Guy Goes Green

Wannabe green guy going green

Archive for December, 2009

There is no such thing as being green

December 31st, 2009

I want to step away from this week’s green challenge for today and talk about the title of my blog and what it means to me. I chose the name Guy Goes Green because it seemed catchy, relevant and descriptive. It also implied that at some point I will become green, like there is some sort of goal. One thing I am learning is that at no point will I magically be green. There is no destination, only the journey. Guy Goes Green is not just a title to a blog, but hopefully a mantra for the rest of my life.

There will always be people that are greener than me and there will always be things I can suggest to other people. There will never be a blog named Guy Gone Green(at least by me) and I hope I never sound pretentious to those doing the best they can. I will always be going green.

So, I appreciate your visit to my little corner of the blogosphere and am always interested in learning your point of view. This blog has been teaching me quite a bit about myself, bringing me closer to my wife and inspiring me to change for the better. I am a work in progress and I think I am getting greener by the day. Let me know what you think in the comments area below.

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Posted in General Green

Tags: green

Method Hand Soap Review

December 30th, 2009

I really hate throwing away so much garbage just by purchasing products we use every day. Now, even more things are being individually packaged for our convenience. This packaging is taking over our landfills. I seek to find products and companies that reduce their packaging and reduces our waste in the end.

I did find one company in the home cleaning aisle of Target. Method, creates formulas that are biodegradable and derived from natural materials. They are also a very green company because their packaging is made from the most readily recyclable materials. They also offset any CO2 emissions with carbon credits. Their products are never tested on animals, which is something is very important to me when I search for products.

I really love the scent of the lavender one that I purchased. I purchased this product specifically because right next to it in the store was the refills that you would purchase. This cuts out the need to purchase another pump and a reduces the amount of garbage thrown away and plastic products that are manufactured. If you have any other comments about cleaners have reduced their packing leave it in the comments section below.

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Posted in Ashley's Posts, Green Products, Week 11 End Packaging, Week 9 Green Cleaners

Tags: green cleaners packaging waste reduction

Packaging sucks. Avoid packaging.

December 29th, 2009

When given a new green challenge by Ashley, I have found it a useful exercise to examine why following the given task is a good idea. This week’s green challenge is to reduce the amount of packaging I use and try to eliminate as much packaging as possible. To eliminate packaging completely is pretty much impossible, but it is certainly a worthwhile endeavor to use as little packaging as possible.

In a previous week, and with the help of our NatureMill composter, we worked to reduce the amount of food waste we produce. Besides the food that cannot be used or composted, what else is there that goes into the garbage? Some people put diapers in the garbage. Most of us have paper waste, but hopefully we are trying to recycle what we can. What is left? Packaging.

A good chunk of the packaging in our landfills is Styrofoam. 25% of our landfills are made up of Styrofoam. I am sure part of this 25% is Styrofoam coffee cups (which could generally be avoided), but part of this is the packaging that we send and receive. Everything from the Styrofoam eggshells to molded Styrofoam packaging goes straight into the garbage. This material cannot be disposed of in an eco-friendly way (that I am aware of) and should be avoided.

Besides Styrofoam, which I am learning to be evil, there are other reasons to avoid as much packaging as possible. If Styrofoam takes up 25% of the landfill, I wonder what the percentage is for all packaging waste. Even if you buy a product that uses recycled packaging and you recycle it yourself, it still takes resources to recover that material. Somebody needs to pick up the item in a carbon emitting vehicle, go through an industrial (and likely carbon emitting) process to change the item into whatever, then turn around and transport the item back out to the public. A recycled product is a way BETTER way to consume, but avoiding the waste packaging product altogether is BEST for the environment.

Avoiding packaging will always be better for the environment. I already have some ideas on great ways that we can avoid packaging further and sure I will have a list coming up in the near future. Please let me know any information you have or what you do to reduce your packaging waste in the comments area below.