Guest blogger: my lovely friend Olivia McDaniel
I’m no hippy – I eat meat, I shave my armpits, and I wear shoes. But at the same time, I consider myself to be quite the environmental enthusiast. I think there’s a middle ground somewhere between tree-hugging flower child and hummer-driving polar bear killer. I think you can be a normal human being and still be conscious and responsible for what you do and how your actions affect the planet and its inhabitants.
So I’m always looking for ways to bring a little bit of happy hippy into my working-girl lifestyle, trying to convince myself that an eco-friendly existence is not so far out of reach for the average American who still likes to drive a car and have pretty things.
I saw an ad on one of my favorite websites, treehugger.com, for the Method line of home products… I was aware of Method Home’s products but had no idea that they were environmentally friendly until I visited their website. To my very happy surprise, they are completely “clean” – no harsh chemicals or toxins, no animal testing, and recyclable packaging. On top of that, the products are not outrageously expensive, much more affordable than some twenty dollar jugs of laundry detergent I can think of… and they have everything, from all-purpose cleaners and wipes to body lotion and hand soap.
But what really tickled me pink was the fact that their products are perfectly lovely; fresh, clean, and modern, with pretty bottles designed by a real designer and thought put into every last detail. And the same goes for the website, which is attractive, thoughtful, informative, and incredibly clever – bordering on hilarious really.
So go to the website, learn how easy, rewarding, and affordable it is to incorporate earth-friendly products into your busy corporate life, and who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired to switch to a pollution-free energy plan… or better yet, buy a stylish new hybrid and feel good about your drive to work every morning!
I agree with everything…too bad not everyone thinks about not going to the grocery store three times a week… and carpooling more…and recycling in their own homes as much they can, ya know? Maybe little by little, the U.S. will get better. Maybe one day they’ll end up recycling like Europe, where everyone has individual trashcans for glass, paper, plastic and natural trash. Hopefully!
P.S. I consider myself a treehugger and proud of it!:o)
Another interesting enviromental saavy thing I just learned, as I was getting ready to move, is we have a choice of enviromental friendly electricity. I recently signed up for Green Mountain Energy company to be my electrical provider at my apartment. We may not recycle in Lewisville but at least I can use clean energy. Don’t forget to unplug those appliances! :-)
This is a great article. It is a shame recycling and other enviromentally friendly actions have not become more popular as they are becoming more convenient and accessible every day. You are right, I think there is a strong middle ground between being a tree hugging flaming liberal, and not caring at all about the environment. I think this group needs some sort of catchy name to help further along the trend of middle of the roaders…
yum, these products look delicious! i’m surprised at the other comments that the US doesn’t have separate recycling bins etc. i don’t know why but i thought that was just a given anywhere in the world these days! i think you are right about the happy medium though- there’s definitely little ways to save everywhere, and still go shopping! :)
constance – kudos on the green mountain energy switch! my husband and i just switched to our current company’s pollution-free plan and it was such an easy thing to do. i did want to let you know that there is a recycling plan in lewisville…
if you are a homeowner, the service is paid for already in the form of a fee on your water bill: City of Lewisville Recycling. If, like me, you rent an apartment, it’s not as easy but it’s definitely not hard. i separate out my recycling and take it to the public recycling receptacle (read: dumpster) that is located at lewisville firehouse #5 – kind of behind the super target on hebron.
it feels really great to recycle when you realize how much recyclable waste you produce on a weekly or daily basis!
I’ve found that now that I recycle on a regular basis, I actually throw away a lot less trash. I have two big trash bins and only one recycle bin, and I am starting to think it should be the other way around! Yay for recycling! Another great way to conserve electricity is to use an energy saving power strip to plug in all your appliances in the effort to reduce idle current. Just turn the switch off when you aren’t using the appliances!