Mother earth needs a lot of help to save her from further damage. You can do so in your own little way. All you have to do is to think of simple and practical ways to contribute to safeguarding the environment and all of mother earth’s natural resources.

Thinking green and going green is the next best alternative to protect the environment as well as yourself.

One very good way is to save energy. Start with your lights by using more fluorescent bulbs to light up your house. Turn off lights in rooms that are not used. These use less energy and last longer than other standard lights. Always keep your home temperature to a reasonable level to cut down on your electric bills. Remember to unplug and turn off all appliances which are not in use.

Make sure to conserve water by taking short and quick showers. Water plants as needed only; better yet take care of plants that are more natural and which don’t need too much watering. Make a schedule of doing laundry at least twice a week to save on energy and household bills. Reuse your laundry water to clean your pathways, garage and bathroom.

You can also save gas. If you have more than one car, try to go with car pooling. You can choose to walk or bike to work. It saves money and this is a health benefit for you because you get to exercise. Schedule your grocery and shopping trips as much as possible to save on costs and energy.

Practice the art of smart buying and buying right. Think of your needs for a healthy lifestyle rather than your wants. Try to buy more organic foods and eat them as often as possible. These are healthier because they have no harmful chemicals in them. Go for natural foods and home grown organic vegetables. If you have a garden, make your own natural compost and plant native source seeds which are locally grown in your area. You can also encourage others to make a community garden where everyone can help plant more organic vegetables.

Buy furniture made of natural material like bamboo; if you like wood, make sure that it has a logo or sticker that the wood came from sustainable forests – tree used for this product has been replaced by planting another.

Remember to reuse and recycle. Separate plastic containers, plastic bags and other plastic materials and reuse them. Plastic containers can be used as food storage and plastic bags as garbage bags. Old vegetables and other leftovers can be reused to make compost. Boxes can be used to store other things such as clothes, books or shoes. Those materials made from plastic and aluminum can just be put in a bag and dropped off to recycling stations that need them.

Jonathan Pitts

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