
In the last year we’ve seen countless cover stories in the media about global warming, and Al Gore’s book and movie Inconvenient Truth has drawn an amazing amount of attention to the subject. Many of us may not be able to afford a hybrid car or solar panels for our home, but there are many, many simple and cost saving ways we can do our part to save the environment everyday.
Below are 50 that I’ve come across in articles and online sources that can be done without making major changes to your life - but they will make major positive changes to our environment.
I challenge you to integrate five new ideas into your life today. You can also purchase a wide array of books on the subject and energy saving products here. Enjoy!
- Bring your own commuter mug to Starbucks or to work
- Think before you print. And if you have printed documents that you don’t need, recycle or use them as scratch paper
- Turn of the lights in your office when you leave at the end of the day
- Bring your lunch (using plastic containers and silverware) versus getting lunch “to go”
- Use the dishwasher versus washing by hand (uses much less water and the water heater is one of the biggest sources of our energy bill)
- Go to the car wash versus washing yourself
- Buy locally grown produce (hit the farmers market)
- Buy organic produce (and it’s good for your too)
- Consider going vegetarian
- Do larger loads of laundry
- Wash whites in warm, not hot
- Set your frig for 37 degress and your freezer for 3 degrees
- Use matchbooks versus lighters
- Get off junk mail lists through the Direct Marketing Association
- Bring your own towel to the gym
- Stop using plastic grocery bags
- Bring your own canvas grocery bags
- Switch to a laptop, they use 50 percent less energy
- Swap out your light bulbs for fluorescent. A 25-watt fluorescent (which are affordable these days) produces about as much light as a 100-watt conventional and used only a quarter of the electricity
- Take a shorter shower and switch to a water efficient shower head (try Oxygenics)
- Lower the thermostat by two degrees in the winter and raise it a couple degrees in the summer
- Carpool to parties, work and events whenever possible
- Do all your errands at once to reduce drive time
- Keep your tires properly inflated and your car tuned
- Use an electric razor or hand razor with replaceable blades instead of disposable razor
- If possible, take public transportation at least once a week
- Walk more, drive less
- If you can’t afford a hybrid, at least try and find a car that gets good mileage
- Recycle your water bottles, shampoo bottles, wine bottles, cans, jars, newspapers, magazines and more
- Pay your bills online
- Turn off lights when you leave the room
- If it is just you, consider flying versus driving on trips over 500 miles
- Buy bulk
- Buy lighter packaged products (takes less energy to produce and transport)
- Download music versus buying CDs
- Unplug computers, printers and other electric gadgets when not in use
- Buy Energy Star appliances (there are many products available today)
- Avoid bottled water. Buy in volume or use a filtration system
- Choose tap water at a restaurant
- Pick up five pieces of trash
- Use rags instead of paper towels, and cloth napkins instead of paper ones
- Buy rechargeable batteries
- Water lawn and gardens early in the morning
- Avoid disposables when putting on a party. Instead use plastic or regular plates that can be used year after year
- Recycle usable bows, ribbons and decorative wrapping for gifts
- Recycle clothing by giving it away or using old tees as rags. Patagonia collects used clothing made from Polartec and Capilene to make into new fabric and clothes
- Telecommute
- Consider buying vintage clothing
- Wrap your water heater in an insulated blanket (only costs about $10)
- Donate used products (i.e. clothing, furniture, appliances) to a charity
Many other great ideas and educational tools can be found at EarthShare.org.
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