Tips to Living a More Sustainable Lifestyle

VICTOR ARAIZA

THE SIGNAL

The trend of ‘Going Green’ really gained some ground this millennium. Maybe it’s because we stopped worrying about Y2K and the end of the world and realized that we’re in this “living on Earth” thing for the long haul. Living green can lead to a better quality of life and an extended life span for our planet. Here is a list of 10 things we can implement in our daily lives to be more sustainable.

1. Conserve Energy. Turning off the lights you are not using or a TV you are not watching can waste less energy and it can save you another type of green: money. Using fluorescent light bulbs can help you waste less energy when the lights are on as well as save you extra trips to the store to replace burnt out bulbs. Opening windows and doors in 75^o weather instead of using air conditioning can save energy as well.

2. Be computer-efficient. Turning off your computer when away or using it on power saver mode can save you some battery life and waste less energy.

3. Print smarter. Wasting less ink by using ‘draft’ mode can prolong your trip to the store. Try not printing long reports unless absolutely necessary and when possible, print double-sided. Also, using a font like Calibri can help you conserve ink in comparison to Times New Roman.

4. Save water. Taking long showers means a hit on both your water bill and your heating bill.

5. Less gas, more money. Carpooling, biking and public transportation are all good alternatives to driving the trip alone. Using less gas means keeping more money in your pocket and less exhaust on the streets. More people driving less makes a big difference.

6. Switch to reusable. You drink water and coffee every day, so why not just use a reusable cup instead of wasting plastic. Postconsumers.com says 90 percent of plastic bottles are not recycled and the average time for a plastic bottle to completely degrade is at least 450 years.

7. Integrate technology. It seems that these days everyone uses a computer and manages their life with their cell phone but that’s not always the case. Making a phone call and sending electronic files instead of making the long drive for a meeting and sending electronic files promotes sustainability as well as saves you time.

8. Plan Ahead. When you’re planning a party or a shopping trip for the holidays, do your research and make a list ahead of time. Doing the research and working from a list can let you avoid multiple stores and return trips.

9. Spread the word. There is strength in numbers. When 100 people are living sustainably instead of just one it can make a big difference, so tell your friends to get in on it. It will benefit them in the long run.

And…

10. Recycle. This one is kind of obvious but it is important to stress it. Extending the life of materials for as long as you can is what sustainability is all about.