Michelle_Williams's Blog

It's not just primary day - it's Earth Day and it doesn't take a lot of green to be green!  People think being environmentally-conscious will cost them.  Not ready to make a big sacrifice or spend a lot of money?  You don't have to!!!!

It took me far to long to wake up and realize how my habits are affecting our planet but now that I'm awake I'm looking for ways to make changes in my life so I don't have a negative impact on the earth. I realized I don't have to run out and buy a hybrid, even small changes have a big impact.

The first two things I did were easy and cheap! First - reusable bags. They're actually becoming a fashion trend. I have a couple from Whole Foods that are beautiful, I use them to tote around everything, not just groceries! Plastic bags are evil! We have to stop accepting them! Think about how many plastic bags you probably bring home after a busy day of errands - 5 from the grocery store, one from the pharmacy, another from the shoe store! Plastic bag manufacturing consumes 12 million barrels of oil a year and bags tossed in a landfill take 500 years to degrade! Reusable bags just make sense! They sell for $1 in almost every grocery store and places like Whole Foods will take 5 cents off your bill for each reusable bag you use.

The other simple change - change the lightbulbs! You can find CFL bulbs practically everywhere now! The price has really come down since they first came out, helping you save money on energy costs. On average, if every American household switched out their traditional bulbs for CFLs, they would save approx. $350 a year. And it would save so much energy it would be like taking a million cars off the road!

Here are some other cool 'green' products that Walmart sells and they're all under $10!!!

RPET Coca-Cola Branded T-shirts - Wal-Mart has partnered with Coca-Cola to introduce co-branded t-shirts made with RPET, a material manufactured with recycled plastic bottles. Check it out online at Walmart.com/earth they're only $7.50 each!

Majestic™ Rubber Mulch - Made from 100% recycled tire rubber, Majestic rubber mulch is ideal for landscaping and covering playgrounds, pools and pond areas. Available in red or brown, the rubber mulch is non-toxic and latex-free, and is a great alternative to traditional mulch for environmentally conscious gardeners. This company is also based out of Bensalem, PA and its product is available at all area stores. $5.47 for a 20 lb. bag

Dropps liquid laundry detergent - concentrated detergent that preserves water, energy and plastic. Dropps is a Philadelphia-based company, and is offering its product on rollback at Wal-Mart during the month of April for under $4 (one package of dropps does 20 loads of laundry and uses less packaging and water than traditional detergents … its also 6x more concentrated).

Clorox Green Works ™ cleaning products 2 for $5 - Green Works Natural Cleaners work as well as other cleaners, without the harsh chemical fumes and residue.