ideas for adapting your lifestyle to green technology
With green solutions, we all can save energy (and money), and have more fun, with comfort, convenience, and community. Here are some thoughts for getting started…
“Agency [ey-juhn-see], noun — the capacity to act or exert power”
You have agency to help shape the future.
Many people are concerned about climate change (and relying on unfriendly foreign governments for fossil fuels) and would like to cut their fossil fuels usage over time. But how do you get started on this ‘carbon footprint’ journey? Green technology solutions can be the easiest way; and some will reduce your expenses – while hopefully increasing your wellbeing by providing a sense of contributing to an important transition for humanity. From signing up for community solar, to shifting into electric vehicles, to upgrading to geothermal or mini split heating, and more, there are many sustainable options available for your home and lifestyle.
(Try starting with one of these ideas today!)
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
Adapting to a Greener Lifestyle
Before we get into the green technology ideas of this blog, let’s consider this often-raised question:
“What is my motivation? Why should I start to implement green solutions in my life? For example, why should I spend the 8 to 15 minutes it will take me to sign up for Community Solar Farm power (the first post of this blog)? I consider my free time to be very valuable, so let’s not waste it!”
Here are five reasons why you may decide that getting started on your ‘carbon footprint’ journey is an important and urgent action that you should take today:
- Did you know that green technology solutions can reduce your expenses? From saving up to 10% of your electric bill by signing up for Community Solar, to saving a substantial amount of the ‘total cost of ownership’ of a car by choosing an economical battery electric vehicle, to showing how a mini-split heat pump can reduce your monthly heating bill, this blog provides many ways to save money by choosing more sustainable solutions for your shelter, transportation, and more.
- Do you believe that the United States (and the entire industrialized world for that matter) is overly dependent on unreliable and sometimes unfriendly foreign countries for our supply of energy? If so, then acting on your values, using the ideas here, would help reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources — by taking advantage of the abundance of renewable energy available right in our community.
- Do you believe that the burning of fossil fuels contributes to climate change (by increasing CO2 levels), and that climate change is a substantial cause for concern? If so, then acting on your values, using the ideas here, would help reduce your carbon footprint by using less fossil fuel, and may encourage others to do the same.
- Do you believe that there is a finite amount of fossil fuel resources available to extract from planet Earth, and so we’ll eventually have to wean the global economy from fossil fuels? (Interestingly, given the constant exploration for new fossil fuel sources, the expected years of fossil fuel reserves left has actually increased from 1980 to 2020, as seen here — but this trend will eventually change, as the Earth is indeed finite!) If so, then acting on your values, using the ideas here, can be your personal signal to the economy to move away from fossil fuel usage.
- Have you decided that you are broadly in favor of ‘sustainable solutions’, and yet you have not altered any of the choices you personally make in terms of shelter, transportation, investing, and recycling? If so, then wouldn’t you feel better if your actions matched your values? Acting on your values, using the ideas here, could improve your sense of wellbeing!
OK — now you hopefully are motivated, and ready to engage with the blog posts. Here they are 🙂
