Friday, July 27, 2007 8:31 PM
It's Easier Being Green...
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.
Do you have an eco-friendly habit that’s
actually easy—or at least not as difficult as you thought it would be?
Posted by
Nest Celeste
Filed under: Decor Tricks