Making the Change to an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle
Congratulations on taking the first step to becoming Green: making the decision to do it!
The second step is sticking to the decision!
Going Green is definitely the new fad, like Crocs (when will people get over these?), the Atkins diet or Katy Perry. It’s everywhere you go, everyone’s talking about it and it makes you kind of want to try it to see what all the fuss is about—Going Green, that is.
Like all fads, there is a high risk of burnout from being overexposed and overwhelmed. And the Green/Eco-friendly trend could be the most overexposed fad of them all. If you ask Google “how to be eco-friendly,” they will give you 2.8 million pages to look at! 2.8 million! There is already a term for this potential burnout: “Green Fatigue.”
Now, I haven’t made it through all 2.8 million pages (I’d say give me another few weeks, but by then we will probably have 5 million pages to view) but some of the eco-friendly tips I came across are time consuming tasks and very costly, despite promises that “Going Green Saves You Green.” And some are so daunting that, well, I’m just not ready for them at all. In fact, when I saw the Swash Toilet Seat for Paperless Hygiene I actually ran and hugged my Charmin toilet paper and almost gave up my new resolution to be green.
But most of the eco-friendly tips I found are actually basic things I actually do everyday, like turning the t.v. and lights off when I leave a room. So instead of getting overwhelmed, I decided I’m going to start small and work my way up to those, um, more daunting endeavors. It’s like starting an exercise plan: Take it slowly and set goals for yourself. And get a buddy to motivate with you. That’s why I’m inviting you to join me on my journey to becoming eco-friendly and aware!
I’m going to break it down in a week-by-week guide of challenges that I’m giving myself to help erase my ecological footprint. And I hope you’ll challenge yourself along with me!
In addition to weekly challenges, I’m arming myself with knowledge. Hey, if I’m going to defend the planet, I’m going to have to be armed with something! In addition to researching all sorts of valuable environmental facts and green living tips, I’m going to start to test some of the hundreds of eco-friendly and organic products hitting the shelves today to give you an honest consumer opinion. By next year maybe I’ll even be ready to try that Swash Toilet!
