Five easy ways to be eco-friendly

Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

It's no secret that I don't shy away from my political beliefs. I am an unabashed conservative, who leans libertarian. I hate government-run programs, and believe the government should only exist to fund a strong national defense and protect human life. This is it. Everything else the government handles poorly.

That's why it's up to us, as individuals to do what is necessary to keep our world as wonderful as it can and should be. While I am a global warming skeptic, I do feel it is necessary to do certain things to protect the earth and be eco-friendly.

As a young, soon-to-be public relations professional, I believe in the power of monkey see - monkey do. As an individual it's easy to have great power of persuasion by just doing what you tell others is right. If we're united in a small group, we can help create our own tipping point. This is very similar to the Law of the Few I read about in Malcom Gladwell's "The Tipping Point." It only takes a few great people, or a few great PR professionals to pave the way to a greener, more eco-friendly earth. I'm happy to be along for the ride!

Here are five areas I think are easy enough to make our world just a little bit better.

One of the most important habits we can all practice is make sure our faucets are tight and not dripping unnecessary amounts of water. While this may seem silly it's a big tactic that can save both money on our water bills, but also eliminate wasteful use of water.

Second, it's a good idea to turn off your lights when going to bed. This includes night lights and TV's giving off an unnecessary glow in the dark room. Do you really need that bathroom light on to find it? News flash: It's in the same place it was LAST night.

Third, during the day, open your blinds. Open the drapes. Open a window. "Let the sunshine in!" What I mean is, if it's daylight, there's no need for light in the home. Sure, we occasionally need an artificial light or two, but there's no need to have all your lights on in your home when it's the sunniest day.

Fourth, consider soaking your dishes instead of using your dishwasher. This one may be hard for the OCD folks, like myself, but it really does help in saving water. If you soak your dishes at night and clean them the next morning they will not only be easier to clean, but you've saved tons and tons of water you might've wasted on a dishwasher that only SOMETIMES gets your dishes clean enough.

Fifth, another option for all of us to keep the world eco-friendly is to unplug appliances we don't use on a regular basis. Maybe even unplug your computer, too when it's not being used. The fact is, even when an appliance is not plugged in you're still wasting energy.

Again, I can't say enough how it all goes back to the individual. We cannot expect the world to be changed by our government. We can, however, all take the time to help protect our world by practicing more eco-friendly habits. Join me and help make this world just a little bit better by blogging about your thoughts on climate change. Register your blog at Blog Action Day 2009.