If you're anything like my wife, my friends, and myself, you've probably thought about going eco-friendly many times, but done very little in the way of actually doing anything toward that goal. Unfortunately, we are not alone. Many people out there would like to do something to live the "green life", but it all seems so daunting, or so much extra work, that we chicken out, or promise ourselves that we'll "do it later" but never do. Some of us turn to the internet, only to find that there aren't very many sites out there which really give a good starting point for green living. Many give poor advice, or recommend you make very huge changes to your daily life. This intimidating "nature" of these sites actually go a long way toward forcing you to forget about green living, being eco-friendly, doing your part, simply because it's too much! Enter the world of green products.

Imagine if you only had to turn to a different shelf at the grocery store, or switch a few products that you use on a semi-daily to daily basis to "green products"? That wouldn't be too much to ask, right? In addition, you'd have that sense of pride that you've finally begun to live the green life. Could green living be this simple? How could buying paper plates made of bamboo fibers instead of trees make an eco-difference? Is buying that "green" cleaning spray really so much different than buying the "big-box" brand made with petroleum products in a metal and non-recyclable plastic container? By looking at individual products by themselves, green products cannot make a difference alone. However, if you switch one, you're twice as likely to switch another, and another, and another, and so on.

Before you know it, green living has become a habit instead of a chore, and you will find yourself eagerly looking for more things you can do around the house to become more eco-friendly. You will start to notice the green products first at the store, instead of those popular "name-brands" that have bloated advertising budgets to make sure every person knows their name. Gradually, your line of thinking becomes more and more in tune with living the green life, and starts to bleed over to other areas that may have scared you before. Separating your recyclables doesn't seem like so much of a change any more. Perhaps you should be composting those expired vegetables instead of throwing them in the trash. Little changes become the norm, rather than the exception, and the movement within your own home grows and grows.

Your green living should start with these small choices, with the easy habits of switching your purchasing habits to green products. Look for blogs, websites, magazines, etc. for ideas on just what changes are available out there. Some ideas just would never have occurred to most of us; who would have thought about whether or not our bedsheets were eco-friendly, or if our shampoos and conditioners were polluting the environment through production or even our usage of them? If you can start switching to green products, an eco-friendly and green life will be well within reach before you know it.

Start small, but start fast, and start today. Don't put this off like you always do; after all, you were meaning to go to the grocery store today anyway. While you are there, pick up a replacement for your surface cleaner, maybe some replacement sponges made from coconut fibers. Truly look for green products that you could use right now, and begin living your new, green life today!