Going Green - What does it mean to you?

The phrase "Going Green" gets tossed around a lot these days.  It is especially noticeable in corporate advertising.  Every company wants the public to know that they are doing everything they can to be more green and friendly to the environment.   When I was growing up the popular environmental catch phrase was "Reuse, Reduce, Recycle."  It baffles me when I hear the word "recycle" being used where one of the other two words would be more appropriate.  A lot of people say they are going to recycle their grocery bags by repurposing them as trash bags or disposing of pet waste.   It's not recycling if it winds up in the trash. That drives me crazy!

Going green for me means more than just a display of affection for the planet - more than just showing off. I think about the big picture and look for ways to make improvements one small change at a time. It's not enough to make sporadic gestures. Habits make a bigger impact due to repetition.

One habit I work hard to keep going is using reusable bags when I buy groceries. The hardest part about that habit was starting it. It felt weird to carry a bag into the store and even weirder to stop the checker or bagger to switch bags. I had previously tried requesting paper bags, but I found I was no more likely to reuse those than plastic bags. Week after week of putting both kinds of bags into the recycle bin, I realized I had to do something differently. The reusable bags are a dollar and are very sturdy and easy to carry. Not only can the bags be reused, but they also hold a lot of food.

Reusable grocery bags are a small contribution to protecting the planet and also affordable. Going green often gets confused for impractical because of the expense of recycling and redesigning products. It's easy to go green and save money at the same time. Don't worry if you try to start this habit and find you forget the bags 90% of the time you get to the checkout. Start slow: buy one bag and use regular bags for what doesn't fit. Over time, if you remember to keep bring the bag and still need more bags, get one more. Rinse repeat. I have 2 bags that I use at Kroger. When I bought the second bag, I went through another forgetful phase before remembering to take them on every grocery trip.

The best thing you can do to go green is to keep going. Once you establish a green habit, you'll find it easy to create another one.