Sunday, October 19, 2008

Why Don't You Maintain A Healthier Existencestyle?

By Simon M Skinner

Did you know that green living can actually help you live longer? It might sound strange, but it's really true - many of the same things that help the earth will help you, too. If you drive less, eat fresh organically grown foods and do many other ecologically friendly things, you'll live a lot longer.

Healthy organic food from sources you trust helps prevent contamination of the environment by chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It also helps your body, offering it the high quality nutrients it deserves. Organically produced meats and other animal products are great for us, keeping antibiotics and growth hormones out of our systems, and out of the would around us. Eating well, from organic sources, also helps us avoid processed foods that have little nutrition, but are great at clogging our arteries and making us sick.

Try to drive less. By combining your errands, you not only save fuel and reduce the traffic on the roads; you are giving yourself less stress from dealing with traffic jams and other drivers. Carpool or use public transit when you can. If you choose to ride a bike or walk for some of your errands, you also get needed exercise. This will help keep your heart healthy and keep you limber and toned.

Composting your food scraps can save you money in garbage waste and provide you with great soil next season for your own garden. It also keeps a lot of good stuff out of the landfills. Just keep adding your fruit and vegetable wastes, egg shells, coffee grounds, and grains to the compost pile. You can add your raked leaves and lawn clippings as well. Don't add meat or bones... they will attract insects like flies and will take longer to compost. Water the compost down once in awhile to get the enzymes activated. Come spring, you'll have some nice compost soil to add to your own vegetable garden for more healthy eating.

There are a lot of things you can do to make your home a lot more comfortable and save energy. Larger, well insulated windows let in more natural light, allowing you to keep your lights off for longer periods during the day. Turn your air conditioner off when you're not at home and make use of energy efficient appliances to save money and resources.

Recycling cans, bottles and packaging will also help you reduce your trash bills and your carbon footprint. Consider using cloth bags instead of paper or plastic - you'll save resources and avoid that ever growing pile of bags in the kitchen. Some stores will give you a small discount for using your own bag. These things all reduce pollution, allowing us to live in a cleaner world.

Once you get started, you'll wonder how you ever lived another way. Living greener allows you to feel better, be healthier, and be happy knowing that you're living on a healthier planet. Try greening up your life a little and live a lot longer.

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