Thursday, January 17, 2008

New Year resolution - Simple ways to be green

Ah! The new year and all the resolutions it brings...
  • Absolutely stop getting plastic bags from stores. Keep tote bags in car, even a portable one in your backpack. Get paper bags in a cinch.
    • I've been doing this for a few months now ever since San Francisco outlawed plastic bags (though I don't live in the city, it just seemed like an excellent idea).
    • On a side note, what is it with Indian grocery stores not carrying paper bags and offering only plastic to customers?
    • Another side note, how can I stop using plastic bags when buying fruits and vegetables at the grocery store? You know, the clear plastic bags used to group things together to weigh them?
  • If you eat lunch at work, keep silverware handy. Stop using (and throwing out) plastic spoons, knives and forks.
  • Instead of using paper cups for coffee and water at work, keep a favorite cup and glass at work.
    • I'm surprised at the sheer amount of paper cups I see in the trash at work everyday. If you spend 8 hours someplace everyday, what's the big deal with keeping a cup and a glass there?
  • Stop buying bottled water.
  • Recycle, recycle, recycle. Don't be lazy about it.
    • Grocery stores have recycling bins for plastic bags.
    • If you live in or around Sunnyvale, check out the local SMART station. Its amazing all the stuff you can recycle just by dropping it off there.
A little green can go a long way! Now all I need is for someone to make a hybrid convertible ...

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