Who died and made Al Gore your landlord anyhow? That’s one way of looking at it. If you hold out long enough, you may yet win everyone back to sanity. Besides, what’s in it for you? You may see no benefit in doing anything differently. Are your half dozen 28 cent light bulbs really hurting anyone? And isn’t it a lot of bother to conserve, recycle, and de-chemical your household? You’ve seen all those people lined up at the funny colored dumpsters in your supermarket parking lot, hefting big bags of who knows what out of their little hybrid cars. What the heck are they doing?

Good question. Maybe they’re saving their grandchildren (and yours) a lot of suffering and hardship. Maybe you could ask yourself for a moment, what’s in it for them?

Can one house make a difference for the whole planet? No, going green in your home would not affect anything much outside your four walls. However, when millions of people do it (and they do) a true impact is being made. Use less, pollute less, recycle raw materials, reduce health risks from chemicals – it all adds up. By doing so we’re blessing ourselves, as well as the future citizens of spaceship Earth.

It’s a big deal but you can bring your part down to size. Here are some “small steps for a man that can become a giant leap for mankind”. Take your own leap. Start with these few easy steps on how to go green in your home.

Things You’ll Need:

* A desire to become a part of the solution.

* A general awareness of what’s nasty & wasteful and what isn’t.

* Four tubs or medium trash bins somewhere out of the way.

* A shopping routine that helps you to gradually go green in your home.

Go green at home by REDUCING WASTE. Check your habits and your home for little ways in which you may be wasteful. Is the tap leaking? Would my toilet still flush okay if I put a couple of bricks in the tank? Are my windows really snug and draft-free? Could I lower the thermostat if I got a space heater for the room I’m in the most? Could I try a cold water detergent? Could I air dry my clothes instead of using the dryer every time? Do I really fill the dishwasher before running it? You get the idea.

Another way to go green at home is to REDUCE CHEMICAL USAGE and its pollution of your body, your house, your city. Use natural hygiene products and cleaning agents as much as possible. Why? Imagine your body as a big sponge, full of water. A lot of water. In fact, about thirteen gallons. Your water (and blood) travels around inside you on a mission, making billions of pickups and deliveries. “Bad things” (impurities & waste) are picked up for disposal outside the body, and “good things” (nutrients & anti-bodies) are delivered to feed and protect your individual cells. However, sometimes our water system delivers more impurities than it picks up for disposal. The result is that nasty, harmful things get stored in our cells and fat. Impurities that ought to go out stay in. They burden our cells, organs, and blood, endangering us far more than we may realize. Often the body is ill-equipped to dispose of the hazards.

Our body’s water system – all 13 gallons of it – becomes poisonous instead of empowering, and well able to damage our blood vessels along its travels. Infection and disease park in our cells from man-made chemicals ingested from food, air, and water. In this age we live in, there is no complete escape, but living wisely helps turn it around.

Pretty much everything is dirty with something or other. Air, water, food, and everyday products threaten to bring your blood into imbalance. Impurities may have a hard time getting picked up for disposal. And whatever does not stay in your insides polluting YOU runs out the drain and into the world at large. And out there, it re-enters the food chain to take another run at you.

One of the best and simplest ways to go green at home is to START RECYCLING. All it takes is a little set-up and the rest is a habit hardly even noticeable in your daily routine. Basically, you need four tubs or kitchen-size trash cans. You can color code them or just write on each one as follows:
PAPER
PLASTICS ( #2 Clear and separate bag for #2 colored. Throw away other plastics.)
GLASS
METAL /ALUMINUM

What you do is simply chuck your trash into the corresponding bin, either as-you-go or just before you toss your general trash in the main dumpster or regular trash can. And if you want to go all the way, you can further subdivide your recyclables into various kinds of glass and other types of plastics (see Resources below for some handy guides for that). Drop off your sorts now and then at any neighborhood recycling center. (Call your city help desk if you don’t know where one is located).

You can also reduce trash at the front end of your consumption. When they ask you, “Paper or plastic?” say neither. Bring your own reusable canvas bags when you go shopping. Canvas bags are a whole lot better ecologically than plastic bags, and 39 times less damaging than paper. What a simple, powerful way to change the world thirty times a week. Even small purchases and take-out food can be carried in your own washable canvas bag.

These guidelines are more or less a starter kit of ideas and actions you can perform to reduce your personal dirty-trail in your body, home, and planet. Read labels when you buy things. Buy organic when possible. Avoid dyes wherever possible. That being said, note that all-natural deodorants and mouthwashes may not cut the mustard! But give them a try anyway.

Now see? That wasn’t nearly as hard as you thought it would be. To go green at home is to join the the solution-revolution. Welcome!