My family has been doing our part over the years and going green (slowly). I do not obsess about it, but I do make an effort to make green choices when I can. Like many families we recycle everything possible in our home. We have a blue box for our recyclables, cardboard, cans, glass, plastic and paper. It is sometimes hard to remember a time when we did not recycle, it has just become such a habit to do now. Even when we go out to the mall or park we look for recycle bins instead of trash cans. We have also made some other changes in our home. We have changed our light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs in every room. We installed low flow toilets in the bathroom. We buy organic fruits and vegetables and try to grow our own. And just like every other family in Canada we bring our reusable shopping bags when shopping. We have also made other changes.
These all seem like minor changes towards being green, but every little bit counts towards a better world for tomorrow. Throughout Ontario there are many visible forms of our country leaning towards the green side. All around us are wind turbines harvesting wind power. I personally think it is a beautiful site to see. Just down the road from me is a sunflower field. Acres and acres of sunflowers and in the background, many wind powered turbines.
Lately I have been hearing more and more about rare earths metals being used in electronic devices. Uses are in rechargeable batteries, DVDS, magnets cell phones and more. As you can imagine these elements are extremely important. Many of these can be found in China, Canada, India, Malaysia, Australia, USA, and Brazil.
Since rare earth elements are so rare and in high demand for today’s lifestyle, we need to find more natural resources for these. As well it is important to recycle the ones we already have and use. I never was great at science, but I know this is important. We do not want to live without these devices that contain these metals, do we?
Lastly, we have been walking more and more where we live. We are no where near a public bus system so we either drive or walk. Anything that can be reached by walking is. It is also very healthy and I know I could sure afford to lose a pound or two 🙂
What changes have you made to be more “green”?
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