It’s Kind Of Easy Being Green

Kermit was right.

So today is Earth Day. I think it’s great that there’s a day devoted to taking care of the Earth, though I feel similarly about this “holiday” as I do about Thanksgiving. We only honor it once a year? That’s silly.

I’ll be honest: I’m not the most “green” person in the world. Far from it.

But I do try to be conscious of certain activities I partake in. I don’t really want to make this planet worse. Here are some easy things I do daily that, in my mind, make me an eco-conscious city dweller:

I use a cup at work. I used to go through about a dozen plastic or paper water cups daily at the office. I drink a lot of water. But now I drink it from a pretty pink cup that I reuse every single day.

I also use a reusable water bottle at the gym.

I avoid using plastic bags. I bring my own to the grocery store. This one is easy. Really easy. If you run to the drug store to pick up something small, you don’t need a bag for it. Just throw it in your probably-oversized-anyway purse. I also bring my lunch in a Lululemon bag most days instead of a plastic or paper bag.

I recycle. I love recycling. It means my trash can doesn’t fill up as fast! I recycle the basic things: paper, plastic, cardboard, boys… Just kidding about the last one. Mwahaha.

I turn off the lights. Enrique Iglesias says no to. He obviously hates the Earth. But if I’m not using a light, it’s not on. Simple. Growing up my parents always used to yell at me because I would turn on every light in the house and leave it on whether I was in the room or not. Now that I pay my own electricity bills, I’m much more conscious about this.

I unplug stuff. Like above: If I’m not using it, it’s not plugged in. Saves electricity. Saves money. And this doesn’t just apply to my hair dryer. I unplug my toaster oven, microwave, etc.

I’m starting to think the main reason I try to “go green” is because I want to save money… Whatever motivates you, right?

I’ve gone paperless. I get all of my bills online, including bank statements. I also canceled most of my catalog subscriptions (sorry Victoria’s Secret, you’re gone, but I kept J.Crew).

I walk and take public transportation. I don’t own a car because I live in Manhattan. It still counts. I’m so green…

I don’t do laundry very often. I think this is a good one. Yeah, I should do laundry more often. Yeah, this weekend I went out to buy new underwear instead of doing laundry. But guess what? I single-handedly saved this entire planet by not doing my laundry. So you’re welcome, planet.

I run outside. I don’t know why, but I think this counts. Maybe I’m conserving treadmill energy or something? I ran three miles this morning. It was a brisk 40 degrees outside, but the sun was shining and the running path was filled with happy people and cute dogs.

I stopped toward the end of my run to use a park bench to do 100 tricep dips. A few of you have asked, so to clarify, I don’t do 100 dips without stopping. I would die. Instead I do a set of 40, then rest for a few seconds, followed by a set of 30, 20 and 10. For the first three sets I keep my legs slightly bent, but I challenge myself to straighten my legs in front of me for the final 10 dips. It’s tough!

And, of course, in honor of Earth Day, I wore green today.

Alright, time to do some work then off to the New York City Running Show! Eeeek!

TELL ME: How do you go green? I’d love to learn some new easy ways to be eco-friendly. (Though don’t tell me to start composting. I won’t do it. Easy things, people, easy.)

Ali

Ali

0 Responses

  1. HA! Love the shout out to Enrique!! I just had a flashback to springbreak 2003…. yikes.

    As far as bein’ green – I walk or take the subway to work and I drink out out of a reusable water bottle at work… but that’s more bc I’m poor and don’t have a driver (ha) and dont want to buy bottled water. OH AND! I think we can count not washing our hair every day as being green… less water, no hairdryer. 🙂

  2. an interesting point for any environmentalists out there: if you read Freakonomics, they make the point (and did the research/math), that COWS actually are exponentially worse for the environment (in terms of air pollution) than all of the vehicles in the world combined…..an interesting thought!

  3. Good luck tomorrow at Jack Rabbit! I’m sending lots of positive and “I hope Ali gets picked” vibes your way. 🙂
    Once I’m done with glass jars containing pasta sauce or any kind of nut butter, I scrub/wash them really well and then use them to store other edibles. Also, 90% of the time I wash my dishes manually instead of turning on the dishwasher. I use glass water bottles and most recently, I’m trying to cut plastic out of my life as much as possible. I think it’s the devil’s spawn and has really contributed to so much waste and pollution in modern day society.

  4. you blog…hello saving tons of paper by not using a paper diary. plus we all get to enjoy your daily smiles. so its a win for the earth AND people across the globe.

  5. I am definitely not the greenest person in the world either. My biggest “claim to being green” is drinking from a water bottle. We also use the energy effiencet light bulbs in our condo. They give off less heat.. AND we can run the microwave and have the kitchen lights on at the SAME time!

  6. If I unplugged my toaster and microwave, I’d forget and be convinced that they were broken!

    I definitely use re-usable bags, but canceling catalog subscriptions is a great idea – I get at least 4 from Victoria’s Secret a week!

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about ali

I’m the creator of the Ali on the Run blog and the host of the Ali on the Run Show podcast. I’m also a freelance writer and editor, a race announcer, a runner and marathoner, a mom, and a huge fan of Peanut M&Ms, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (way better than the first one!), and reliving my glory days as a competition dancer in the early 2000s. I’m really happy you’re here.
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