12 Simple Changes, part two

7. Buy locally.
Start by determining your area's biggest crops and make them staples of your diet. Then check your local supermarket for any locally grown foods - if there are no labels, ask someone! Or (more fun!) do a little research and determine if there is a farmer's market in your area. If there is, do your fresh veggie and fruit shopping there. The benefits of buying locally are great. You will often spend less money as you are buying direct from the grower. The nutrient level and freshness is unbeatable - after all most of the crops were picked the day you bought them! The fuel needed to transport the food to you is much less than if you eat a tomato shipped from Brazil. And you are putting money back into your community.

8. Use recycled paper in your printer.
This should be applied at home and work if possible. There are amazing recycled papers out there nowadays, with almost no discernible difference from paper made of fresh-cut trees. Blech. Just thinking about what is done to a forest in order to make paper...paper! There is no reason not to switch to recycled. It can often be found for the same cost or a less. Ask your office manager to make the switch!

9. Use recycled or biodegradable trash bags.
Here's an obvious one. Seriously folks, they are holding your garbage. Why does our trash need to be held by shiny new plastic bags? Here's a reminder: plastic is made from oil. Oil occupies a portion of the earth underneath the surface. As we remove the oil we are literally draining the earth of something it created for a reason, a need. And I sincerely doubt that reason/need was for humans to make trash bags.

10. Walk.
If you don't need to drive, don't. You'll save gas (and therefore cash) and be doing something good for your health.

11. Think about the people you encounter.
Everyone you see throughout the day has the same basic needs as you do. Everyone. From the homeless guy on the train to the rich investment banker lady getting into a taxi to the illegal alien who buses your table. They are all human beings who need to eat, sleep and be loved. If we could think for a second of the people we encounter as people, not just as obstacles in the way of us and our grande skim latte, imagine the compassion we would begin to feel for them and for the world. And it doesn't cost a penny.

12. Spend at least 5 minutes a day alone in silence.
Whatever this means to you, do it. Whether it is prayer, yoga, meditation, or just sitting on the couch with the TV off, do it. If it means locking yourself in the bathroom, do it. We all need to check in with ourselves daily. And that can't be done while watching TV or feeding your children or checking your email. Find five minutes for yourself and just be quiet.