I was never exactly one to follow trends because they were “in”; you can confirm with my awesome coworker though. I’m sure she won’t deny our strike against the trendy jackets in junior high. Where most girls were sporting those puffy jackets that looked semi-ridiculous in sunny Orange County, we were blatantly sporting neon colored jackets that blinded our classmates.
Aside from sporting blinding attire, we didn’t make much of a statement. Today, I am succumbing to the current global trend of “going green,” and hope many of you will join me. Although I most certainly am not the Queen of the Environmentalists, Mother Earth sort of is and Mother’s Day is coming up. I’m not asking for anyone to turn the litter bug switch off cold turkey.
Baby steps.
Below, I have prepared 4 tips for incorporating environmental consciousness into your everyday life:
1. Single-stream Recycling
- A system that allows all approved recyclable materials to be combined in one container
- Contact your local public works dept. to express interest in such a program
2. Upcycling
- Recycling on a larger schedule buy putting items in your household that you no longer use, to a different use (i.e. old sweaters into pillow covers)
- Hey! My little sister turned an old sweatshirt into a lounging skirt. She still uses it for “laundry days” years later & we cannot get her out of it!
3. Reduced Packaging
- Try supporting companies and brands that only use environmentally friendly packaging
4. Efficient Lighting
- Saver Tip: replace incandescent bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) [my father is an electrician, who would’ve thought his rants would come in handy? 
]
- Turn off lights in your home (or anywhere else) when they are not in use [turning lights off has become my OCD—it’s crazy!]
Just an FYI: MyPaperShop also offers environmentally party collections now: American Flag, Easter Melody, & Green Garden.
