living green.

After our friend Jess looked over the blog, she asked us "what are the top five things you do to be green?" Ian and I started rattling a few things off, but I realized our list is a good resource to have here.

Please know, the last thing we want is to send you on a guilt trip. These are just the things we've managed to fit in our lives. While reading creation care books, I've felt bad about using a clothes dryer and not composting. But the same situation that prevents us from composting and line drying clothes allows us to live car-less, something green folks in rural areas can't do. Just remember to "reduce, reuse, recycle" (in that order). Live simply: consume less, reuse whenever possible, and then recycle what's left.

Sell the car. We picked our apartment based on proximity to the T, and have a ZipCar membership for when we do need wheels (plus ZipCar offers hybrids).
Walk and bike whenever possible.
Fly only when necessary. We fly home, but use the train/bus for closer destinations.

Choose organic. We use Boston Organics, and go for organic options when we can. We aren't 100% organic because of budget constraints, but 50% is better than 0%.
Shop at Trader Joe's. All TJ label products have no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, genetically modified ingredients, MSG, or trans fats.
Don't pre-boil pasta.
Cook at home from scratch. We're busy, but it's amazing how little time it takes when you plan ahead. Speaking of which...
Meal plan to reduce waste.
Pack a lunch in a reusable container. Leftovers make exciting lunches. And we're slowly replacing our plastic food containers with glass/ceramic options.
Use cloth napkins. And it feels fancy.
Say no to bottled water. Necessary in some instances, but not many. Not at home (use a water filter). Often not while traveling. If it's not safe to drink the local water, refill from larger containers. Bring a water bottle (we have SIGGS). And TSA tip: bring it through security empty, then fill it on the other side.
Bring your own mug. Bonus: you might get a discount. I have a reusable cup sleeve stashed in my purse for when we go to Starbucks on a whim (i.e. without mugs).
Skip the fancy gadgets. Blending a smoothie? Use a blender. Grinding pepper? Step away from the batteries.
Drink organic, fair trade coffee.
Eat more fruits and veggies. Producing plants uses less energy than producing meat.
Support variety — monocultures are bad. Buy heirloom tomatoes and purple carrots.
Include local and seasonal produce in your diet. Enjoy the mango, but toss in local apples too. In season tastes better anyway.
Wash and reuse plastic zip lock bags. We also have cloth versions for things like bringing cereal and sandwiches to work, so we cut down our use even more.
Grow things. We don't have outdoor space, but we do have potted herbs.
Compost. We helped Ian's family start and it's easy outdoors. We haven't identified a good indoor compost system though. Most are expensive machines — handy, but out of our price range right now. Worms might be a good option if we can figure out where to put it (products found thanks to Reject Apathy.)

Shave old-school. Higher upfront costs, but after a year or so you're ahead and create much less waste — just the metal blades. Ian uses a 4:1 ratio of olive oil+castor oil for preshave oil: cheap and natural. (I'm not confident trying this on my legs.)
Skip the antibacterial. Necessary in some situations (the hospital, for example) but in most cases regular soap and water do the job.
Avoid hair products. I air dry my hair and don't use hair products often — I opt for a haircut that allows me to do this without looking like a bag lady.
Use Dr. Bonner's soap, eco-friendly and available in bar and liquid form (I've heard it's also great for cleaning).
Searching for eco-friendly shampoo+conditioner, face care, and makeup that work for me. When I run out of things though, I'm trying homemade mixes from here or here.

Use eco-friendly cleaners. You can do a lot with vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, and hydrogen peroxide. There are also good green cleaner options. (I like Method.)
Lose the disposables. We have a big basket of rags/old towels we use for cleaning. We can wash and reuse until they're worn out.
Swiffer without the Swiffer. I mop with a Swiffer instead of a bucket. Spray eco-friendly cleaner. Swiffer. Done. But instead of disposable Swiffer pads, I use a rag.
Use eco-friendly laundry detergent (I like Method and Mrs. Meyers) with a warm or cold water setting. Vinegar gets odors (and static) out. We ran a load of mildew-y towels with vinegar in place of soap, then again with detergent. They smell like new.
Avoid buying dry-clean only items. (Unless it says "dry clean only" you can probably hand wash it.) For unavoidable drycleaning (like Ian's suits for business meetings) we use a local organic dry cleaner. It's better than regular dry cleaning, but still has bad chemicals. The best options are wet cleaning (highly specialized wash that won't damage) and CO2 (liquefies existing CO2 to use as cleaning agent). Unfortunately those two options aren't accessible for us.
Turn off the dishwasher's heat dry setting, and use time delay to wash overnight. This pulls energy from the grid at off peak hours, and dishes air dry by morning.
Pour boiling water down the drains once a week to prevent buildup. If it does get clogged, try plunging and/or snaking it.

Be a conscientious consumer. Research the companies you support.
Skip plastic as much as possible. Wood, glass, and ceramic look better anyway.
Invest in things that will last. Instead of cheap rainboots that crack every year, I saved up for L.L. Bean Wellies. (But you have to keep it until it finally wears out).
Buy in bulk. I get refills for things like soap and shower spray.
Choose the options with less and/or recyclable packaging. (plastic<cardboard<0)
Use the library — it's a community reuse program.
Fix it, don't toss it. My cookie dough scoop stopped working, but thanks to a pair of pliers it's as good as new.
Use newspaper to wrap gifts.
Carry reusable shopping bags. I'm a big fan of my Envirosax. I can keep a couple in my purse at all times, so I'm never at the grocery store without them.

Invest in rechargeable batteries for items you use often (Wii remotes, anyone?).
Sign up for green energy options. For about $1 a month, our electricity is now 100% wind energy (average family increase is $7). No green options? Suggest it.
Unplug things. Many electric items use power even when off. Our TV (big offender) is plugged into a socket with a switch. We also use power strips with a kill switch.
Use the internet. Online bill pay and online shopping save paper and transportation. (And when it's time to get a new computer, look for one that minimizes electricity use. For example, the MacBook Pro is Energy Star rated and Apple considers the environmental impact of the entire life cycle of the computer. Apple, feel free to send me a new MacBook in exchange for that shameless plug.)

GIVE. When people can't meet their own needs, the environment takes a back burner. How can you worry about saving lions when said lions are eating your only source of income? How can you say no to a job at a chemical plant when your family is starving? Helping disadvantaged communities allows them to choose things that aren't harmful to their own environments (and therefore harmful to themselves). And with that, keep in mind that as a wealthier country, we can afford to outsource our waste. Instead of polluting our air, we pollute someone else's air.

resources we use.
GoodGuide: health + green + social ratings for countless products
A Rocha: Christian environmentalists
Blessed Earth Tip Sheets (thanks Danielle!)
Earth Lab: track your carbon footprint
the Hoosier Homestead
100 Ways to Save the World by Johan Tell
Serve God Save the Planet by J. Matthew Sleeth, M.D.
Green Revolution: Coming Together to Care for Creation by Ben Lowe

Read all our posts about living green.