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As Kermit the Frog once said, “It’s not easy being green!” You might think you’re being eco-friendly because you drive an electric car or recycle all your trash, but there’s more to it than that. True, the electric car emits no pollution, but what about the plant that provides the electricity that charges the battery? Does recycling really help the planet when the trees used to make paper products were only planted to meet growing demand? Here are four easy ways to gauge your level of environmental commitment.
Are You Using Water Wisely?
Most of us take our water for granted – even here in Key West where we bring every drop from the mainland – but the truth is that only about 3% of the world’s water is suitable for drinking. To conserve water resources and leave a smaller carbon footprint, only use your washer when you have a full load and use the coldest setting available. If everyone in the country did so for a year, it would be the same as taking over three million cars off the road!
Are You Choosing Eco-Friendly Electrical Supplies?
We normally don’t think too much about how we light our homes, but switching to CFLs (compact fluorescent lighting) can make a tremendous difference. A 25 watt CFL emits light comparable to a 75 watt conventional bulb while using just 1/3 the energy and lasting ten times longer. If you switch just five of your bulbs, you’ll save almost four hundred dollars over their lifetime. If everyone in the US did it, it would be equivalent to taking almost five million cars off our roads.
Are You Driving Reasonably?
It’s certainly tempting to see if our cars live up to the manufacturers’ horsepower claims, but adhering to the speed limit is both lawful and great for the environment. Driving the speed limit can boost your car’s fuel economy by over 15% (putting less CO2 into the air), and it can save you hundreds of dollars per year in fuel costs. If we all did it, it would be like taking over 28 million cars off the road for a year! Of course, if you live in Key West, you don’t have much opportunity to drive above the speed limit unless you leave “the Rock” to head up the Florida Keys. But local “greenies” tend to use a bike or trike to get around – or walk wherever possible. It’s not just great for our environment, it’s great for your health, as well.
Are You Taking Care of Your Trash?
Yes, recycling is great for the environment, but you can take it further than that. By composting just one-fifth of your garbage, you’ll lower the amount of fuel needed to haul it off. Composting biodegradable stuff like food scraps keeps them out of the landfill where they’d release harmful greenhouse gases. Composting your trash for one year will put 800+ fewer pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere, and if everyone did it, it would be like having almost eight million fewer cars on the road.
Are you a Bag Lady — or Gent?
Some of our local stores, such as Fausto’s, have stopped offering plastic shopping bags, and we applaud that. But even paper bags are unnecessary and just end up in a landfill. Canvas and net bags are a terrific alternative. It’s just a matter of getting into the habit of carrying them to the store. Some folks seem to think that reusable bags have a higher carbon footprint than you might think. That controversy aside, there is no argument about how bad it is when plastic bags find their way into our ocean. Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for their natural food – jellyfish, and ingesting plastic usually results in death of this endangered species.
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Team Ocean rescued a Green Sea Turtle off Key West foundering on the surface and unable to dive. The Turtle Hospital in Marathon removed all this plastic from its stomach after it died. Birds also unwitting swallow and can die from our plastic refuse.
Thanks for all the ways you are “Green!” Every bit of effort helps keep Key West sustainable!
Image Sources – Creative Commons License:
Kermit.
Plastic From TEAMOcean.