For St. Patrick's Day, 7 ways to really 'go green'

Most St. Patrick's Day revelers take "going green" literally, donning hats, scarves, shirts and beads in all shades ranging from avocado to shamrock.

Let's take a moment to go green figuratively. There's no bad time to spruce up your environmental habits, but spring, the iconic season of renewal, is the ideal time.

Here are nine simple ways you can amend your ways for the Earth's sake:

Say 'no' to straws

Plastic drinking straws are as unnecessary as they are harmful to the environment, activists say.

They also can't be recycled. So the estimated 500 million straws that Americans use each day end up in landfills or, worse, as floating detritus of the seas.

The solution: Stop using them. Make sure to tell your server when you order a drink.

Go native

Native plants promote healthy habitats for critters and insects that call the Eastern Shore home. 

Exotics from Japan and elsewhere are often pretty, but they offer paltry value to the ecosystem. So, plant natives in your yard instead.

The Lower Shore Land Trust is holding its 11th annual native plant sale May 4-5 in Snow Hill. For details, visit lowershorelandtrust.org.

More:At Blackwater refuge, rising sea levels drown habitat

Don't be salty

It's getting a little late in the season for snow, but, heck, I saw a few flakes over Delmar, Maryland, on Friday. 

So, it still bears saying you don't have to use salt to keep your front steps and driveway from icing over. The many tons of salt spread on roads and around homes builds up over time, upping the saline concentration in local waterways. 

You can avoid using salt by clearing the snow before it turns to ice. And you can cut back by making sure to use it only when you're absolutely sure it will snow. Sand or kitty litter can be used as substitutes to maintain traction.

Bypass the meat

Go ahead and eat that corned beef Saturday.

But Monday, consider a vegetarian alternative. And maybe keep all your Mondays meat-free.

The Meatless Monday movement, launched a decade and a half ago, calls on people to skip meat on the first workday of the week. Reducing meat intake is good for you and cuts back on the forces behind global warming, advocates say.

More:Small resolutions can have a big impact on the planet

Reuse bags

Reusable bags are ubiquitous these days. Walmart even puts them at the entrance to many of its checkout aisles. 

Yet, I don't see too many folks using them. Cloth or canvas bags are stronger than their flimsy plastic brethren, and you can even use them to carry your gym clothes.

Leave your leaves

Have you been lazy? Did you forget to get around to raking up all those fall leaves in your yard?

It turns out you're an eco-warrior. Bagging those leaves for trash collection chokes landfills, and burning them chokes humans, particularly ones who like to breathe.

The alternative is one of the rare instances in which being environmentally friendly actually takes less energy than the traditional method. Simply mulch the leaves into your turf by running over them with your lawnmower.

It can even make your sod healthier in the long run.

Ride a bike

Trade your fossil-fuel burning car for a bike on some trips. If you need a push, May 14-18 is set aside as National Bike to Work Week.

I tried it a few years ago and encountered some obstacles but came away feeling fitter and better about my own ability to make simple but important changes.

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On Twitter @Jeremy_Cox

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