Summertime has arrived. It is a time for hours by the pool, barbeques and multiple showers a day, if you’re still here in Statesboro. It can also be a time to live more sustainably and have fun doing it. You can easily make your summer into a green summer with a couple of these tweaks and tips.

First is food-related. Shopping at a farmer’s market is one of the easiest and best things you can do for the environment, the local economy and your health. The Statesboro farmer’s market will be in season all summer and happens downtown every Saturday morning. We have an incredible and extensive farmer’s market, with fresh food for reasonable prices, arts and crafts and food samples. Try some really fresh produce once, and you’ll be hooked.

Second, you can green up your cookouts. Use washable plates and cups if at all possible or buy recyclable ones. Styrofoam may keep your drink cold, but it never really degrades and cannot be recycled. If you are a Georgia Southern University student, there’s a 99 percent chance your cookout will include alcoholic beverages. Rather than letting beer cans pile up in your trash, just set aside a separate trashcan or bag for all that recyclable aluminum.

Third, try to go easy on the A/C. Statesboro summers can be very hot and humid, but cranking up the A/C is a strain on energy use and your electric bill. There are other options for cooling your home or apartment. One is the obvious: turn all the ceiling fans onto their highest setting. Another is to use curtains, since they block out some of the heat from sunlight coming through windows. The last and most interesting option is put a bowl of ice at the base of a desk fan. The fan circulates the cold air coming off the ice and cools the room.

Being sustainable doesn’t have to be difficult. Ideas like these make living sustainably easy and doable. So let’s all have a great and green summer!