10 ways to make a difference starting now.
The environmental movement is picking up pace and the messages from the media and consumer packaging espousing the merits of going green are endless. And there is such an urgency attached to it all! It’s a bit daunting if you ask me.
Truth be told, I was a silent activist in the fight for our earth’s health for years before “being green” meant “being hip.” I was silent because after a few attempts, I learned that play group conversations about recycling and carbon footprints usually left me feeling like an outsider – my friends thought being eco friendly meant wearing Birkenstocks and growing out their leg hair.
But about 4 years ago while watching my daughter play in the yard I felt all of the embarrassment and intimidation that surrounded my silent cause melt away. I still don’t know exactly what it was but it was suddenly certain that my new mission in life was to make a difference for our planet…in thought, in conversation, in deed, and eventually, in style.
Within a week of my revelation, I took my new attitude with me to the local bank and got a small business loan with which I started my company “little bits.” Little Bits manufactures and sells items for babies, parents and kids that all have the common thread of “giving back” in one way or another. Whether a manufacturer uses organic cotton or donates a portion of proceeds to a children’s charity or creates a product to help reduce, re-use or recycle, we’ll find it and sell it either online at www.littlebits.com or in either of our two retail locations.
So my advice to any parent that might be feeling like a failure in the face of the environmental crisis is to inherit this one daily mantra: “The overall betterment of our planet happens not all at once, but bit by bit… Every little bit counts.”
Here are 10 things that you can do to make a difference:
1. Turn off your lights and UNPLUG….even idle electric appliances use electricity.
2. Print less. Reuse the other side of paper you no longer need.
3. Start composting….it’s so easy! Get a bucket and keep your veggie peels, and fruit, shells, nuts, and seeds and collect them throughout the day or week and then just toss them in the same pile in a corner of your yard or garden (this revives the soil and re-deposit’s nutrients needed for growing plants.
4. Lights. Use compact fluorescent bulbs. (Ikea has 2 bulbs for under $6.00 And they last 3X more than an average lightbulb.) The more bulbs you replace the greater your electricity savings will be.
5. Water Heater. Turn down by the setting by two degrees for a significant savings.
6. Home Temperature. Turn thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in summer.
7. Washing Machines. Only do the laundry or run the dishwasher when it's full. This saves water, electricity and washing soap. Hang clothes to dry whenever possible.
8. Recycle goods. Paper, plastic and other recycled products should have their own bin in your garage or home.
9. Showers. Take shorter showers and install low-flow shower heads with built in shut-off valve.
10. Travel by car less. Try to buy the week's groceries in one trip (and don’t forget your own bags!) When you can, carpool, use public transportation, walk/cycle – they are all better than driving.
Remember that you don’t have to do it all…just do your little bit, and make it count.
Monica Rodgers is the founder and CEO of Little Bits by Monica Rodgers, Inc, a pioneer in the children’s goods and parenting accessories markets. Operating under the brand name Little Bits, Mrs. Rodgers has created an award winning retail chain, an innovative product line and a highly trafficked website. A recognized authority in the children’s retail industry, Mrs. Rodgers speaks at parenting conferences and her product line has been featured in the, New York Times, In Style Magazine, Cookie Magazine, Child Magazine and on The Today Show, among others.