Being Eco-freindly

I'm sure you've heard the terms a lot - "eco-friendly", "environmentally conscious", etc...but what do they mean, exactly? As I understand it, an "eco-friendly" lifestyle revolves around practices that reduce harm to the environment. Sounds simple, but how easy is it to practice in your daily life?

At the ECOvention office, I started skimming through Go Green, Live Rich by David Bach. I was struck by Bach's statement that “the truth is, many of our daily actions and behaviors add green house gases to the atmosphere, and it’s not entirely our fault.” It was an encouraging statement because I personally don’t like causing damage to the environment, but the more I inform myself the more I can reduce my impact on the world around me.

One may wonder, "Well, what can I do to limit or decrease the negative affect I’m having on the planet Earth?". Unfortunately, I can’t answer that question for you - I’m still learning myself. And that's part of what my internship here at ECOvention is all about.

I do little things that I think help the environment, but I know there’s more to be done. For one, in my household, we recycle. It's been a part of my weekly routine since the spring of 2005, partly because it’s a tenant requirement, but also because I enjoy it and it makes me feel like I'm doing a good thing for the planet. Another thing I do is fully wash the dishes before rinsing them off, instead of running the water the whole time. I'm not sure how much this helps, but in my mind I’m saving water. See? Not much, but I try.

The environment has never been a big concern in my surroundings, though in school I was given little tips. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth, turn off the lights when you leave a room, and refrain from littering. I’ve tried to keep these ideas in mind, but sometimes I can’t help but feel like I’m going out of my way to help the cause.

Something most people take part in is eating pizza. I don’t think I personally know anyone who doesn’t enjoy pizza! (I know lactose intolerant people who devour it!) But what happens when you’re done with the box? (You may already know about the Green Box, if so I’ll just refresh your memory.) Pizza boxes don’t fit in most household garbage cans and storing leftovers adds more hassle to the process. The Green Box can help solve this problem. Though our pizza box is shaped like a traditional pizza box, the top comes off and breaks into four plates. When you’re done eating you can store your leftovers in the bottom piece of the box, which folds into a convenient container that can easily fit in your fridge or garbage at a later date.

Now, how does this help the environment? The plates decrease the chances of there being dishes to wash, the bottom provides storage without wasteful wrapping, and the box is also made from 100% recycled materials. And if you’re even more interested in saving waste, you can use the box as compost!

The Green Box is ideal because households across the country eat pizza. So why not enjoy the meal and package your food and garbage more conveniently while still helping the environment? Imagine if individuals could automatically help save the environment? Well it is possible with the Green Box.

Like I said, I’m still learning how to be more eco-friendly while convincing others to do the same. ECOvention is trying to make that happen! I hope I can help!

- The GreenBox Intern 2.0