Green Summer - Part I

With the departure of the gray, drizzly June gloom comes the arrival of the hot, sunny summer. Between trips to the beach, BBQ's, hot weather, ball games and family vacations, keeping your life green can be a little more daunting than in other seasons. Thankfully, part one of the following green tips can help keep you feeling your greenest! (and maybe even a little less sunburned).

1. Think Light: One of the easiest and most fun ways to lighten your footstep this summer is to head to the local parks, beaches, trails and woods in your area for fun. Doing activities with low environmental impact has many advantages, allowing you to enjoy the nice weather outside away from your home or office, and grants time to relax and enjoy that book that has been on your nightstand for so long.
2. Keep Cool:  In the typical home, the air conditioner uses more electricity than anything else. One way to offset the cost of your air conditioner is to install ceiling fans. Base models can retail for a mere $25 dollars at your local home improvement center, and can cut energy cost--and environmental impact--and make the room feel about 10 degrees cooler.
3. Show Off Your Grill: If you love to BBQ, there is no better time than summer to grill up your favorite protein and veggies, though one good tip to keep in mind is that propane burns much cleaner than charcoal or wood briquettes, and there is much less mess to clean up!
4. Reuse: Use your everyday dinnerware if you can, or purchase fun plastic plates that can be washed and used over and over again at stores like Target, or Pier 1 Imports. If you are unable to use plastic plates, try to use plates that are compostable as opposed to a non-biodegradable material.
5. Buy Local! Check out a previous blog post here to learn where to purchase delicious, organic, healthy fruits and vegetables. Yum!