Our Life, Our Planet

When you were little, did your parents ever get you a fish to take care of? I'm sure your answer is yes. Everyone had a fish! I'm also sure your mom and dad told you it was your responsibility to feed the fish and clean it's bowl. I had a fish named Fred and he lived for about 7 years. Every morning, I'd wake up and feed Fred. It was my life goal to protect him. You're nodding your head right now in agreement. I bet you had the coolest fish tank or bowl for your fish too. Think about a fishbowl. It's an environment, a home, if you will, for our fellow fish friends. We made sure we cleaned that out every other week or else it would have been so slimey and so gross and our fish would've died. Then you would've had to have a fish funeral and you'd be upset for weeks. Okay, maybe that was just me.

 

This is going somewhere, I promise.

So our planet is no different than a fishbowl. We, as people, encompass that bowl. We live amongst each other and nature. We need clean water and clean air just as much as a goldfish does.

Am I making sense?

There's a term called "green" that I'm sure you've heard of. It can mean a lot of things to different people. Buying products made of sustainable material, products that are made with natural ingredients, eating local or organic, eating less or no meat, conserving energy, renewable energy, clean energy, living off the grid, creating your own energy, planting trees, recycling, and so forth. I'm sure you can think of a ton of products in your head that could be defined as "green." Or, maybe you can't and that's why I'm here.

Specifying green products will be a huge part of my job as a designer. It's so important to have knowledge about finding these products and using them in everyday life. Choosing to be green isn't easy; it's a lifestyle. There are so many ways that you can help save our planet at home, at work, at school, wherever you are! It all starts with simple habit changes.

I really want to encourage all of you to change one habit in your daily life that will benefit the environment. I have made a small list of great starters that are so easy to do. If you pick just one of these things it'll make all the difference.

• During the day, keep the lights off. Open the blinds and let natural sunlight light your spaces.
• Recycle cans, bottles, paper, plastic, etc.
• Replace light bulbs with Energy Star lesser wattage bulbs. AKA the ice cream cone bulbs.
• Buy recycled paper products for office and school use.
• Stop using Styrofoam! It doesn't disintegrate.
• Unplug lamps, chargers, electronics when not in use.

These are just a few things, but there are many more. Keep checking back for awesome new ways to benefit the environment in your daily life. I will be posting "green" products from time to time as I come across them.

It's your planet. It's up to you to keep it clean.