NEW YORK (ABP)—With all the talk of global warming, environmental degradation and increase in pollution-caused disease, it's easy to get overwhelmed. But experts say changing just a few daily habits can help alleviate some of those problems. And if enough people make those changes, it'll benefit the whole world.
Here are 10 simple things everyone can do to go green—and improve their own quality of life in the process.
1. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. The fluorescent bulbs cost a little more than the conventional ones, but they use only 25 percent of the electricity and last years longer. Found in practically every home store, the fluorescent bulbs are often labeled “Energy Savers” or have the “Energy Star” label.
2. Recycle. Every three months, Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild the nation's entire commercial air fleet, according to the Recycler's Handbook. Recycling re-sources like aluminum, glass and paper saves energy and slows global warming. It also reduces water pollution, acid rain and soil erosion. Churches can get in on the act by setting up corporate recycling bins in offices and parking lots. To find a local recycling center, call 1-800-CLEANUP.
3. Garden with friends or neighbors. Green plants remove carbon dioxide from the air and then release oxygen through photosynthesis. Vegetable and herb gardens provide healthy, inexpensive food, and working on a garden is a great bonding opportunity for families or churches and neighborhoods. Avoid synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. And use homemade mulch or compost.
4. Support local markets and merchants rather than chain stores. Farmers' markets provide the perfect opportunity to support local growers, many of whom produce their wares in environmentally conscious ways. Independently owned stores, too, are firmly rooted in the community, which usually means they carefully protect local resources. Chain stores, on the other hand, have no such stake in local environs.
5. Vote with your money. Support environmentally responsible companies. Buy products with a high recycled content. And fix broken items instead of buying new ones.
6. Winterize your house and car—and help others in your church do the same. Rusty Pritchard of the Evangelical Environmental Network suggests churches help senior citizens caulk and weather-strip all doors and windows. Also check fluid and air levels in cars in order to conserve energy through the winter months.
7. Walk more; drive less. Motor vehicles release a third of all the carbon dioxide in the U.S. and Canada each year. Walking reduces energy consumption, noise pollution and air pollution. It also saves gas money. And residential property values go up when traffic goes down.
8. Use energy-saver appliances, and use them less often. A study by Cambridge University's Institute of Manufacturing found 60 percent of energy associated with clothing comes from washing and drying. Instead, hang clothes on a clothesline. Wait to run dishwashers until they're completely full. Turn off computers and lights when not using them.
9. Open the windows. When possible, allow windows, curtains and blinds to regulate temperature rather than the thermostat. Every degree turned up in the summer and down in the winter can save up to 5 percent in air conditioning and heating costs.
10. Buy green power. According to a recent report by Time magazine, more than 600 utilities in 37 states offer green energy. Visit eere.energy.gov/ greenpower to learn which companies provide the service.
In general, it'll take a transformation of hearts and minds to bring real change, experts say.
Like many people in developed nations, Christians too easily can adopt a culture of commercialism, Pritchard insists.
But people of faith should have a direct—even leading—role in effecting change by living lives of simplicity, contemplation, conservation and compassion.
“How many Christians actually take a Sabbath and rest and don't consume?” he asked.
“We've got to think of ways to slow down and think of things that are eternal, spending more time in God's word and more time in prayer. They help immunize us against … consumerism.”