Since I was a child, at least 17 years ago, I have heard about how to save our environment on TV. Today, when Global Warming has almost become a trend, the “how to’s” have not changed much. When for instance the news are giving advice on green living it is usually the same old advice:

• Take shorter showers
• Turn lights and other electronics off when not used
• Drive less
• Eat locally grown foods
• Bring your own grocery bags when grocery shopping (or any shopping)
• Waste less
• Recycle

These are all great advice. But don’t people already do these things? It is time to go a little further and (for some) hear some new advice.

• Buy organic foods. That way you and your family get less pesticides into your body. You also support organic farmers and may convert conventional farmers to using organic methods. It is a little more expensive short term. But you can never buy the planet back. When birds eat insects full of chemicals from pesticides, their egg shells are too thin and brake. With fewer birds each year the number of insects increases, which forces farmers to use stronger pesticides. We have to turn it around together and use our power as consumers to choose who to support and who we boycott.
• Use environmental friendly cleaning products so we don’t poison our oceans. There are so many products available today in so many stores. Anyone can find them.
• Eat less meat! It is not just local food that helps our planet. It takes 10 lb of grains to produce 1 lb of meat. Not only will you help end lots of animal abuse by cutting down on your meat. You will make our planet a better place to live. Most of the grains grown in United States is grown to feed live stock. The reason so much of the rain forest is being cut down, is for growing soy beans to feed live stock in various countries. As a benefit, your health will probably improve as well with less meat.

If people keep caring for our planet, the demand for “greener” products will go up and manufacturers will be forced to make changes as well:

• Instead of filling cleaning bottles up with water, manufacturers should only sell concentrates. People can easily add the concentrate to the same spray bottle and simply add water themselves. Imagine how many plastic bottles that will save! Most cleaning supplies mainly contains water. It is a HUGE waste of plastic!!!
• The life expectancy and quality of a product should increase. Products are intentionally made to last a short time to increase sales. The consequences are more garbage and bigger landfills, or “trash mountains.”
• End fashion! No more throwing out clothes because you have been told that this color is not “in” anymore. Wear a pair of shoes as long as they last. Trust yourself and your own taste in clothing rather than wearing what other people are telling you what to wear!
• There should be compost trucks! Just like there are garbage trucks and recycling trucks to pick up our wastes once a week, there should also be a truck to pick up our compost. I hate throwing compostable foods in my garbage. I think it’s a great idea for our future!
• There should also be more biodegradable products! I have found compostable pick nick plates, bowls, forks, knives and spoons made from the sugar cane. Imagine if we could have even more products like this. Like baby diapers that degrade with time. And garbage bags for the compost to the compost trucks!

Any more ideas?