Collectively, small lifestyle changes can make a huge impact on the environment-and your life. Looking for happiness and health? What’s good for the environment is also, it turns out, great for you. Here’s a collection of tips from the No Impact community.
I work on a university campus. In the last few years it has become a practice to provide meeting participants with a bottle of water. I decided last year-no more water bottles would be offered at meetings. We have a drinking fountain in the hall and we ordered stainless steel reuseable bottles with our logo greeningthearts@illinois.
This post was submitted by mary ellen oshaughnessey.
Tuned out years ago from the media hype about what I “want/need”; got in touch with my own value system. Learned how little I need to feel comfortable/satisfied. Gave up beef years ago. Eat fresh foods mostly; do our own cooking. Not a major consumer; shop thrift stores when I really need something. Recycle. Seldom watch television (it’s basically a wasteland and a product delivery system-do not have cable! Do not own a cell phone. Live in a fourth-floor walk-up.
I think the first important thing I learned was to unplug from the media hype; when I did that, my life slowed down and I had more time for creative thinking and learning what really interested and satisfied me. Pulling back from the cultural value system really opens up your eyes.
This post was submitted by Patricia Morimando.
We use a pitcher to collect the cold water that comes out of the faucet while waiting for it to turn hot to take a shower. At our house, it’s about a full pitcher every time. We use this perfectly clean water for watering plants, boiling pasta, and even drinking after putting it through our filter pitcher.
When I started doing this after seeing it online, I thought it was way “out there,” but then I spent the summer in rural Guatemala where there is no such thing as safe tap water (or even constant tap water) and I would have killed for those pitchers of American treated water!
This post was submitted by Karen.
Eating vegan/organic and local foods and dumpsterdiving for Foods. Not buying clothes, shoes, accesories, etc . Using my bike, walking and taking public transportation 95% of the time instead of driving a car. The extra 5% I carpool with friends and family. No drinking bottled water. Using recicled and used stuff instead of buying new. Not using AC at home, watching 0 TV. I have been shopping for food and medicines mainly and want to reduce every day the number of things I buy that aren’t food or medicines; right now the number of things I buy dayly is almost cero so I am almost there!
This post was submitted by Gerardo Tristan.
I enjoy getting myself around by my own “people power”; by foot and by bicycle!
Although winters in Western New York can be harsh, I heard that people in cold weather areas are happier if they spend time outdoors in the winter and allow their bodies to acclimate to the cold.
My tip is to get outside, even when it seems “too cold” or “too snowy”. Walk, bicycle, and run in the cold. You’ll thank yourself for it!
This post was submitted by Rebekah in Buffalo, NY.