Peachy Green

I have only ever used the word peachy with a hint of sarcasm. You need to know that right off the bat. I think going green can be a very serious undertaking and should not be done without total, 100% commitment to all things green. Make that peachy green. No sense of humor is allowed. This will not be fun. This will hurt. In an act of defiance you may run screaming from your computer, looking for an axe to cut down some trees.

"Don't blow it - good planets are hard to find." ~Quoted in Time

Change can be hard for us all. Going green doesn't have to be painful. It doesn't have to cost you a lot of money (it may save you some) and you won't have to give up every last thing you treasure. You can take baby steps like me and it will be peachy for you, your family and the environment.

Don't we all, deep down, want to do the right thing for the environment? I know that I won't be buying a Smart Car or a Prius for my family, unless we are forced to change professions and join the circus. We definitely would look like a bunch of clowns packed into a miniature car. Luckily, there are many other things we can do to be green that won't cause even the slightest bit of pain or embarrassment. In fact, it may even make us feel good.

The difficult part, in my opinion, is figuring out what the best choices are for your specific situation, family and the environment. There is so much conflicting information out there in all areas of green, from healthy eating to ethically responsible clothing, to what kind of car you should drive. There's confusion. Lots of it.

My suggestion is to start with the simple stuff. Stuff you feel comfortable changing that doesn't require too much research. That way you can immediately start improving your life and the world around you with the smallest investment of time and money that a lazy environmentalist could hope for. Remember, there are many shades of green. You don't have to be perfectly green. Find the shade that works for you and your family.

Watch the following video for some peachy tips on going green.

1. Close draperies or blinds in the evening or on excessively cold days. This can be as effective at retaining the heat in your home as storm windows. Lined draperies are most effective. Fact: Non-insulated draperies cut heat loss by 1/3, insulated draperies by 1/2
2. Reduce the brightness of your TV screen and cut your TV's consumption of power by 30-50%. The factory setting is usually much brighter than necessary. For LCD TV's, try turning down the backlight.
3. Make an effort to unplug appliances. This simple effort will cut your electric bills by 10%!
4. In the kitchen, don't preheat the oven unless you are cooking very sensitive things like pastry. Turn off the heat a few minutes before the food is done.The oven will stay warm enough to finish the job.
5. Keeping the coils on the back of your refrigerator clean can improve efficiency up to 30%.
6. Use eco-friendly cleaning products. Making your home non-toxic has many benefits for the environment and your family! Don't forget to switch to non-toxic dishwasher detergent, which is responsible for a large percentage of indoor air pollution.

7. Take short showers instead of leisurely baths. You will save,on average, 10 gallons of water.

8. Wash your clothes in cold water, using 40% less energy than hot water.
9. Tumble dryers use a great dealof energy. Hang to dry if you can. If not, run loads back to back so you are using it while it is still warm. Keep all vents clear for optimum efficiency.
10. Drive peachy green. Even if you can't squeeze your family into a Prius or squeeze a Prius into your budget, there are still ways to reduce your carbon footprint from behind the wheel. So slow down (faster driving uses more fuel), avoid excess weight (110lbs=2% less fuel efficiency) and use your car's flow through ventilation system instead of the A/C when possible.

If you want more peachy green tips, would like to learn about renewable energy, or are interested in hearing a personal perspective on going green, I simply must suggest you check out PeachyGreen!

Peachy Green is a joint blog created by my favorite HubPages author StephHicks68, and (you guessed it) me! Ok -truth be told, we do have one more member of our team from HubPages, but his identity is top secret. He is our brilliant seo and marketing guy and I will not reveal his true identity. So if you are a blogger, stop thinking about stealing him from us. All I can tell you is that he is at this moment working diligently, surrounded by computers.

Anyway, we came together to share our knowledge and create a blog about living green that people could relate to. Not too heavy on the technical stuff, we are always looking for a good laugh while trying to incorporate all things green and peachy into our very busy lives.

For the record, I have a fair amount of meltdowns (as you may already know) when it comes to our little joint venture. They're getting used to me. We are learning to work together with ease, even though we are thousands of miles away from each other.

So, do you really, really want to know what StephHicks is really, really like? I know, she doesn't appear to have any flaws, issues, or a need for sleep. She has overcome the dreaded "mommy brain" ( I'm still working on it) and she manages to care for and love 4 super cute kids while juggling her full-time career as an environmental lawyer with blogging, hubbing and training for a marathon all while balancing on one foot atop of an enormous bouncy ball. Can you say wonder woman? I just ordered her a custom made green leotard and cape embellished with a giant peach emblem for her to sport while flying over Bend, Oregon in her invisible solar powered jet.

Seriously though...Steph is a powerhouse of information regarding all things peachy green and has positive attitude that is contagious. She has even inspired me to break out my old running sneakers, which has led me into a very serious marathon of contemplating running. I will share my deeply profound insights at another time. Back to Peachy Green.

You will also find a few guest posts by popular hubber Robie2, and other hubbers soon to come! So stop by and say hello to us, leave a comment and be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed so you don't miss a peachy green beat.