Go Green, Get Organized

Going Green is being popularized in every aspect of our lives. You can buy trendy 'go green' t-shirts that are not very environmentally conscious and you can switch to reusable grocery bags at the store; a great environmental step. Helping the environment and getting organized go hand in hand. In fact, I don't think it is possible to have one without the other. The environment I am speaking of is not only the outside environment that receives a lot of coverage in the press but also your own personal home environment. Let's look at three topics: consumerism, recycling and toxic chemicals.

Consumerism. There is a wonderful video available online called, The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard. This twenty minute video article discusses the process of how the things we use every day are created, distributed, purchased, used and disposed of and who and what these steps affect along the way. It is a great reminder at a time when we are so distanced from the creation of our things to know just how they came to be. A large part of being organized is taming the inflow of 'stuff' to our homes and eliminating clutter. This process helps our personal environments in numerous ways including: lowering stress levels, saving time, reducing the amount we have to clean and saving money. It helps our larger environment by reducing the amount of 'stuff' that is created in the first place, redistributing the things we are no longer using and thereby decreasing the amount of 'stuff' that heads for landfills. Another positive side effect of getting organized and de-cluttering is that we are able to share our abundance with others and support our communities.

Recycling. I am a huge fan of recycling. In my home, we try to reduce the amount of waste we send to the landfill by having only 1 white trash bag of waste each week. We recycle at sorts of things - paper, containers, food (as compost), plastic bags, electronics, light bulbs, batteries and more. We also reuse a lot of our 'trash' and use reusable items such as rags, dishes, cloth napkins, containers, etc. However, as an organizer I am leery of telling clients who are in the throes of an organizing project to do much recycling if at all. The problem comes when before the client is organized, they begin to save and store items to be recycled. These items weave themselves back into the household clutter and impede progress. To be able to recycle and reuse you need the space to do so. You need to have systems set up. If you are unable to do so you will find recycling to be an impossible and daunting task. However, I also feel very strongly that it is each of our responsibility to work towards this goal. Start by getting the clutter out. Then take the next step of replacing paper napkins with cloth ones or setting aside a cardboard box to collect paper recycling. Try one recycling project at a time and add slowly as habits become established. The side effects on home and larger environments are that fewer new materials are needed to create the stuff we use, less stuff is created period because of reuse, less litter is produced, landfills are reserved for truly landfill worthy items and more. Check out this blog for inspiration: 365 Days of Trash

Toxic Chemicals. By taking steps such as reducing the amount of stuff we buy and recycling we are reducing the toxic chemicals in our environments substantially. We can easily reduce the chemicals in our homes by switching to non-toxic, bio degradable and other earth friendly cleaning and personal products. There are other less obvious ways to reduce these chemicals. One is to buy organic products when possible. Organic products cover not only food but also clothing and toys. These products are created without the use of pesticides and other environmentally harmful chemicals. We also reduce the amount of chemicals in our environment but reducing the amount of 'stuff' that is created in our world. The creation of stuff from new resources produces large amounts of chemical bi-products. Therefore reducing, recycling and reusing again allows us to help our pocket books, our homes and our environment.

Going green is not just the 'in' thing to do it truly is the only thing to do as we face overflowing landfills, toxic homes and increased gas prices. The effects of our consumerism and waste are everywhere. Getting organized gives us the opportunity to truly be effective stewards of the earth and our society.