STYLEMOM

Everyone has an impact on climate change in someway or another and most of us can admit to taking advantage of our planets abundances.  Whether, it is taking a long shower or just not recycling the newspaper, all the little things add up to a larger picture. Climate change is happening; we see it in images of the melting glaciers in Antarctica, increase of endangered animals and the deforestation of rainforests. Our ecosystems have been critically affected by humans and the habitats that support life are in jeopardy.

We all produce greenhouse emissions, but how can you manage to decrease the amount you and your family put out everyday? Using the 5R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Replant, and Rethink), here are five ways to change your lifestyle and make your carbon footprint:

1. REDUCE Water Consumption:

- To save water and time, consider washing your face or brushing your teeth while in the shower.

- Washing dark clothes in cold water saves both on water and energy, and helps your clothes to keep their colors.

- When you save water, you save money on your utility bills too. Saving water is easy for everyone to do.

2. RE-USE Household Items:

- Newspaper, cardboard and leaves are three of the best things to use as mulch around your plants. They hold in moisture and prevent weeds from growing.

- By cleaning out glass jars and food containers, you can use them to store odds and ends.

- Some packaging is even reusable. An old shampoo bottle plus a little bit of mod podge and you can decoupage a new vase.

- So before you throw those items away, think about how they can be reused.

3. RECYCLE Clothing:

- Textiles make up about 4% of the weight and 8% of the volume of all municipal solid waste in the U.S.

- Donate to shelters or charities, items charities can’t use go to “rag sorters,” companies that specialize in recycling textiles.

- Buy vintage clothing because going green is always in style.

- Recycling can give old clothes, linens and other textiles a second life and reduce the amount of waste going into landfills.

4. RE-PLANT the Planet:

- Most people assume that global warming is caused by burning oil and gas. Almost 30% percent of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year are caused by deforestation.

- Fewer forests mean much larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere which increases the speed and extent of global warming.

- Start a garden or plant a tree, get family and friends involved and you will motivate others to do their part and help the environment. It doesn’t matter what seed you plant, just planting one is enough to make a difference.

- Rain forests cover only 2% of the Earth’s surface, yet they provide habitat and nutritional support for almost half of the Earth’s living species. Join Avon Hello Green Tomorrow and UNEP as they pledge to plant millions of trees in the rain forest.

5. RETHINK Your Carbon Imprint:

- If you have the urge to spend, try window shopping or just browse. This helps ensure you purchase things you really need, or really want, and you’re not just impulse buying. Every item in a store, no matter how small, has a footprint. When we are educated and conscious consumers, we can reduce our own impact to the planet.

- Buy organic or “fair trade.” There’s a better chance the food was grown in an eco-friendly way, and if it’s locally grown, it didn’t have to travel that far. This also goes for those double lattes; coffee often has a large carbon footprint because of the distance the beans had to travel to get here.

- Try cutting meat out of your diet one day a week. If every American cut back on one meat serving once a week, the environmental impact would be equivalent to removing 20 million cars from the road for an entire year.

For more eco-chic style tips for Hello Green Tomorrow, read Stylemom.com’s Best Eco-chic Online Shopping Sites

What is Hello Green Tomorrow?

Hello Green Tomorrow is a unique global grassroots effort by Avon to help replant and restore the Atlantic Rainforest in South America, in order to enhance the well-being of the global community and help ensure a better future for the next generation.  Avon has partnered with conservation leaders, The Nature Conservancy and the United Nations Environment Programme. The Nature Conservancy, on location in South America with its Brazil-based team and local conservation partners, will plant and restore the trees as well as monitor the restored forest, ensuring the long-term benefits of the Atlantic Rainforest.  Trees planted through the HGT program support the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Plant for the Planet Billion Tree campaign. Avon kicked off the Hello Green Tomorrow program by donating the first $1 million to plant and restore 1 million trees.

Sponsored by Avon Hello Green Tomorrow