By Carolyn Crist
For the AJC
Lilburn resident Tom Mills' new video series, "26 Second Green," offers quick tips to help folks embrace an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Mills was inspired by research that showed about 82 percent of Americans desire a sustainable lifestyle, but only about 16 percent take action.
The study of the “Green Gap,” or the space between consumers’ intentions and actions, was conducted in 2011 by OgilvyEarth, a global sustainability practice that works with brands.
“It’s about putting on a green lifestyle, one leg at a time,” he said. “That’s why I encourage one tip in each video. If you take one step and have success, it becomes a habit.”
The "26 Second Green" video series is part of his GreenShortz YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/GreenTomMills) that emphasizes personal sustainability (he also has a website, greenshortz.com). Mills suggests adding these seven steps to your habits at home, just in time for Earth Day 2015 (April 22):
1. Recycle your moving materials. Take foam peanuts and bubble wrap to a local shipping store, where they can be reused.
2. Collect paperboard items to recycle. Clip an empty cereal box to the back of a door or shelf and toss in small pieces of paperboard, such as coffee cup sleeves, instead of throwing them away.
3. Compost in your backyard. Tissues, coffee grounds and vegetable scraps return fiber and nutrients to the soil. If you don't have yard space to compost, services in Atlanta will pick up your compost and use it on farm soil. "Last year, I weighed my coffee grounds before composting and found that I would have put 80 pounds into the landfill," Mills said.
4. Consider vegetable co-operatives. Some services deliver fresh fruit and vegetables from your community. Reduce overall gas consumption, eat organic food and support farmers by participating in this local option, he said.
5. Don't forget extra recyclables. Even if your curbside recycling service won't take it, you still could save it. Plastic film and grocery bags can be returned at grocery stores. If you can stretch the plastic, such as sandwich bags and newspaper bags, with your thumb, they can be returned. Some grocery stores also will take foam items, such as cups and packaging.
6. Measure your energy usage. Utility companies, such as Georgia Power, offer online tools that monitor residential home energy use. Track how your heating, cooling, water and light costs change.
7. Download an app to help you gauge and reduce electricity usage. The U.S. Department of Energy's Apps for Energy competition (appsforenergy.challengepost.com) is resulting in new apps, such as Leafully.
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