Going Green

With gas prices soaring over $3.50/gallon, I have decided to take a look at my use of my car to see where I can attempt to save a little money while being good to the environment. At first I thought that I couldn't possibly make a difference with regards to either, but after much thought I have put together a plan to "Go Green." The gas issue has also made me think about areas of my life where I can continue to respect the environment .

• Starting in mid-May (after swimming nationals) I will ride my bike to work at least 2-3 times per week. It's approx. 5 miles each way and we are lucky to have showers at work.


• Swim a few days per week at Chinquapin with DC Masters. The pool is only a few blocks from my house and I really like the people on the team. They swim in the mornings so I will try to swim with them on the mornings that I do not bike to work. This will save a few trips to GMU or Oak Marr. Both of those pools are a 22-24 mile round trip.


• Remember to take my canvas grocery bags with me to the store so I don't continue to accumulate plastic bags.
  
• Reduce the amount of work I send to the printer. Before hitting print, think "Do I really need to print that out?" Usually the answer is "no" and I am already pretty good about the amount of paper I use at work.


• Continue to email "junk mail" to remove my name from their list. In the past few months, I have contacted Citibank, Tiffany, Hammer Nutrition to be removed from their mailings. Anything that automatically goes in the recycle bin can more than likely be prevented from even getting to my house.

These are just a few of many things that we can all do to help the environment, and save a little money on gas.