Go Green! by Brittany Nelson

14 Mar Go Green! by Brittany Nelson

Climate change. Pollution. Carbon footprints. There is no escaping these phrases in our everyday lives. However, many people do not realize how easy it is to go green in their everyday routine. As Gabbers, it is our goal to reduce our carbon footprint and make a real difference in our environment! That is why we are starting our Go Green initiative. This means that we are all going to put in a little effort to conserve and promote the environment around us. Here are some shocking facts that might make you reconsider how you go about your day:

• The average American uses 80 to 100 gallons of water a day. 60 gallons alone are usually used in a typical shower.¹
• 70% of your household waste can be composted instead of thrown into the trash.
• Every day, over 3,000 tons of paper towel waste is produced in the US alone. To make one ton of paper towels, 17 trees are cut down and 20,000 gallons of water are consumed. Decomposing paper towels produce methane gas. 544,000 trees can be saved if every household in the U.S. replaced one roll of regular paper towels with 100% recycled ones.¹
• In 2013 alone, Green Mountain made enough k-cups to wrap around the world 10.5 times , and that doesn’t even take into consideration the other plastics that cannot be recycled. We’re proud to be able to recycle 100% of the plastic used in inkjet cartridges, producing remanufactured inkjet cartridges that are as reliable as the originals.¹

These are just a few facts and there are still many easy ways we can conserve more water and save more trees. If we each do our part, we can truly make a difference! Here are a few things that Planet Green and Worldwatch Institute suggest to help us in our efforts to go green:

• Turn your thermostat down a few degrees in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.²
• Install a low-flow showerhead and take navy showers. Navy showers only use 3 gallons compared to 60 gallons when taking a normal shower!^1,2
• Buy locally made food that will keep money in the local economy.²
• Buy in bulk! It saves money and packaging.²
• Keep electronics as long as possible and use emails to communicate instead of paper whenever possible.²

And our suggestion is to carpool to Gabbin’ events to save gas!

These are just a few ways to help you go green with us! You can search online for more information. Together, we can preserve our planet!

Brittany Nelson is the co-founder of GWG. After many years of volunteering in international ministry, she became excited about helping other young women discover their passion. Brittany is a Jr. HR Generalist at a consulting firm in the DC area. She spends her free time exploring DC and going to Washington Wizards games with her husband, Paul.

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