Are you interested in “going green?” Every time you turn on the television you see something about going green and what government and big business should do to help improve the environment. Every person who makes an effort can make a difference, however small. Some people resist the idea of “going green” because they don’t want to completely change their lifestyle or think it will be too difficult but here’s a few EASY tips to go green.

Just remember the motto: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. It’s as simple as that!

• Reduce your consumption and the amount of trash you discard from your home. When shopping, buy products that have minimal packaging so less trash needs to be recycled or is sent to a landfill. More companies are becoming aware of the excess packaging on the goods we buy and are taking steps to reduce it. Support their efforts! Buy as much locally made products as possible so transportation costs are minimal. And purchase products that will last for a long time so you don’t need to keep replacing them.

• Reuse durable containers and products. If your can’t use them, pass them along to someone who can. If it’s broken see if you can fix it before buying a new one or give/sell it to someone who can. (It’s usually cheaper to repair something than to buy a new one.) Reusing products can be better than recycling because then energy is saved by not having to reprocess it before it can be used again.
• Recycle as much as you can. It isn’t just about taking soda cans to the local grocery store for candy money anymore. Today you can recycle almost anything you can think of. From cars to falling down garages to old furniture, someone wants what you want to get rid of. You can even make some money for yourself while helping the environment by recycling scrap metal. Did you know that your local recycling plant will pay you about $15 for that old dryer or washer you just replaced? And four kitchen size trash bags full of aluminum cans usually equals about $20? Just make sure you save everything you’re recycling and take it in at the same time so your not making multiple trips for $10 – $15. A lot of the big chain grocery stores have bins outside where you can bring back your plastic grocery bags to be recycled. You can even recycle your kitchen wastes and yard clippings by having a compost bin in your yard. If you buy products that are made from recycled materials you are saving the resources that it would take to make a new product.