Go Green - In your Home, Workplace or Career Choice

Posted July 23rd, 2013
By Kris Powers

Green house

The impact we have on the environment and the awareness of the benefits of going green continue to grow - even small changes make a difference!   Implementing “green” into your home and workplace may be easier than you think. And implementing “green” into your career may be even easier! Ed4Career offers a wide variety of courses in the green industry; from becoming an Alternative Energy Specialist to exploring Green Interior Decorating, your next career step might just leave behind a green footprint!

Here are a few easy ways to incorporate green practices into your daily life:

  • When you are not using it; make sure it’s off. This goes for the television, lights, radio, and computer.
     
  • Reuse and recycle.  Check with your city to find out what items are recyclable and how to get them to the curb or pick up location.  Donate items instead of adding them to the landfill.  Many areas have some type of “free cycle” program to advertise items that you want to get rid of.
     
  • Reduce paper waste.  Cancel your newspaper subscription and read the news online, share magazines with friends and neighbors or leave them in doctor’s offices for others to enjoy. Print on two sides of the paper at work and home. Sign up for paperless billing and pay your bills online. The Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS) lets you opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies, to find out more go to www.dmachoice.org,
     
  • Conserve water.  Turn off the water whenever possible while brushing your teeth or washing dishes at the kitchen sink.  Oftentimes, we don’t realize how much water is going down the drain. 
     
  • Adjust your thermostat.  Adjusting your thermostat by one or two degrees while you are home can have a huge impact both on your electric bill and on the environment. 
     
  • Maintain your appliances.  Cleaning the coils under and behind your refrigerator, cleaning the lint trap of your dryer; all of these things help those units to run more efficiently, saving on electricity.
     
  • Use reusable grocery bags and recycle the plastic bags you get from stores.
     
  • Replace household cleaners and detergents with green cleaning products.  There are more and more options available and they are easier to find than ever. You can even make your own!
     
  • If you are building or renovating your living space or your work space, utilize green building principles wherever possible.  Use low VOC paints and furnishings.  Source and incorporate salvaged materials from other projects.  It’s a beautiful and cost effective way to reduce your carbon footprint.  If renovating is out of the question, take steps to upgrade your home to be energy efficient; improve insulation, seal duct work, caulk around windows and doors to reduce air leaks.
     
  • Replace your light bulbs with Light-emitting diodes (LEDs).  They are energy efficient, produce less heat and even last longer than other bulbs.
     
  • Support Green Businesses – or maybe even start your own!

 

Want to learn more or explore a career in sustainable practices?  Please check out these Green Energy Career courses offered by Ed4Career or visit www.Ed4Career.com and explore our complete course catalog today!

 

By Kris Powers | July 23rd 2013

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