Eco-Friendly Living Guest Post

Photo by Nancy Glaze/Arvada, CO

A few years back, our school district hired a retired maintenance man part-time to audit our energy use and help us better conserve our resources. At first, it was really hard for me to get used to turning my light off every time I left my office, but eventually habits form and now it's weird if my light is on and I'm not in there. Anyway, every month we'd get an energy report from this auditor and data doesn't lie; we were saving a lot of money with simple energy-saving measures like cutting those lights off and unplugging things like lamps, computers, and walkie talkies over night. 

One time, our campus got a thank-you email from our energy guy. The subject line - The Writing On The Wall - naturally piqued my curiosity. Basically, he wanted to commend us for such a great job because during his audit that night he'd found that we had everything unplugged as requested. The next part was the coolest, because this older gentleman took the time to not only notice, but to add: 

It's clear that you are living 

what your beautiful bulletin boards say.

Be still my beating heart! Wasn't that the nicest thing to say!

How else can good citizens conserve their resources? 

Please welcome guest blogger Sophia Evans for today's tips.

Five Interesting Recycling Facts for an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle by Sophia Evans

If you are committed to leading an environmentally-conscious lifestyle, you probably engage in helpful practices such as recycling, reducing your consumption of resources, and making wise consumer choices. A little can go a long way in the fight to protect the Earth, and the first step in making a difference is to be well informed. Here are a few helpful insights and tips on how you can be an even better steward of the Earth.

Johnson and Johnson has also risen to the occasion and adopted more Earth-friendly practices. They've committed to reducing their carbon emissions and water usage. The company has also removed all toxic and carcinogenic ingredients from their line of personal care items.

If you use Brita water filters in your home, you should be aware that the filter cartridges can be recycled. Simply dry the filters out, wrap them in plastic, and send them back to Brita. They can recycle the plastic casing into many household products such as toothbrushes and cups. The carbon and resin portion can be recycled into fuel. Brita even promises to reuse the packaging materials you sent the cartridge in!

Do you have an old bicycle lying around that you don't use anymore, or know someone who does? There are thousands of people around the world whose lives could be improved dramatically if given access to a bicycle. You can donate unwanted bikes to Bikes for the World, a non-profit organization that helps provide bicycles to needy communities around the world.

The average office worker uses 500 disposable cups a year. Imagine what an impact we could make if everyone started using reusable cups. Little things like this can go a long way in the fight for conservation.

Together, we can keep the Earth green and beautiful. These tips can help you do your part, and help inform others of their impact as well.

Author bio: Sophia is a stay-at-home mom, who lives in Upstate New York and blogs about Eco-friendly lifestyle tips. She finds that it is easy to transition into a green lifestyle by making the small changes; she's always staying up-to-date with the latest news and trends in the green community. Sophia tries to live the best green, sustainable life as she can! She also enjoys blogging about healthy lifestyle tips, and all things beauty. She enjoys the outdoors, spending time with her family, and staying fit and healthy by running and biking. Sophia blogs over at My "Soph" Called Life.

Thank you, Sophia, for stopping by and enlightening us with these useful conservation strategies. I recently read that you can also recycle your empty plastic gift cards so that they don't all end up in a landfill. 

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