have about taking action to conserve resources and to show you how to make the most of what you already have. I’ll also share my secrets for how to throw a green birthday party and give you the scoop on a couple practical ecocrafts. After reading this chapter, I hope you will find that consuming less can truly give you more!
