Do you have to be rich to be environmentally friendly?

number one on my list of ways to be environmentally friends is to use the humble pushbike as your primary mode of transport. You can put up to 2 children on with the proper accessories (I have just one son so I haven't tested this out!). If people car pooled more, there would be less traffic, faster journeys and less harm to Mother Earth. I don't think that one needs to be rich to be more environmentally friends, in many ways it might seem easier for rich people as a lot of so called environmentally friendlier products are more expensive, but really I think that if people chose products that were less packaged and more locally produced the same effect would be had.

There are a lot of ways that every person on earth can conserve energy and save resources. Every person can re-use items at home and find new uses for old items. Simple things like re-using bread bags when you need a plastic bag or re-using the paper bag that the Chinese take-out comes in are 2 examples. We can all switch to energy saving light bulbs and turn the lights out when we are not in a room. Most people could get used to keeping their houses even 1 degree cooler in the winter and 1 degree warmer in the summer. Public transportation and car-pooling are great if they are available; if not, we should try to consolidate our shopping trips and do things on the way home from work or wait until we have several stops to make and do it all at one time. Of course recycling is a great help if it is available in your area; if not, you can sometimes take things like newspapers to a paper drive which will recycle it. Everybody should be aware of ways that they can help to conserve energy. If we all sit around and wait until somebody else does it, we may run out of time and resources.

There are also many ways an ordinary citizen can show care for the environment. Proper care in garbage disposal like segregating the bio-degradable ones from the non-degradable which are recyclable. Help in maintaining our rivers and waterways clean. Support government efforts to help and maintain our air clean like proper maintenance of our vehicles to keep smoke emission low and avoid burning of garbage that emits hazardous smoke among the few.

tell me about it..the nex tthing after that is to do the permaculture thing..use as much second hand and recycled products as possible..not buy too many new things..for the poorer dudes..that's an option i guess..what do you think? economy lightbulbs is another thing..good insulation in the home is another..cos you conserve and use less energy..some pointers..hope this helps..

the only thing that most people can afford in helping the environment is having the public transport... and some in the agricultural areas, growing their own greenhouses. however, in our little way, we can do something too. like making use of the vegetable discards as fertilizers; not buying pesticides that are harmful to the ozone layer and just use herbal materials to ward off insects; recycling our old things at home and re-use them again in a different way so as to minimize our spending and buying unnecessary things at home, thereby minimizing the garbage; putting up garage sales so as to have others use our things that we do not use so much, and earn from them (ebay is here!); hmmm let me think of others things!!

It is not necessary is that we should be rich to be enviounment friendly. If we want to save our enviounment we can do it in any condition. Being motivated to use recycled product and avoiding plastic don't need much money. Rather sometimes being extra money is bad as each one having own vehicle use his/her own vehicle. People may use to share if they have to go to same destination. It will save their fuel cost as well as reduce pollution.

You don't have to be rich. Walk first, bike second, drive third. Recycle, refill and don't waste. Use cloth insted of paper towel. Start your own organic garden.

It is not neccessary to be rich to be environmentally friendly. We can be environmentally friendly by taking small measures also. To become environmentally friendly, we can do the following: 1. Plant 10 plants when one tree is cut. 2. If you have to buy few things from nearby shop, go there by walk instead of using vehicle. 3. Do not burn plastic bags as well as avoid burning garbage. 4. Refill plastic water bottles & reuse them. 5. Give papers (especially newspapers) to recycle instead of throwing them in garbage.

I believe that you need a strong motivation than money to be environmentally friendly. You can do lots of things wothout cost u anything. Don't cut trees which are in your back yeard or surounding just in shake of getting little free space. Where you can go by walk never drive there. And also using public transport does not cost you more than drive your own car. Always try to save energy and water. That will save you money with the environment. Use less plastic bags as much as you can. You can use your plastic bag what you get when shopping as trash bag for your trash can. It is kind of recycling.

I guess everyone can pay energy saving ligthbulbs. You could decide not to use a spin dryer but hang out your washing. And what about doing the dishes once a day? That saves in using washing up liquid. Use empty margarine tubs for deepfreezing your food. Eat only food that grows in that particular season. You don't want to eat frsh strawberries in winter. If possible use public transport but try to cycle or walk as well.

No I don't think so every individual from different walks of life can be enviromental friendly by doing little things that can contribute to environment. By just limiting the use of your car every week is one of a factor that help air pollution on the street. Segragating garbage is a big help in able to determine what are biodegradble, non-biodegradble, plastic and papers some of them can be sold to junk shop and shop can be recyled. By simply not burning our garbage and dispose garbage properly is a great contribution. Planting seeds at some vacant lots or joining a enviroment group is something of value too. I can really say if every individual have a clean intention of helping our environment they can really help in simple ways regardless of what is thier social status in life.

It does seem that we have to be richer to be environmentally active, dosn't it? Or to eat healthy foods...like organic. Organic vegis and even meats cost more than the unorganic counterparts. I know in the health food store I go to, the organic and recycled products seem to cost more than the alternative. I'm not sure why this is. I just do what I can, I try to separate my garbage so I can recycle it, if there is a local recycling center. I walk and bicycle when I can, rather than use a car. If I lived out in the country, I'd certainly grow some of my own food, and have a compost pile to be used in different ways. I don't, though, I live in an apartment in the city, and I have to throw my scraps away in the trash. I try not to "consume" any more than I must. I don't buy prepackaged microwave food, I try to cook more from scratch. It's not much, but I do what I can, considering I do live in a city in an apartment. For now. Oh...use cloth rags instead of paper towels as much as possible. Try to buy the environmentally safe laundry and dish detergents when you can, too. I do so little laundry...(I live alone) there's no reason why I shouldn't buy "organic" detergent. I don't buy newspapers or magazines. I buy flushable cat litter for my kitty. If I do buy prepackaged food, like eggs, I buy the ones in cardboard cartons, not those styrofoam cartons..styrofoam is awful on the environment. Also I'll get real paper plates and paper cups.

I feel like that sometimes too. It can be quite expensive to buy responsibly produced and manufactured products sometimes it's because those companies aren't cutting corners like more mainstream manufacturers do. I think you have to be creative. I felt overwhelmed when I started trying to buy organically grown produce and healthy food for my family, then I found a local farmer's market. They are cheap and everything is fresh and in season and absolutely delicious. I live in a rural area so I will also often find booths on the side of the road where a farmer is selling his excess harvest or eggs or something. A lot of them are very friendly and I have gone to many of their farms to see how they grow things, how the chickens are kept etc. I have a good sized backyard with a vegetable garden in it. We also built a compost area when we moved in and we usually plant herbs and such all over the place. Sometimes if we have too many of something (last years zucchini!) we can trade with other backyard farmers for something they have too much of. Recycling is not that expensive it's just the time and energy. Also I love the new show Living with Ed! It follows Ed Begley Jr. who is a well known enviromentalist. His house is amazingly enviromentally friendly and he has tons of ideas that almost anyone can incorporate into their own lives. One last thing I have noticed is that when you are short on cash the thing you can still give is your time. You can volunteer with several organizations, organize fundraisers for enviromental causes, write letters to representatives letting them know that their voters are eco-friendly and want that reflected in bills and laws that are passed or considered. Every little thing counts.

well u can help by just doing those things which u can. sending thing s for recycling is the best way. buy the easily available things and dont feel guilty if u can not do all the correct things. afterall a little effort also makes a difference.

Actually, it's not that expensive to grow at least some of your own produce ( I have some starter fruit trees in my house, and plan on growing tomatoes, watermelon, squash, and yams this year on the tiny plot I have outside), public buses will often offer cards good for a month that are relatively inexpensive, and in some cities they actually pay you to get off the grid. Recycle, reuse, freecycle, don't use as much hot water, carpool, walk or bike, plant trees, write your govornment... those are all things you can do. Also, try making your own household cleaners instead of buying them, and buy bulk shampoo and soap so you can reuse old containers. I think all it takes is prioritizing (we buy the recycled stuff even though it is more expensive) and staying aware. Also, volunteering with your kids to teach them things like how to plant trees and get creative with recycling... my mom used to plant trees with me, and I think it's still one of the best things to do for the planet.

I don't think you have to be rich at all. Where I live you can request a recycling bin from the city garbage and they bring it and pick it up free of charge, if you take public transport it equals to or may be cheaper than owning a car. We bought energy saving light bulbs and it cut our electric bill considerably, our thermostat never goes above 65 in the winter, this is why sweatshirts and slippers are manufactured. Line drying in the summer instead of using the dryer. Planting a garden and canning the results are actually cheaper in the long run than buying at the store. There are alot of ways people can contribute to the environment, they just need to develop the habit. Good discussion!

I must admit that it can get expensive to be environmentally responsible all the time. For example, here in metro detroit, there is no reliable public transport in the suburbs, so I have to drive everywhere. I wanted a hybrid but I couldn't afford one, so instead I got a small vehicle which good gas mileage. I try to make the most environmentally responsible choice I can make within my price limits. For example, I will buy organic when its affordable, or environmentally responsible household cleaners when its within my price limit. I want to by organic cotton clothing, and sometimes I will but I can't afford it all the time. For example, Levi's has organic cotton jeans, which I want, but they are out of my price limit right now. However, there are some things that are just not available to me like growing my own food (i live in a condo complex with no yard of my own), use green energy (as the local company doesn't have it yet) or use public transport. However, I support 'green' companies, with the only way I can, with my dollars. I will always try to buy from 'green' companies for all kinds of products, from shampoo, ice cream to clothing. I also recycle all the time, reuse products and try to tell others.

To be environmentally friendly doesn't always require money. One could always recycle and make something out of those recycled items with a little creativity. A good example is a group of jobless women here who organized themselves and are now making money from recycled juice tetra packs which is non-biodegradable. They sew them together and make them into bags, wallets and baskets. They are actually making them from their homes and are making good money from them. Last time i read something about them in our local paper is that they are planning to export them already. See how far one could go with a little effort creativity and innovation and at the same time helping the environment. We