Guy Goes Green

Wannabe green guy going green

Posts Tagged ‘green guy’

Going green for beginners – what you need to know before you start

November 15th, 2009

I started GuyGoesGreen just over 4 weeks ago and although I am still very wet behind the ears, I have jumped into this adventure head first and think I can impart a few nuggets of advice for anybody just starting to go green or thinking about going green. Here they are:

You can make a real difference TODAY without much effort – Like I said, I have only been at this for a few weeks, but I have already calculated I will conserve hundreds of thousands of gallons of water over my lifetime just by slightly changing my bathing habits. I will save a few trees just by taking a few hours to get myself off of junk mail lists. There are very real and very easy things you can do today that can make a difference. Examples here and here.
Do what is comfortable for you – I am quickly learning that there is an infinite number of ways to go green and although I do think it is good to push yourself, I also think it is ok to draw lines as to what is comfortable for you. One person was telling me how I should collect water outside to flush my toilet with and I just don’t see that happening. Do you remember when Sheryl Crow suggested that people use just one square of TP? Believe me, that will not happen and nobody around me wants that either. Someday, who knows… but today I am not comfortable using one square.
There is always someone who is greener – There will always be someone out there who is greener or more environmentally conscious. That is ok. Sometimes people may try and tell you that you are not doing enough. Listen to the advice, because some green initiatives might be more greenwash than real, but don’t let people poopoo on the work you are trying to do. There are always people that are greener than that person also. On the flipside, if you ever start helping other people with going green, respect the efforts others take.
Have fun with it! - Yes, there is a very serious side behind this and inaction as a world will have some very bad consequences… but your changes can be fun. I have started this blog and not only do I get to “go green”, I get to do a bit of writing and also am spending time doing something special with my wife!

These are just a few tips to get you started. Overall, thus far, I have found the people in the green community to be great. Let me know in the comments area below if you have suggestions or questions.

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Posted in General Green

Tags: global warming going green green green guy recycle

Going green and stopping food waste seems easy to me

November 12th, 2009

We are a bit over half way done with this week’s green task of reducing food waste. The biggest thing I realized is how little I can throw away if I just am a little bit more conscientious about what gets tossed in the garbage. So far, this week I have learned quite a bit about food waste and also am in the process of taking steps that will help us reduce waste in the future. I feel that I am on my way to becoming a real green guy.

As I previously posted, American’s throw away 96 Billion pounds of good food every year. This is enough to feed all of this country’s hungry children several times over. I might be wrong, but I do not think the USA has a monopoly on waste. I suspect that much of the western world acts in a similar manner, but surely would be interested in hearing about any green programs in your country.

I have started to go through some our cupboards and have found a few cans of ‘expired’ food that I will need to get rid of. Although I am new to going green, I am not new to being frugal. When I used to find a deal, I would buy in bulk. Now that I am eating 100% healthier, these products no longer pass through my lips. There is too much junk in much of the canned/bagged food. This will all be eaten, composted or donated and I hope this exodus of junk food will be the last.

I have been finding some information about Food Waste Recovery, but I am still not quite sure how this works in my hometown of Fargo, ND. I know that there are food drives and several opportunities to give food to the shelters, but I wonder if there are any programs set up to recover this wasted food. I think I will look into that!

I guess a big part of this task is to not let it get to the point where I need to get rid of food. Ideally, we will buy or grow what we need, eat in a manner that is not wasteful and compost what is left. I guess the goal is to have zero waste. I realized that as far as food product goes, we have only thrown away 1 orange peel and 2 banana peels this week. I am going to change this though and the only reason I threw these items is because I was at work and did not think about it. I hope Ashley cuts me some slack on that… I am just a guy. J We have taken some junk mail scraps, hung it on the fridge and made a list of items that are close to expiring.

All other food either ended up in our bellies, in one of our critter’s belly or in the compost. During the summer, we bring our compost to the city compost. During the winter, we run our Nature Mill composter. Overall, it is turning out to be a very productive week and it feels nice to know that we were already fairly good at not wasting food.