Green Living
Eco Resolutions
Laura Turner Seydel offers five to change your life. Eco-conscious living may be the new trend, but it's here to stay, and Atlanta is becoming more environmentally aware every day.

Eco-conscious living may be the new trend, but it's here to stay, and Atlanta is becoming more environmentally aware every day. By making eco-friendly choices in our daily lives, we can move our friends, family and neighbors in the direction of a sustainable lifestyle. The choices we make - the food we eat, the types of cleaning products we buy, the clothes we wear, how much energy we consume, the kind of car we drive - can all have a positive or negative impact on the Earth. It's easy to live green. Not only will your eco-friendly actions make a difference in your life, they will benefit future generations. Here are five easy eco-resolutions to follow. Wishing you healthy, responsible green living!

Check Your Bulbs

Don't waste energy using a light bulb that has higher wattage than needed. You can save energy and money by installing more efficient, compact fluorescent bulbs and turning them off when you're not in the room. Not only do they last longer, they also cut your energy bill by 66 percent, saving at least $30 over the lifespan of the bulb. Compact fluorescents also produce fewer greenhouse gases, reducing the need to build new power plants.

Buy Eco-friendly Paints

Low VOC (volatile organic compound) paints keep indoor toxic emissions to a minimum. According to the EPA, indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Choosing the right products will eliminate smog-forming chemicals from escaping into the air. Also, when painting, use a brush or roller instead of a sprayer.

Educate Your Office

Turn your computer monitors off when you're not using them to reduce energy usage. Replace conventional CRT monitors with LCD screens, which use 60 percent less energy.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle

You can recycle your newspaper, plastic and aluminum - even coffee grounds can be used as fertilizer for some plants. So don't throw away what you can use again! Did you know that recycling one aluminum can may save enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for almost four hours or provide power to your television for three hours?

Shop Smart

At the supermarket, avoid single-serving and multi-pack food items. Their excessive packaging is extremely wasteful. Instead, purchase non-toxic, organic and all-natural household products from Publix GreenWise Market or Whole Foods. Ask for paper bags rather than plastic. If you do get plastic, be sure to recycle it.

Laura Turner Seydel is a national environmental activist and eco-living expert. She serves as chairperson of the Captain Planet Foundation, trustee of the Turner Foundation and co-founder of Mothers and Others for Clean Air and The Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Laura and her husband, Rutherford, are also the proud owners of EcoManor, the first LEED-certified home in Georgia; ecomanor.com.