If you’re trying to live green, you may find it very discouraging when you watch the news…or just walk around your neighborhood…and see all the other people who aren’t living green.  What good does it do the environment if one person lives green while twenty don’t?

Well, that’s a valid concern, but what you need to remember is that just because there are people in your neighborhood who don’t live green, there are a lot of people who are living green, and more are embracing the movement every day.

People shouldn’t be forced to go green, either.  That just creates resentment and passive revolt.

So just decide to do what you can to live green, and the rest will take care of itself.

So, what can you do?

1. Ride a bike to work, or walk

Depending on where you live, walk to work or ride a bike.  If you’re too far away, of course you’ll need to take your car, but consider using a “park and ride” for at least some of the way.  Or take a bus or use a car pool.

This seems pretty simplistic, doesn’t it?  Well, lots of things on this list will be simplistic.  But they may be things that some of you reading this haven’t thought of before.

And there’s the American love affair with cars that may, until now, have prevented you, on principle, from taking a bus when you have a perfectly good car.  You’re willing to do other things to help save the environment, but not give up your car, even for a day.

So, let’s move on to other things!

2. Plan your shopping trips

I like to drive.  And I’m always glad of an excuse to go for a drive.  So one day (back when gas wasn’t so outrageously expensive as it is now) I’d drive the five miles to my local superstore to pick up some ice cream, the next day I’d go for cans of soup, the next day I’d have a craving for candy and go for that.

Well, I admit it.  That was a waste of gas and of money.  (It wasn’t a waste of time, really, because I was “refreshing” my brain before going back to work – but I could have as easily accomplished that by just going for a bike ride or a brisk walk.)

3. Buy in bulk

Buy purchasing stuff in bulk, you’ll reduce the amount of trips you’ll have to take to the store, obviously.  You’ll also have less packaging to deal with, usually.  And usually, bulk items are less expensive than buying things singly.

Of course if you’re concerned about organic food, and don’t want to buy processed foods, you’ll need to shop appropriately.