We are all (hopefully) trying to be a little more conscious about how green we are these days, especially with Earth Day just around the corner. You know I am a big fan of multi-tasking, so I was thrilled to come across these tips on being healthy while being green from the April 2007 issue of the Harvard Health Letter:
- Walk or bike to work. Combining exercise and a commute builds healthful activity into your day and reduces fuel use and vehicle emissions. Could there be a better good-for-you, good-for-the-planet twofer?
- Go to bed early. Studies have identified a correlation between short sleep and being overweight. Meanwhile, all the TVs and computers that help keep us up at night use electricity.
- Turn down the heat and air conditioning. Humans control body temperature by adjusting their metabolisms. But when air temperatures are in the thermoneutral zone -- the 70s -- we burn fewer calories. So by adjusting your thermostat, you may keep your metabolism from getting lazy and also reduce your energy use.
- Eat the right kind of fish. Eating fish is healthful in many ways. But some species are contaminated with pollutants, and others are suffering from overfishing. Making the right "eco-choice" involves homework. Find useful guides at OceansAlive.org and BlueOcean.org.
- Eat local fruits and vegetables. Transporting fruits and veggies long distances is energy intensive. Give some preference to locally grown food.
- Don't take more medications than you need. Our bodies only use a fraction of any drug we take; the rest gets excreted. Pharmaceuticals in waste water adversely affect ecosystems. So your own sake and that of the water supply, don't take unnecessary medications.
There are five more great tips, so read more