As winter morphs into spring and the earth thaws along with our newly divorced psyches, there comes an innate desire to hit the proverbial ‘refresh button’. Transitional periods in life, like a divorce, can be a fantastic opportunity to take a good long look at how you live, what you’re holding on to and what you can do to be a better contributor to this beautiful world of ours.
According to a study by Jianguo Liu, the
Rachel Carson Chair in Ecological Sustainability at Michigan State University,” Divorce is bad for the environment.” Links between divorce and the environment shows a global trend of soaring divorce rates has created more households with fewer people, has taken up more space and has gobbled up more energy and water. The study says that, “…cohabitation means less urban sprawl and softens the environmental hit.”
Are they kidding? Being happily divorced may make for a much healthier person than staying married and being miserable. So get a roommate and a low flush toilet, turn off the water while brushing your teeth and make sure you recycle whatever possible. Awareness is always the first step toward change. And here are some other tips to consider so you can begin your single life clean, green and open for new possibilities.
1. Get rid of it.Clutter is stuff you no longer use or love. Clutter is your past. It’s 10 years ago. It’s those fabulous silver shoes that you wore once but can’t bear to part with because they cost an entire paycheck. It’s that red cashmere sweater your ex-spouse's mother gave you for Christmas. It’s piles of Victoria’s Secret catalogs, junk mail and your yellowing divorce papers. Breath held and environmentally safe cleaning products at the ready, it’s time to open those drawers, pull back the fridge and take a good look at what’s been collecting in the crevices of our lives.
2. Baby steps.When you make the decision to let things go… actually “let things go”. So often we hold on to the past by littering our homes with old memories that are best released to make room for newer ones. Once you have decided to physically let things go, it’s crucial to get them out of the house pronto. Don’t second guess. Make three big piles: one for charity, one for friends or family, and the third to be recycled. It feels so good to start to arrange our lives for ourselves and a greener, more viable planet. One step at a time.
3. Donate and party-on.Donate your old electronics such as that ancient flip cell phone that had a cameo in the movie “Wallstreet”, old computers and ancient VHS players to a local recycling program such as
Earth 911.org. Earth 911 has taken environmental hotlines, Web sites and other information sources nationwide, and consolidated them into one network. There, you will find community-specific information on ‘e-cycling’ (the re-cycling of electronics) and more. Every year Monica Janckowitz of Rye, N.Y., annually orders a party plate of sushi for her girlfriends and tells them all to bring all the clothes they haven’t worn in a year. “This party has become a tradition since my divorce. I throw it every spring so we can all literally and figuratively clean out our closets.” Monica says it started when she was trying to throw away the clothes that reminded her of her ex-husband. “It grew into all my friends throwing all their unwanted, memory tainted clothes into a pile on my living room floor. We all try on each others’ clothes and whatever is left over in the pile I donate to a woman’s shelter.” Organizations such as
dressforsuccess.org take gently used professional attire for women who are interviewing for new jobs. This is a great way to give back to women and purge your closet of that blouse he gave you right before you kicked him to the curb.
4. It’s all in the lighting Did you know that by switching to energy-efficient fluorescent lamps you can save 66 percent more energy than if you used standard bulbs? Crazy. These efficient little beauties can be used with dimmers to save even more energy. Just make sure to check the packaging to see it it’s compatible. GE makes a dimming compact fluorescent light bulb (called the Energy Smart Dimming Spirals) that is specially designed for use with dimming switches.
And remember to turn the lights off when you leave the house and unplug appliances when you’re not using them. Just because an appliance isn't turned on doesn't mean it's not draining power. A big culprit of high electricity bills are charging units for cell phones and portable music players. If you go away on vacation remember to pull the plug on the TV, microwave and stereo. That is unless you think the dog will need to watch the latest "Law and Order" episode.
5. Have no fear. When it comes to the “urge to purge” (in the good way, not the Olsen twin variety) what stops us from chucking ‘that one sweater’ or your ‘classic lava lamp’? “Fear,” says Dava Hirschfield, professional organizer of Philadelphia, Pa. “It’s the ‘what if’ thoughts that are the hardest to deal with. I call these ‘clutter clusters’. If you haven’t used something in six months be ruthless and get rid of it!” Hirschfield goes on to explain that, ”We use 20 percent of our possessions 80 percent of the time so put this 20 percent in the most accessible places. Treat yourself to storage items such as a filing cabinet, a shoe rack or a pretty recycled paper box in which to keep sentimental items.”
Shari Albert is an accomplished actress who’s appeared in films including “The Brother’s McMullen” and “The Groomsmen” as well as on TV and stage. She is also a freelance writer for the LA Weekly and The Huffington Post. She can be reached at shari@sharialbert.com.
