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May 19, 2021

AHA Blog: Start Going ‘Green’ with Simple Steps

What can one person do to help our home planet? Plenty! Try these simple steps toward a greener, cleaner lifestyle.

 

Academy of the Holy Angels English teacher Stephanie Dowling recommends composting at home to turn household waste into garden gold.

“Composting is easy and rewarding, no matter how small or big your yard is,” Mrs. Dowling says. “If you’re in a small space, consider a countertop compost bin. These are inexpensive and some are even stylish!” She suggests buying bins online or in stores that sell home appliances.

 

Hint: Your compost will help your organic garden grow.

 

“There’s nothing more rewarding than nursing a plant from seed/transplant to harvest,” Dowling adds.

 

“Growing a garden can help you feel excited to live a greener lifestyle. Start small with a few pots or ‘grow bags’ on a deck, patio, or balcony. Eventually, you may want to add a raised bed or a ground bed for an even greater harvest!”

 

Mrs. Dowling also returns plastic bags to her local grocery store.

 

“Plastic bags, packing plastic, and other soft plastic items cannot be recycled with harder plastic, glass, and aluminum,” she explains. “Gather all of your plastic bags and throw them in your car, so the next time you’re at the grocery store, you can dispose of them properly. Most grocery stores have a special recycling bin just for soft plastic. You can even go online to find which stores near you recycle soft plastic. Bubble wrap envelopes can be thrown in there, too!”

 

While you’re organizing your closet, try this tip from AHA Librarian Catherine Korvin. She returns wire hangers to the cleaner’s shop, so they can be used again.

 

Anna J. (AHA Class of 2023) encourages others to live greener lives by reducing their meat consumption.

 

“I went completely vegetarian a little over a year ago after finding out how harmful the meat industry is to the planet,” Anna says. “Not only does it take tons of resources to feed and grow all the livestock that we consume, but it also produces dangerous waste and pollution. Did you know that the Amazon rainforest fire that happened last year was because farmers were trying to clear land to grow more crops and animals?”

 

Anna adds, “It may seem hard at first, but every effort to eat less meat can help you live an environmentally friendly life. It may be challenging to give meat up all at once, but you can start with incorporating meatless Mondays each week, or trying a veggie burger instead of a beef burger at a restaurant. There are also many meat alternatives that are sold at stores that are really similar to real meat, tasty, and better for the Earth. You can find plenty of websites and blogs with delicious recipes to use these alternatives, and recipes without meat in general.

 

“I noticed that, by not eating meat, you eat more fruits and vegetables, which help your body stay healthy, and you
reduce environmental waste: a win-win in my book!”

 

Ila R. (AHA Class of 2024) shared, “To live a greener lifestyle, I am making a goal to turn off all the lights that I am not using. It is easy, it saves money, and it saves energy, which is beneficial to the environment.”

 

“My top tip for living a greener lifestyle would be to stop buying and using single-use items, especially plastic ones,” says AHA Athletic Trainer Julia Moschetti. “I try to stay away from as many disposable/single-use items in general. The less we buy, the more companies will have to adjust and change their production. If you think about how many single-use items you use in a day, you would be surprised! I know I was. It’s definitely not easy, especially since we’ve grown used to plastic items being everywhere and the convenience of disposable products, but I think it’s worth the extra effort to help the environment. I think getting away from single-use items is a good way to start leading a greener lifestyle, and then you can keep going from there”

 

Now you know: It CAN be easy going green.

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