The GfG Project

Everywhere, everyone seems to be talking about “going green”, “carbon neutrality,” and “sustainable living.” We’d all like to see a healthier future for planet Earth—to help reduce global warming, reverse toxic imbalances in the environment, and stave off glacier meltdowns.

But what does it really mean to live a more ecologically friendly lifestyle? Do we have to drop out of society and live “off grid”? Is that even possible? What about hot tubs, cars, air conditioning, tubes of hair products and other such environmental offenders that can be next to impossible to give up? What is the middle ground? Can we be good environmental citizens while still living in the modern world?

Where to Begin?
The final musical sequence of An Inconvenient Truth provides many great ideas for ordinary people like us who want to make a difference. But in the midst of our busy lives, we find Al’s long list of suggestions as overwhelming as they are inspiring. What we’re really talking about is lifestyle change, and that requires commitment and heart. It means taking things one step at a time.

Energy Diet
Please tag along with us as we take on the challenge of greening our lives, little by little. Over the next months we’ll experiment with eco-friendly lifestyle modifications and make the small changes that will, hopefully, make a big difference. We think of it as a kind of diet for our energy consumption. Along the way we’ll blog about our ups and downs, frustrations and insights, and share our small victories with you. By going public with our plan we’re hoping to establish some accountability, as well as create a community of people like us—busy individuals who want to be greener but aren’t quite sure where to start.

Energy Education
In thinking about energy waste and the environment, we realized how ignorant we are about the facts of consumption. What’s the difference in energy use between paper towels and cloth? Why does unplugging save electricity? How much of a positive impact does vegetarianism have? So as part of this blog we hope to gather relevant energy consumption information and pass that along.

Join Us!
This blog is for those who are well-intentioned but don’t have it all figured out. We embrace the idea that there is no one right way to be eco-friendly—that it will look a little different for each of us, depending on where we live and what’s going on in our lives. The important thing is that we are doing something. So please contribute to our conversation! Commiserate with us about how it’s not easy being green, post your favorite environmental link, or share a helpful conservation tip. And remember, no trees were destroyed in the making of this blog.