Cosmopolitan

Well-timed hot showers can help ease global warming - really.

Living a green life is smart, easy and super trendy. Problem is, not all the save-the-earth advice you hear is created equal. Some highly touted moves may not have as much impact as you think…or may even end up wasting resources and pumping more pollutants into the atmosphere. To clear up the misconceptions and separate the good from the better, we consulted top environmental experts. Check out their myth-busting advice.

Good: Filling up the bath instead of taking a 20 minute long shower.
Better: Taking a five minute shower, which requires less than a third of the H2O needed to fill the average 42 gallon tub, says Elizabeth Rogers, an environmental consultant in Venice, California, and author of Shift your Habit: Easy Ways to Save Money, Simplify Your Life, and Save the Planet.

Green your bathing habit even more by installing a low-flow showerhead. You’ll cut your water usage by almost half.

Good: Sticking to locally grown produce to avoid eco-unfriendly transport.
Better: Purchasing organic and/or pesticide-free produce in general without worrying about how local it is. Most of the energy involved in farming come from growing the food-via chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides- not transporting it, despite the fossil fuels that are burned hauling fruits and vegetables thousands of miles from big farms to your supermarket. You’ll have a greater impact by focussing on the USDA organic label rather than on how far your produce travelled.

Good: Signing up for carbon offsets or paying for trees to be planted to fight greenhouse gases.
Better: Using eco-friendlier forms of transport, like your feet, your bike, or public transportation. While offsets and planting trees may ease your guilt about commuting to work solo everyday or flying cross-country, "the eco-logical benefits are questionable," says Brinda Sarathy, PhD, assistant professor of environmental studies at Pitzer College, in Claremont, California. You have no way of knowing where the money for the carbon offsets will go to or if the planted trees actually will be well cared for, so cut down on gases the old-fashioned way: by using fewer things that create them.

Good: Buying a hybrid vehicle instead of a regular one.
Better: Shopping for a fuel-efficient used car in good condition - if you plan on using if for just a few years. That’s because it takes a massive amount of energy and pollution-generating materials to make one new auto of any kind. Buying an older vehicle that gets at least 12 to 13 kilometres per litre ultimately sucks up fewer fossil fuels and is more carbon footprint-friendly than buying a new hybrid, says Sarathy.
The time to go with a new hybrid is when you’re looking for a car to use as your primary vehicle for at least five years. It’ll use fewer fossil fuels and produce less carbon as you drive it, and that will make up for the energy needed to buil it.

Good: Turning off appliances when you’re not using them.
Better: Pulling the plug when you go to work and/or bed. Leaving an appliance plugged in draws energy even it’s in the off mode. In fact, 75 per cent of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed when devices are off, according to the U.S Department of Energy.
Don’t worry as much about smaller items, like a digital clock. And yeah, we hear you that it’d be a bitch to unplug the TV and cable box daily, since you’d constantly be reprogramming menus and timers. But unplugging other energy suckers, like your computer or an AC unit, will conserve electricity and slash your electric bill to boot.

Good: Using biodegradable products to save landfill space.
Better: Buying quality products that last and/or can be reused. Landfills are so tightly packed with garbage that its often hard for sunlight and oxygen to penetrate…and it takes both of those to kick start the decomposition process. So biodegradable products might hang around taking up space in landfills, says Sarathy. The best solution is to buy things that will end up in landfill in the first place.

Good: Supporting the green movement.
Better: Flaunting your eco friendly ways. Good habits are contagious, so if you show how easy greening up is, then friends, neighbours, and family members are more likely to do it as well. Even if you feel your own small changes wont stop the ice caps from melting, collectively these changes will have a positive impact on the earth’s health, says Jay L. Banner, PhD, director of the Environmental Science Institute at the university of Texas at Austin.

Slow down and save

- Stick to the speed limit when you drive. You’ll conserve fuel and save up to $300 yearly filling up your tank.

- Choosing a previously owned leather clutch saves as much energy as not watching TV for three days straight. And is much better for you social life, too.

- Buying a pre-loved silk dress saves 95 per cent of the CO2 needed to make a new one. That’s a slim-down we can all enjoy!