How To Be A Green Goddess

Whether you are donning the glamorous green Diamond Nexus Miss USA crown (The gemstones are all synthesized using environmentally friendly processes. There are no toxic byproducts or pollutants!! Props to the Miss UNIVERSE Organization & D. Trump!!) or a flirty hand crafted flower crown, we all have an obligation to protect, respect, & celebrate our glorious home. 

Let's take a look at what is at stake if we don't own our commitment as inhabitants of the planet & take responsibility:

...wow! There is a lot at stake.

So what can we do?

Below is a list of ways that we can help reduce our carbon footprint, make a difference, & lead happier & more purposeful lives. Take a look and see what changes you can make today, and everyday (after all, shouldn't everyday be Earth Day?!). Even if you only do one of the following things you will still be making a difference. 

(If nothing else please check out my very last challenge.)

First, you can check out what the other Miss USA 2011 State Titleholders are doing this Earth Day! There is some really inspiring stuff on there, and some great tips!

Stop junk mail! Nothing says how much you are valued more than a personal flier from Publisher's Clearing House right?. Oh my gosh?! You got one? You are so lucky! You're a millionaire! Rid your life of this nonsense.
-You can get the Clearinghouse to stop clogging your mailbox by contacting customer service at 1-800-645-9242.
-My roommate taught me that you can call catalog companies and request to terminate delivery of catalogs (you don't really need the catalog, you can hop online & look at anything you fancy).
-You can also call the producers of your phone book and request to have that stopped as well (again, who needs it, hello... Google?).
-Wanna nip junk mail in the butt for 5 years? Send a postcard or letter to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, PO Box 643, Carmel, NY 15012-0643.Include your complete name, address, zip code and a request to "activate the preference service".

Turn of the lights! Easy enough. Also be sure to switch out your light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CLFs) when your old bulbs burn out. Bonus points for creating a mini-terrarium with your old bulbs.

Educate yourself. Read books (eBooks? See below!), blogs, & news articles that will help you expand your knowledge & discover more ways to become a Green Goddess. Some favorites of mine:

Mom Goes Green Blog

Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

Curious George Plants a Tree by Margret & H.A. Rey

An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore

...after you read these books (or any books) recycle them! Donate them to a school or charity or a used book store. Or heck, make someone's day by simply leaving it on a park bench. 

Wash your clothes in cold water. Up to 85% of the energy it takes to machine-wash clothes goes towards heating up the water. Eek! This action helps extend the life of your clothes by preserving the color and fit. Bravo.

Walk or bike places. My next investment will be a bike. This is something I know I need to do more of. Don't feel guilty about driving your car, it is certainly a need for many people... just try to give it a rest from time to time.

Decline plastic bags as often as possible. I know this is something I used to be better at but have recently slacked off from. Here is my commitment to be more proactive & thoughtful about this. Bonus points (I really love you overachievers out there!) if you use a FEED bag. With the purchase of any FEED item a meal (or meals) is provided to help FEED the world. Feed yourself, feed the world and reduce waste.

Ditch the paper cup.... bring your own mug to the coffee shop. Just be sure to clean it first, ew.

Go paperless... a great excuse to spoil yourself with a Kindle or an iPad. Not only does it save ink, paper, and transportation costs from new books, it's also a cheaper and faster way to get a much desired book into your hands. You can page through newspapers & magazines or use it to review a document rather than printing it. If financially this is not the best investment for you at this time you can also simply borrow books from your local library (free = fabulous).

Eat one less serving of red meat each week. The combination of the energy it takes to produce meat (slaughtering, packaging, transporting), the amount of water livestock consume, the amount of water it takes to slaughter the livestock and the methane gas the livestock produce all take a huge toll on our planet. If each of us ate one less serving per week that alone would make a huge difference.... or perhaps you might be inspired and ready to educate yourself on a **gasp** vegetarian diet? This diet isn't for everyone, but if you feel it's something you could slowly ease into and commit to you should definitely go for it! Check out PETA's Vegetarian Starter Kit for more information.

 

Purchase products that use less packaging. For example, do you really need the individually packaged Craisins? Buy a bag of Craisins and put your servings in stylish Tupperware containers (see what I mean by "stylish" here).

Plant a tree! We love trees because they make life more aesthetically pleasant. Trees provide homes for the wildlife we adore so much. They take in bad stuff like carbon dioxide and pump out good stuff like oxygen. Are you convinced yet that trees are magical? Good. Now go plant one & give yourself a high-five!

Calculate your carbon footprint. By doing this you are taking a step towards determining what your effect is on this planet. After you have done that you can set goals and figure out ways to lessen your impact. My carbon footprint is 13.30 metric tons per year. Eek! What's yours?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, bottle your own water baby! Educate yourself on the best reusable water bottles and treat yourself to one you truly adore. Need even more proof about the harmful effects of bottled water? You can find endless reasons at Bottled Water Blues...

"It requires 3 times as much water to make the bottle as it does to fill it... it is an exceptionally wasteful industry."

 Ah.... water. Let's take a moment to pause & reflect on the glory of water....

Now don't you just want this stuff around forever? I know I sure do. Let's make every effort to limit our wast of this precious element.... For example, turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth. Oh my gosh, check out this ill fact:

"Leaving the tap running when you're brushing your teeth wastes up to 6 litres of water a minute or 35,000 litres of water per family, per year. This means your street alone could fill an Olympic sized swimming pool each year. Which wastes huge amounts of water and is a bit stupid - it's like having the toilet flush the whole time you're on it. " -We Are What We Do

 And finally....

 The last & final (& perhaps the greatest!?) thing I urge you to do is take a look at the bigger picture, and what your role is. Determine what your vision & purpose is here on this planet. Can you clearly articulate it (should it be articulated?)? Is it ever-evolving? What have you done? What do you plan to do? How are you going to make it happen? Your life is meaningful, powerful, and extraordinary. Own it, run with it, and reflect upon its greatness & significance. We all have a place and a role. Master your life vision and use it to bring greatness to your world.

"Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings." -John F. Kennedy

 Earthling love to you!