Today is that Day is very proud to be taking part in what is probably the largest combined effort ever in blogging history – Blog Action Day!
In a nutshell, Blog Action Day is a collective effort by more than 14,000 blogs to write about one topic in order to get this important issue in front of as many people as possible, all at the same time. The topic for Blog Action Day is the environment.
Trying to save the world that we live on is far from a new concept, although this is the first time in history that the massive reach of the blogosphere has been so successfully tapped in an effort raise the collective awareness of environmental issues.
One of the other topics that is near and dear to my own heart is our individual responsibility to ourselves and our health, so my contribution for Blog Action Day is the following list of 3 simple ways to get healthy while saving the environment!
1) Leave your car in the garage!
I am not one of those people who thinks that cars are “bad” or that we shouldn’t take advantage of the convenient as well as the fun aspects of having motorized vehicles. However, not to put too fine a point on it, but people have simply gotten lazy!
Do you need to take your car somewhere that is more than a few miles away? Usually, yes. However, do you need to take your car to the store that is just a few blocks or even a mile from your house? No.
Save money, lessen pollution, and get some exercise all at the same time by simply walking or taking a bicycle. What are you afraid of? That you’ll work up a sweat? Good! Sweating is very healthy and all recent health studies point to the fact that elevating your heart rate for at least 20 to 30 minutes every day is not just a good idea, but that it could actually save your life.
So, even if you don’t care about the environment, why don’t you put the car keys down, strap on some walking shoes, or just go grab your bike and work up a sweat. Do it every day, and before you know it, you will be losing weight, having a higher level of energy, saving money, and {GASP} – you might even enjoy it!
2) Stop buying bottled water!
This is one of the biggest “end around” health issues that I have ever seen. Many years ago, someone decided (rightfully so) that we all needed to be drinking more water. However, the need for us all to drink more water does NOT mean that we need to keep buying bottled water in plastic bottles!
Pop Quiz: What is the one solitary substance that is physically impossible for the environment to break down?
PLASTIC!
All of the plastic that there ever was is still here on earth, and every time you buy a plastic water bottle and then throw it in your trash can, you are contributing to the problem. I don’t have the facts and figures about how many of these plastic water bottles are sold every day, but I’m sure it is a staggering amount.
Yes, you should drink water – and a lot of it. However, just buy one or two plastic drinking bottles that can be washed and refilled every day. If you need to buy three or four so that you always have plenty of water available, then do that. However, stop buying disposable plastic water bottles!
Does the term “reduce, reuse, recycle” mean anything to you?
3) Eat fresh food instead of frozen food
There is no real discussion needed about the fact that fresh food is more healthy for you than the packaged frozen food that people buy at the grocery store. There are innumerable health benefits associated with eating fresh food – especially fruits and vegetables.
However, in addition to the instant and obvious health benefits, let’s look once again at the issue that was just mentioned – plastic. What do those Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers frozen meals come packaged in? Plastic.
How are those types of meals heated up? In the microwave. Ah yes, the microwave – you know, that massively power draining box that sits on top of your counter, using as much electricity as a television set, if not even more?
And what are the ingredients in all of those frozen foods? Chemicals. Those chemicals – other than being nothing less than poison for your body – are manufactured in a factory somewhere. That factory is using massive amounts of energy and it is also polluting the environment on many different levels.
By switching exclusively to fresh foods, you would:
- Instantly increase your level of health
- Live longer
- Stop putting more plastic into the environment
- Help to put companies out of business that are polluting both our bodies and our planet
Given the 3 simple ways to get healthy and save the environment that I just listed, what are your thoughts? Do they sound something like this?
- I’m only one person, what can I do?
- Saving only a few miles per day on my car won’t make much of a difference
- I don’t have time to wash and reuse water bottles
- My schedule doesn’t allow me time to eat fresh foods
If those are some of the responses that you have, then consider the following:
Yes, you are only one person, but this is a collective effort. Imagine if a few BILLION people started making these efforts on a daily basis.
If you save 2 miles per day on your car every day, that is over 700 miles every year. Even if your car gets 30 miles to the gallon, that is almost 25 gallons of gas pollution that you did not put into the environment – and that is only YOUR efforts over one year. Again, what if billions of people did that?
You DO have time to wash and reuse bottles and other eating and drinking utensils. It is just inconvenient, so you don’t want to do it.
Everyone can find a way to fit fresh foods into their dietary lifestyle. Again, it may not be convenient to do so, but there is a way. You just have to ask yourself if your health and the health of the very planet that you live on is worthy of your efforts…
Now that you have reached the end of this information about saving yourself and saving the environment at the same time, are you going to let it go in one ear and out the other, or are you going to take both personal and global responsibility and start making some changes?
As you consider that, let me leave you with one more quote:
“We are either part of the problem, or part of the solution.”
Love it! I became really aware of the environmental issue last year and it is on the forefront of my mind. When people hear this message again and again it will sink in! I love the positive messages of this site!
Giselle,
Thanks for the positive feedback on this post and the rest of the site. As more and more people talk about making positive changes, eventually it will become the norm, rather than the exception. That day is rapidly approaching. 🙂
Groovy post Aaron…I got to agree with you about drinking bottled water…I try and drink 8 glasses a day, but out of my faucet.
I believe a burgeoning market is the reusable bottle market, with some of those bad boys going for well over 2o bucks.
Thanks for posting your post url on the BlogActionDay group on Blogcatalog.
I think a good way to reduce your car use is by telecommuting. More employers should allow employees to do so on a greater scale.
Adam,
Funny how these things all tend to boil down to money. Making plastic bottles is making a lot of people rich, I’m sure.
I totally agree with you about telecommuting. I used to work for an Internet company back when that was the ultra-cool thing to be doing, and almost every employee there had a 45-90 minute commute to get to work. Imagine if every one of those employees worked from home just 1 day a week!
Thanks for your comments, Adam!
I got Russ to read your post, asking him to pay special attention to #2 (I didn’t tell him it was from my super hot cyber lover) and he has agreed to install a water filter so he can give up his bottled water habit.
Thanks for making a difference, Aaron!
Jeannette,
Other than the wonderful continuation of my status as a super hot cyber lover, I also don’t think that I can thank you enough for this simple quote:
That is the mission, and I am so incredibly grateful that I have done so!
Thank you, Jeannette! 🙂
I work for Cox Enterprises and saw that you participated in Blog Action Day. I thought you might be interested in visiting http://www.CoxConserves.com. The site details Cox’s commitment to the environment and offers tips on how anyone can become eco-friendly.
Best,
Elizabeth
Great post. Since my site is about bicycling I cover item number 1 all the time on my site. I have been trying to not drink bottled water unless that is my only option for some weird reason for some time now but I just posted about it when the Blog Action Day got started.
I hadn’t really thought about item number 3 though. I had never given how eating fresh food, instead of packed food could be better for the environment, a second thought. Until now. That is also a good health tip for cyclists (the readers of my site)
https://www.bicyclefrenzy.com
Bradly,
Hey, I’m a happy camper if I gave an avid bicyclist a tip to help out the health – not to mention the environment.
Thanks for stopping by, Bradly, and I’m sure your readers can benefit from that small bit of advice! 🙂
I think the most important thing is to eat fresh food, but this is very difficult those days. How has time to cook?
I think the most important thing is to eat fresh food, but this is very difficult those days. How has time to cook?
Need more people who think like you. Thank you for your efforts
Not only this will stop polluting the environment. In a way, it will help our global warming, climate change. When will all us stop and realize what we do now will effect our lives or our generation life.
I'm sorry but I can't agree with you on the bottled water issue, they should be recycled but that doesn't mean we have to re-use them ourselves by drinking rotten, chemical added tap water. we can simply put them in a recycle bin (for plastic bottles obviously!)
I say, let's do more green business whenever possible !
Very impressive indeed!
nice post.. let us help our self and help our environment. In order to be healthy we should also consider a environment Being part of the earth let us not forget that we are one of the most affected living things if somethings happen to our environment.
Good, impressive if every one think like you we will get a good change. Nice post
I'm a big fan of eating fresh instead of frozen, it is better for the environment and the food tastes better! The plastic bottle problem is a real cause for concern, but retailers don't care and consumers aren't interested as a whole.
Thanks for the great tips. Leaving your car in the garage can actually be a lot of fun. I started riding my bike this past summer to run all of my local errands. It felt great and yes, definitely helped the environment. I've also started using a water bottle. I wont lie, it's not easy, I still want to purchase a bottled water every now and again but must be saving tons of plastic! Thanks for the tips.
Thanks
cool