Being Green: Small Changes, Big Impact!

By Taylor Galvin

“My role is small, but I’ll make a change”
-Dub Fx

I love to spend time outdoors.  Whether I’m swimming at the beach, walking in the woods with my dogs, or adventuring in the snow, experiencing nature is my favorite thing to do.  Anyone who knows me knows it breaks my heart to see all these places polluted with trash, majorly consisting of bottles, plastic bags, or some sort of packaging.  

Taylor and her pup enjoying nature all year long!

Landfills in the U.S. are filling up, leaving us with nowhere to put the trash that actually does make it to the dumpster.  A big percentage of this trash could be recycled or composted.  Trash is extremely harmful to all of us.  Not only does it take up space that we are living in, it also emits toxic gasses that we breathe, pollutes the water we drink, poisons the fish and animals we eat, and contaminates the land where we grow crops.  

I wish I could fix it in one easy step but I can’t!  BUT if everyone pitches in we can make a difference!  “My role is small, but I’ll make a change” are the inspiring words sung by the insanely talented street performer Dub Fx.  In the song "Love Someone," he creates a vision of peace and appreciation of the earth in the funkiest poetry performance I’ve ever seen! This particular line reminds me that even when I feel my individual actions are small, every effort to bettering the world counts. Check out his performance here!  https://youtu.be/UiInBOVHpO8

You know who else is funky and appreciates the earth..?  The Verde Girls!  My own daily practices to living green are avoiding plastics, driving my four-cylinder car and motorcycle, recycling, and using minimal electricity.  An easy way to make a significant different is to be as plastic free as you can be.  Here are some of Verde’s ways to execute these ideas:  

Taylor riding her motorcycle.

• Reusable Bags- almost every grocery store you shop at has these for sale.  You can get a basic bag for as little as a dollar.  There are also insulated ones to keep food fresh.  Or spend a little more money and buy one that accentuates your own personal style! 
• Reusable water bottles- The girls at Verde use refillable glass water bottles instead of plastic disposable ones.  Any reusable one is better than a disposable one.  We love the glass bottles from lifefactory.com. Having some sort of filtration system will save you money in the long run too!  Simpson spring is our ethical source of water that comes from a local spring in Easton, MA.  Find more out about Simpson Spring at www.simpsonspring.org. 
• Buying products that come in biodegradable packaging.  The less packaging the better. Choosing cardboard or paper over plastic is also easier to recycle.
• Buying in bulk- Fewer trips to the store saves gas and usually when you buy in bulk you get a better deal.

Verde's favorite reusable glass water bottles!

Did you know that in Massachusetts there is a ban on throwing away anything that can be recycled?  It is almost impossible to be enforced though.  Our neighbor Vermont is one of the nations top recyclers!  

Most local towns are now offering single stream recycling to their residents.  Other towns offer private recycling services for a small fee.  If you are unsure of how to go about this contact your town/city hall for more information or ask one of the Verde girls! In our home town of Braintree they post amazing info through the town. 

Braintree spreading the good word, no more plastic bags!

       At Verde we have an ongoing recycle program and anyone is welcome to drop of any hard to recycle packaging, such as aerosol can and cosmetic packaging. 

    Let’s be the beginning of an awesome movement to clean up this earth! No effort is too small to make a change.  Every bit of living eco-consious helps.  Thank you for picking Verde and helping us in our mission to reduce waste and energy!

About the author: Taylor truly is one of the most conscientious women we have had the pleasure of working with. Not only will she go out of her way to pick up random litter, but she will make efforts to save bees who have made their way indoors. She truly makes the Verde team proud with her earth loving ways.