If you are not already as green as you can be or green as you want to be then now is the time to Start off the New Year Greener.

We talk often about going green, being more green, and using green options. But, we realized that not everyone knows what this means. Nor does everyone know how to start going or how to live green. That term sounds odd but it is the most recognized term used for sustainable living so we will go with it.

Here on the farm, we are always trying to be more careful with the resources that we have so that we do not go without what we need.

We’re not “tree huggers’ but it is important to preserve and protect the world of which you are a part.

You know that old saying, “waste not, want not”. Those words are still very true.

There is so much information “out there” about the concepts of green, sustainable, renewable, safe alternatives, self-reliant, off-grid, and others.

Some of this information is good, clear, and useful. But some information can be confusing, daunting, or even plain wrong. We want to help you Start Off the New Year Greener with some basic information.

When we started writing this talk, it was going to be a quick, simple listing of things for people to think about. We wanted to give some good info in a short, simple format. You know something to be a quick read with great info. That is not what happened with this talk. As we went through what we felt we needed to include, this short talk took on a life of its own and turned into a monster.

As if everyone has time to read a couple of dozen pages in one setting. So to keep this as short and simple as possible, we have split this talk up into a series. We hope splitting it up into several shorter talks will keep you interested but still give you all the info. Please stay around for all the talks in this series, we promise it will be worth it.

Start Off the New Year Greener may sound like a long, tedious, frustrating process but it does not have to be. There are many small and simple things you can do to start yourself down the “green path”.

Let’s start with some ways you can be more green or get going green. Here is an overview of this series and the info that we will be sharing with you along the way.

Part 1

Intro

and

1. Recycling

10 Reasons to recycle

Part 2

2. Reducing your carbon footprint

Carbon Foot Print explained

ways to reduce your carbon footprint

Part 3

3. Going solar

How solar works

Solar facts

Net metering explained

Part 4

4. Use sustainable resources (more info)

what are the sustainable resources

Why using sustainable resources matters

5. Renewable energies

Advantages of Renewable Energies

Types of Renewable Energies

Part 5

6. Reuse what you have

7. Reduce your usage and waste

8. Teaching kids about sustainable living

So let’s start with

10 Reasons to Recycle

Recycling can help the environment in many ways. Thankfully, the world is catching on. Americans generate on average almost 5 pounds of trash per day. When you think about that it is a massive amount of trash that has to go somewhere. It is either going to go into landfills, and oceans, or it can be put to good use and recycled.

10 Reasons you should Recycle

1. It affects everyone: The amount of garbage in the world affects everyone. Landfills create problems with pollution, bad smells, and dangerous gasses and can promote disease. There isn’t one person on the planet that is not affected by the huge amount of trash and waste created on a daily basis.

2. Conserves natural resources: When you recycle something you automatically save natural resources because it’s one less thing that must be created from a limited natural resource. For example: Using reusable plastic is better than using disposable packaging. Using reusable glass to store food in is better than using any kind of plastic. As all plastics are made using fossil fuels.

3. Reduces carbon footprints: Recycling is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Imagine if you purchased most of your clothing and furniture used how much less trash and pollution would be put into the environment in the form of materials and chemicals used in the manufacturing process.

4. Saves energy: Whenever you buy used or send your plastics to be recycled you save energy. The reason you save energy is that when you buy used you prevent that item from being made all over again. When you send your plastic to be turned into something new that also prevents another tree from being killed to make things like more packaging.

5. Reduces waste: Recycling is a good way to prevent waste from being stored in landfills. If most things you use can be turned into something else there will be a lot less stuff that winds up in the ocean killing the life there. Or in landfills taking up space and causing environmental issues.

6. Improves property value: The fewer landfills there are the fewer people who live near them. No one wants to live near a landfill so when a landfill pops up the nearby property values go down.

7. Every little bit helps: Sometimes people say they don’t bother recycling because when they look around at what everyone else is doing they don’t know how they can help. But the truth is, every little bit helps. One person can make a huge difference by demonstrating good stewardship of the environment.

8. Creates new jobs: Many jobs stem from recycling as well as using sustainable and renewable energy practices. According to Ecocycle.org if Americans would recycle at a rate of 75 percent it would create more than 1 million more permanent, well-paying jobs.

9. Saves money: When you invest time in recycling and reusing you will automatically save money. In some states that are more favorable to recycling, you can actually earn an extra income from your efforts.

10. Encourages technological innovations: As people interested in recycling try to figure out sustainable and eco-friendly ways to reuse the trash we make technological advancements increase in amazing ways.

These are, of course, not the only ways to recycle, there are many other more specific ways. And there are new technologies being discovered all the time. But this is a place to start, some things to think about, and small ways that you can Start the New Year Greener.

We hope this Start the New Year Greener: part 1 has been helpful to you and that you will stick around for the rest of the series. Start Off the New Year Greener part two will be coming to you next week so please check back with us then.

Thank you for visiting and please come again for another edition of Out Standing in the Field.