Growers and Grocers

When you talk about “going green,” people sometimes think that it means a huge undertaking. Sure, it can. But the little things mean a lot too, and sometimes it might take starting small to finally catch on. It did for me.

In a recent issue of Vegetarian Times, the authors of Wake Up and Smell the Planet: The Non-Pompous, Non-Preachy Grist Guide to Greening Your Day gave a few suggestions for easy ways to start small:

1. If your car is idling for longer than a minute, in traffic or waiting for that chronically late carpool member, turn the engine off and restart. Karma points: Over nine minutes, an idling car will emit double the pollutants of a car that’s turned off and restarted.
2. Kick off your shoes and shop online. Karma points: Shipping a 10-pound package by overnight air - the most energy-intensive delivery mode - uses 40 percent less fuel than the average round-trip drive to the mall.
3. Wash in cold water. Karma points: Up to 90 percent of the energy used by washers goes toward heating.
4. Attach aerators to all your faucets. (These widely available wire-mesh faucet ends are easy to install, but may need occasional rinsing when clogged.) Karma points: Aerators can cut gallons-per-minute water usage by up to 40 percent.

Photo: Biberta/MorgueFile