The Nest

It's Easy Being Green

Posted Thursday, August 16, 2007 7:44 PM

Often it feels like living an eco-conscious life is all about inconvenience and suffering (lugging your canvas bags to the grocery store, setting your AC at an earth-friendly 78 even on the hottest summer days) but in fact, sometimes doing things the green way is actually the easier of two options. Here are three instances when doing less work is better for the planet:

Washing your car yourself may seem virtuous since it saves money, but it’s actually an environmental sin. The run-off you create goes straight into storm drains, where it can pollute local water sources and hurt marine life. But professional car washes are required to send their run-off to a sewer system, and many recycle water as well.  Plus, pros typically use less water to clean your car than you would at home. (You can find a more detailed explanation here.) So instead of exhausting yourself scrubbing your taillights in the driveway, spend ten minutes perusing tabloids at the car wash while the pros do it for you.

Hand washing your dishes uses more water than washing ‘em in the dishwasher. So pile every plate, pan and utensil you can into the dishwasher.  For bonus points, don’t pre-rinse dishes (just scrape), avoid the “heat dry” option (open the door to air dry dishes instead), and use a phosphate-free dishwashing detergent like these cool cubes from Method.

Unlikely as it may seem, microwave ovens are pretty earth-friendly, since they use at least 30% less energy than cooking with the regular oven or stove.  So don’t feel guilty about nuking dinner instead of cooking something from scratch—focus on the CO2 emissions you’re saving and feel smart and virtuous.