To quote one of my favorite characters from my childhood, “It’s not easy being green.”  In both personal and home life, it is quite often much easier not to be green.  Driving to the office, it takes less time to stop and purchase a coffee than it takes to brew a pot and fill a travel coffee mug.  Cleaning a spill off the floor, it is simpler to grab a handful of paper towels than it is to use a washcloth, which will need to be rinsed several times.  However, being green isn’t about what is easiest.

Last Friday was Earth Day, a holiday that has been celebrated for forty-one years.  Quite often, most of us are reminded of this day through a memo at work, a child’s activity at school, or a billboard on the side of the road.  And, a decent percentage of those who are aware make changes to their activities that day:  turning off lights when leaving rooms, using their travel mug for the day, or placing an empty soda can in a recycling bin instead of the trash.

However, being green should be more than a once per year event.  I know it’s not easy, but even little measures will make a difference.  In my home, we have switched from paper napkins to cloth napkins.  No, that effort alone won’t save a forest, but it is a start.  Plus, seeing the cloth napkins helps to make us mindful of other disposable items we use and that we should not be wasteful.

There are many ways to start being green.  One great way is drying your clothes on a clothesline.  With the arrival of warm, spring weather, why not head outside when doing those indoor chores?  Another way to add a little green-ness to your life is to plant a garden.  Not only will you have fresh produce, you also will eliminate the need to travel to the store to buy fruits and veggies.  If you don’t get these items at the store, you won’t use (and throw out) those plastic produce bags, making this beneficial for multiple reasons.

Yes, Kermit was right.  It may not be easy, but it is worth the effort to try and be green.  If I haven’t convinced you, maybe this article will help steer you in that direction.