Now that most of the world has recognized that global warming is indeed happening to the detriment of the entire planet, people seem to have gotten a little more interested in acting more environmentally conscious. Both local and national environmental consciousness campaigns are as popular as ever and gaining new followers everyday. Luckily for those new to the scene, going green to lessen your impact on your surroundings can be done in many creative and fun ways that even environmental sensitivity novices can take part in. How can you help save the planet in a new way?

Energy- for the home and body

Attempting to find a more suitable way to guarantee that we have enough available energy resources while backing away from oil and gas reserves can be said to be one of the biggest challenges of this century. Fortunately, a few small-scale solutions to this problem already exist. Personal compost heaps are a classic way to recycle your organic waste into either fertilizer or some types of basic fuel to be used around the house. Not taking your own car to work everyday is a tried and true method of using less energy, often remedied by creating car pools or biking or walking to work. If you happen to live in New York City, you can take the Floating Human-powered Gym to work.. This innovation will get you to your final destination by converting the aerobic energy of the people on the boat into real energy to power the boat, all the while giving you a chance to relax and get in that bit of exercise time.

Water

Fresh, clean water is an invaluable resource that many people don’t realize is actually in short supply in many places in the world. Wasting water through excessive use will speed up the arrival of the day when everyone realizes the importance of water because of its scarcity. To help avoid this situation, you can use less water in many of your daily activities. As we have always been told, don’t ever leave the water running when not in use. Also, don’t flush the toilet unless you really need to - every flush uses three gallons of water to simply rinse out your bowl. Don’t be embarrassed about taking in the great outdoors next time you need to take a quick bathroom break.

Food

The food sector might have embraced the recent Green Revolution more than any other. Eating organic and/or biological definitely sends a message to producers of highly processed and sugary foods about what customers want today, and it is certainly better for your body’s health. What else can you do? Grow a garden! Plant a fruit tree! Having your own small source of food has been shown to make people appreciate their food all the more and spend more time thinking about the food’s sources and uses. Grab some nice garden snails to throw on the top of your salad as well! These pests are actually low in fat and high in protein - eat them before they eat your freshly grown veggie patch.

Clothing

Even your clothing can go green. You can wear items made from organic cloth material and make sure you buy clothes only from companies with clean environmental track records. Organic cotton clothing, for example, requires less processing because it is made from a single fiber and benefits those with sensitive skin by being completely free of any toxic residue from processing. You can also invest in things like solar-powered bikinis, so that the next time you are soaking up the rays you are also charging your iPod or phone. When you have grown out of something, help someone out by making sure to donate your old clothing, ensuring that your discarded items don’t end up at the bottom of a trash dump or the top of a burning pile of trash whose fumes will contribute to air pollution.

Going green is all about finding multi-purpose uses for our daily items and needs. As seen, people are becoming rather creative when it comes to ways to convert our everyday products and habits into environmentally-friendly items and processes. How will you go green?