The Green Book

I'm not a "Greenie" as many people are afraid to be labelled. No tree-hugging, dirt-worshiper here. However, you don't need to be a Democrat, a "Green Party" or member of "Green Peace" to care about the environment. I'm also not going to rant and rave about the radical changes we should be making to prevent global warming (of which I'm a skeptic). You'll find that all I try to suggest are small changes that can make a big difference.

The Green Book, by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen, is a book detailing easy and subtle ways to lessen your own impact on the environment. I purchased this recently because it caught my attention by taking a more sensible approach to converting to "greener" living. Too often I see advice such as "Line dry your clothes," and "ride a bike." Good advice, but not always practical. May as well tell me to live in a teepee and hunt for my dinner... it simply isn't practical given my life, and how much time I have (or better, how much I don't). Rather than suggesting we all line dry our clothing- simply not practical for everyone by time and space limitations, they suggest things like keeping dryer lint traps clean to decrease energy usage by as much as 5%. Subtle, but easy. I can do this.

As I work to slowly convert my family to greener living, I hope to report to you as well on the things I find are easy, quick, and inexpensive ways to becoming more environmentally friendly. Caring about the environment is in no way an indicator of your religion, race, political affiliations, etc. It's just good sense, and the best time to start is NOW!