1. I will reduce my love handles and my carbon footprint.  If getting toned reduces my carbon footprint at the same time, great!  I will bike places instead of drive and take the stairs instead of the elevator when I can.  I will hike, run, bike and swim outdoors.  If I see trash on the beach, I will pick it up and run to the next trash can to throw it away. 

I will save money and the earth.  I will drive less and carpool and save money on gas.  I will turn off the lights when I’m not in a room and lower my electric bill.  I will wait to fill a full load of dishes and laundry and save on electricity and water.  I will not buy pesticides and garden with compost and other natural materials.  I will plant native plants that use less water.  I will not leave the water running.  Instead of buying new, I will reuse wrapping paper for presents, old t-shirts to clean with, shopping bags to carry things, etc…  (But… maybe I’ll splurge on organic food and sustainably produced clothing…)

I will eat better, organic and local.  I will eat more fruits and vegetables, but I don’t need them to travel thousands of miles and be grown with pesticides to get on my plate.  I will eat less meat (that’s better for my heart and pastures contribute to deforestation and carbon emissions anyways).  I will eat fish from sustainable fisheries.  I don’t need extra hormones, so I will choose milk from cows that aren’t pumped full of them or choose soy.

I will be more organized and efficient.  I will make a conscious decision to purchase items with less packaging, so that I don’t have to deal with disposing the packaging.  I will get rid of things I don’t use in my house and donate them, so that someone else can reuse them.  I will look into making my home more energy efficient (which will help me save money too) - like installing low-flow shower heads to use less water, plugging air leaks in doors and windows, replacing old appliances and windows with energy efficient ones, and adjusting my thermostat to use less energy.  I will plan ahead, so that I can get my errands and shopping done all in one trip, rather than wasting time and gas driving back and forth.

Hello!  Thanks again for sharing how you’re green!  Here’s the remix…

Here’s how Shane Davis, a Naturalist/Biologist, is green:

“Attached are a couple of photos of an area 600 acres in size that I planned for an entire year to restore.  It was  a 1.5 mile state park creek that had been re-aligned due to extreme storm water run-off and erosion due to urban development.

This project created a viable, sustainable ecosystem - creating new habitat for wildlife to flourish.  I organized and led a team of 156 volunteers to plant 18,000 trees and shrubs along the creek side to prevent stream bank erosion, cleanse the water and generate new habitat for all wildlife.  This was 3 years ago and I saw it last week for the the first time and it is amazingly teaming with invertebrates and vertebrates of all sorts.  The stream banks are solidly intact and the willow shrubs are now 12 feet tall from planting 6″ cuttings!”

 He also sent us a video - thanks for sharing how you’re green Shane!

Sociology, particularly the role of women and the environment, are some of artist Rachel Piering’s favorite topics to address in her art.   

She shows us her shade of green in the picture to the right (Mother Earth. 2007. Acrylic on canvas, 24 in. X 30 in.). 

Rachel says:

The painting is titled “Mother Earth.” Her body represents life and mimics the colors of a blooming flower. Patterns on her stomach symbolize the planet and her motherly embrace of that which is most important. The gray and black represents our everyday abuse of the environment through intentional and unintentional pollution and neglect. Mother Earth sheds a tear because we are not taking care of her baby. We are only given one chance to make the most of our priceless gift–our home. A change can be made if we acknowledge our responsibility to protect our environment and contain the adverse effects of the damage we’ve done. A little consideration can go a long way….

If you want to see more of Rachel’s work on her website, click here.

Thanks Rachel for sharing how you’re green! 

Show us your shade of green.  Send us a video or photo along with a brief description to yourpics@youmaybegreen.com.  We’ll pick the best ones and feature them on www.YouMayBeGreen.com and our myspace and facebook pages!

To get the ball rolling, Matt from YouMayBeGreen.com would like to share his small, but nevertheless important, recycling achievement with you…

I noticed that my office burned through paper like there was no tomorrow.  Even though I knew some co-workers would give me a hard time, I had to do something.  So, I talked to my boss, had an office meeting, and even presented my ideas before the board of directors for our office building.  As a result, my office and the rest of the building now recycle paper and cardboard waste in a dumpster. 

I am proud to see that the dumpster is full almost all the time.  My building will now recycle approximately 156 cubic yards of paper and cardboard each year which is equivalent to filling 1.5 swimming pools annually! 

In the end, everyone was open to idea of recycling and even thankful for my efforts. Although, some co-workers handy with Photoshop posted this sign on every recycling bin in the office.  Recycle, or else… At least it looks like I’ve been working out.

Zenta says…

I carry my own mug around and reuse it at coffee shops, at work, gas stations, etc. I am reducing waste, saving money, and, I think I am also letting business owners know that their customers care about the environment!

I also always carry an over-sized purse with me… that way, even if I don’t have a canvas shopping bag with me, - I can always stick quick purchases in my own purse and avoid getting a plastic bag.

I save organic kitchen scraps… my tea bags, coffee grinds, vegetable left overs, pasta, egg shells, etc.- and compost in a bin outside. I use it for my garden and soil - keeping it healthy, attracting good bugs, and saving me money from having to buy top soil! Most importantly though, we’re reducing waste.

Since I’ve started, I have realized that my garbage can always has a little room left in it on trash day… something that never really happened before!

Thanks Zenta for sharing how you’re green!

“Green Couple” says…

We’re not very good at actually taking our recycling out the curb, but at least letting our recycling pile up shows how much 2 people can recycle in 2 weeks! 

We bought a double-decker recycling cart from stacksandstacks.com to make it easier to roll our recycling out to the curb.

Thanks for sharing!

Maybe you need to drive an SUV, but buy organic food? Maybe solar panels aren’t in your budget, but you always remember to turn off the lights? Maybe you can’t recycle at work, but do so at home?

We’re not into environmental one-upmanship or being greener than the next guy. We just want to hear your tips, stories, struggles and successes with being green.

We think that bloggers, friends, neighbors, governments, companies, and industries can learn from what you have to say. You might inspire someone else to be a little greener or present a struggle with being green that someone can help with.

So, tell us how you may be green.