Being Green and Not Even Knowing It!

I am always a little bit happier when I fall asleep on Tuesday nights. The reason for this is because as I am turning off the porch light I get to look out and see a street full of green bins, blue bins and grey bins full of recyclable material all waiting for morning pickup!

Seeing all these bins provides me with visual proof that almost everyone, even those neighbours that roll their eyes in disdain when the talk turns to the environment, have at least some green in them.

The next time you make the effort to put something in the recycle bin rather then the garbage give yourself a pat on the back, then ask yourself what other little things can you do to make even more of a difference.

Here are some suggestions:

• rather then just recycling, try reducing or reusing more
• walk, ride or take the transit rather then driving
• 'shop and do' local
• conserve energy by turning off lights; using CFL bulbs; turning down the thermostat
• buy products made from recycled materials

Like putting out the recycling bins, these are all small things that initially might take some conscious effort. But hopefully, over time, they will become as habitual as the Tuesday night trek to the curb!

Here is an interesting piece on the products made from recycled materials: Recycling is Magic

For more information about recycling and waste reduction in Toronto click here.