I watch many television programmes about global warming and quiet frankly it scares me.  It scares me because I watch so many of them and still there are things I do that are not Green.  How many times do I have to watch these programs to get the message?

So what is it to Be Green?

To Be Green is to reduce your carbon footprint, help create things that are sustainable or use things that are sustainable.  I'm sure there are many more definitions but this is where I'm going to start.

Morning ritual

I wake up and boil the kettle for a cup of coffee (not green) but at least I try to boil a maximum of one or two cups of water in the kettle (green).  I switch on the TV to catch the morning news (not green), I shower (green) as to bath (not green).  I heat up the kettle again (oops not green) to have a second cup of coffee while I get dressed.

Off to work

I switch on the alarm system (not green but what can a girl do in Johannesburg - we need the alarm otherwise the insurance company will not pay if I get robbed). I drive the speedlimit to work and calmly (Mythbusters proved that if you drive under stress you use three times as much petrol).

At work

I recycle paper, I print double sided, but I could change my coffee ritual by using my own ceramic cup rather than the paper cup the coffee shop gives me.  But then I'll have to wash my cup each time.  There is hot water on tap (not green), no dishwashing liquid (I'd have to take my own in to work), and papertowels for drying the cup (not green, so I'd also have take in my own dishtowel) - what's a girl got to do not to feel guilty about her cup of coffee.  And then there's a shortage of coffee in the world too.  Oh my...

I take lunch in to work in a washable plastic container at the moment so at least I do not have to worry about lunch takeout in polystyrene boxes that get thrown away or water used to wash.

Evening time

This is where I fall short... I get home, switch on the TV, heat the kettle, make dinner, watch TV and work on my computer with the heater on. I feel so guilty about this that I switched off my heater when I started to write this article.  I watch TV until I practically fall asleep with it on - thank heaven for the SLEEP button to turn off the TV when I'm asleep.

And on to the next day, same ritual!

So, I plan to write these articles as an ongoing blog. I will keep you up-to-date about anything green I do or remember I did, giving a voice to those of us trying to Be Green in a traditionally non-green lifestyle.