Many people have been modifying their daily activities to “go green” the past few years, but senior Madileine Grodnick has altered her entire lifestyle in order to reduce her environmental footprint. “The reason I began my interest in caring for the environment isn’t just because I love nature; ever since I was informed of the damage done to our earth thus far, I suddenly felt that it was my duty to do something about it,” said Grodnick.

She did not drastically make changes to get where she is today, she eased into being green. “It wasn’t easy at first because I didn’t have control over a lot of these choices before becoming a licensed driver,” said Grodnick, “My mom didn’t care less about whether our food was organic or humane, so she bought all of the conventional products and junky snacks; now, it is my privilege to go to the grocery store weekly (Lakewinds, preferably or Trader Joe’s) to purchase our food and cleaning supplies.”

Apart from buying organic food and cleaning products, Grodnick also makes conscious efforts every day that are simple, yet accomplish a lot. “As difficult as it is, I take shorter showers,” said Grodnick. “I never leave any unnecessary lights on in the house, I turn the water off, rather than wastefully keeping it on while brushing my teeth, I reuse containers for storing food, [and] I always carry my BPA-free water bottle or travel coffee mug to avoid plastic usage.”

As member of PETA, Grodnick also makes sure that she uses products such as body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and soap that are not tested by animals. “The products I like to use most [are from] J.R. Watkins, which is a long standing apothecary company who prides themselves on their whole ingredients and animal-friendliness,” said Grodnick, “One of my other favorites is Miessence Organic Skin Care.”

Grodnick encourages everyone to follow her low-impacts routines such as always recycling, doing laundry only when there is a full load to be washed, using reusable bags for both produce and carryout, carpooling, and turning the engine off when idling to reduce carbon emissions. “They are simple, easy ways to reduce your environmental footprint!” said Grodnick.

When asked the simple question, why go green? Grodnick said, “to know that if I complete such small, mindless tasks each day to ensure the survival of our earth, why wouldn’t I ‘go green’?”