Recent Green Weeks:
September 5:
Cook More Efficiently
August 29:
Use Cold Water for Laundry
August 22:
Find New Uses for Old Phones
August 8:
"Bee" Kind to Pollinators: Limit or Avoid Pesticide Use
August 1:
Reduce Waste: End Junk Mail!
July 25:
Encourage Pollination: Help Bees!
July 18:
Use Less Oil: Walk or Bike at Least Once this Week Instead of Driving
July 11:
Water Lawns and Outdoor Plants in the Morning or Evening Only
July 4:
Practice Safe Souvenir Buying
June 20:
Reuse Paper Scraps
June 13:
Safely Dispose of Hazardous Wastes
June 6:
Give New Life to Old Stuff
May 30:
Make Your Own Non-Toxic Cleaners
May 23:
Find Ways to Consume Less
May 16:
Reuse your food scraps and yard waste: make compost!
May 9:
Make Sure Your Seafood's Sustainable
May 2:
Use a Low Flow Showerhead
April 25:
Reduce Weight in your Vehicle
April 18:
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
April 11:
Switch to Fluorescent Bulbs
April 4:
Buy in Bulk
March 28:
Unplug Your Appliances When They're Not in Use!
March 21:
Turn Off Your Engine Instead of Idling Your Car
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Find Ways to Consume Less
What to do:
"We won't save the planet by consuming differently: We need to learn how to consume less."
—Maurie Cohen, New Jersey Institute of Technology
(As stated on Slate.com)
To put a complex issue simply, find ways to consume less resources. For practical ideas on how to achieve this rather nebulous goal, try reading Slate.com's article Earth Day Edicts , which summarizes a Journal of Industrial Ecology's article on how truly to live sustainability. And stay tuned for more specific ideas from One Green a Week!
Why it Helps the Earth:
The idea behind consuming less is both simple and fundamental. Time Magazine and CNN's Global Warming Survival Guide
touts consuming less not just as a lifestyle choice, but also as the most direct way to help the earth. Reduce consumption, and you reduce the use of
energy and many other resources.
What the Research Says:
As mentioned above, Slate.com's article Earth Day Edicts
provides a readily understandable summary of a recent issue of the
Journal of Industrial Ecology's devoted to researching sustainability. Within the journal, the article
The Impacts of Household Consumption and Options for Change the authors cite
"reducing consumption volumes while maintaining quality of life" as a key strategy to making our consumption more sustainable.
Why it Helps You:
You can find any of a number of benefits in consuming less: saving money, reducing clutter, finding more time,
clarifying priorities, doing the right thing...
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Last Revision: July 6, 2010