30 Eco-Actions That Add Up
1. In the Eco-World, The Sun is Your Friend -- Adjust your window blinds to reduce energy used for heating and cooling. In the summer, keep sunny-side blinds closed. In the winter, open up and let the sunshine in to help heat your home.
2. Get Involved -- Join a local action group that promotes environmentally friendly practices, organize carpooling or petition your municipality to increase local energy conservation measures. One person really can make a difference and inspire others to as well. Think of Al Gore or Michael Moore as examples of that concept!
3. Plant a Tree -- ONE tree can absorb one ton (2,000 pounds) of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. One acre of tree cover in Anywhere, USA can compensate for automobile fuel use equivalent to driving a car between 7,200 and 8,700 miles.
4. Clean Green -- Many household cleaning products contain various chemicals and toxins that are hazardous to the environment and to your health. Read the labels and buy eco-friendly cleaning products - many of which are available at stores like Target, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Staples, Office Depot and various other chain grocers.
5. Grow alt Your Own -- Take a lesson from history and plant a garden or a few pots of veggies without pesticides and chemical fertilizers harmful to both human health and the environment. Instead of a Victory Garden plant an E-Garden.
6. Avoid Products with a Lot of Packaging -- You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide a year if you cut down your garbage by 10%. Look for products with biodegradable packaging.
7. Drive Smart -- Try walking, riding a bike or combining trips in your car to cut back on the miles that you drive each day. If you stopped driving just 20 extra miles per week for one year, you could save about 900 pounds of CO2 per year.
8. Office Overhaul -- At home or on the job, switch to green office supplies, such as recycled paper clips, tree-free note pads and 100% recycled paper. Producing recycled paper requires about 60 percent of the energy used to make paper from virgin wood pulp.
9. Turn Out the Lights -- Save Energy -- Before leaving your home or office, make sure all the lights are turned off. This simple task saves both energy and money. For more energy saving tips see our Link under the energy conservation + recycling heading.
10. Buy Recycled Products -- Buying new products made from recycled materials encourages a 'cradle to cradle' approach to industrial design and sustainability. With an emphasis on creating a supply of recycled material items recycled curbside or in other recycling programs, the marketplace will reshape itself in order to meet consumer demand.
11. Switch to Organics -- Organic agriculture protects the health of all the earth's inhabitants by limiting input of toxic and persistent chemicals into the air, soil and water. Organic methods support natural ecosystems by using long-term farming solutions that help preserve the earth's resources for future generations.
12. Start a Compost Pile in Your Yard -- As landfill space becomes increasingly scarce and expensive, composting is an extremely valuable idea for reducing needless garbage. Composting requires little effort and, in time, will create an earthy, crumbly substance to help your plants flourish.
13. Buy in Bulk -- Purchasing food in bulk allows you to choose just how much or how little of a certain product you want. This reduces both product waste and packaging waste.
14. Hydrate with Respect -- 80% of the 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles Americans use each year end up in landfills. Recycle, reuse and choose tap water when given the option.
15. Use Less Hot Water -- Wash clothes in cold or warm water to save up to 500 pounds of CO2 per year. Rinse your dishes with cold water and wait to run the dishwasher until it's full. Take short showers instead of baths and lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120 degrees F. For more energy saving tips see our Link under the energy conservation + recycling heading
16. Recycle More -- You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste. Think before you toss something into the trash - and teach your children to ask before they throw anything out as well!
17. Support Eco-Smart Packaging -- When shopping for packaged products, seek out companies that use minimal amounts of packaging and use recycled and/or recyclable materials.
18. Be Disposable Conscious -- To decrease waste, purchase durable, long-lasting products that can be reused or refilled, such as rechargeable batteries and refillable razors. If you do use disposables, choose those made with eco-friendly materials from companies you can trust.
19. Choose Your Food Like it Matters -- Choose products from companies and businesses that do something to support the health of the planet. And, eat as many whole foods as possible. Not only are they better for you, but also, they're better for the Earth. The more whole the food is, the fewer the resources used to get it to your plate.
20. Reuse Your Bags -- More than one billion single-use plastic bags are handed to consumers each day. Paper or plastic shouldn't be the question asked. Reusing shopping bags significantly reduces both emissions and waste. Many grocers reward customers for reusing by offering a per-bag refund.
21. Change a Light -- Twenty percent of the electricity consumed in the United States is for lighting. Replacing one regular bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
22. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint - Tread Lightly -- Walk, bike, carpool or take mass-transit more often. You'll save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don't drive, reducing your carbon weight, and maybe some body weight, too!
23. Turn Off Electronics -- Simply turning off your TV, DVD player, stereo and computer when you're not using them will save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Some appliances even use electricity when turned off, so unplug those that are used infrequently. For more information about energy efficient electronics see our Link under the energy conservation + recycling heading
24. Think Before You Print -- It takes 390 gallons of oil to produce a ton of paper. To reduce the amount of paper that gets thrown away or recycled, triple check documents before printing. When you print drafts, try printing on the other side of used paper.
25. Keep Your Appliances Clean -- Cleaning your refrigerator coils and heating vents regularly allows them to operate much more efficiently. When appliances aren't forced to work as hard, you reduce your electric bill while reducing energy.
26. Cut Back on Water Usage -- In the United States, 27 percent of our water is used in bathing. Instead of taking a bath, take a quick shower and use a water-conserving showerhead. Repair leaky faucets, too, as they could leak up to 100 gallons of water per day!
27. Reduce Unwanted Mail and Catalog Overload -- The public landfill is approximately 36% waste paper products. Unwanted junk mail contributes to that, while also wasting energy and trees. For more information on how to reduce unwanted mail register with MPS. (See our Link under the energy conservation + recycling heading)
28. Don't Trash Clothing -- Use worn out t-shirts, towels and bed linens as rags for cleaning around the house. Pass along unwanted clothes to friends, family or charitable organizations.
29. Adjust Your Thermostat -- Moving your thermostat down just 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer could save 2,000 pounds of CO2.
30. Buy Locally Grown Food -- Purchase locally grown food when possible to support independent, local farms and the environment. They use fewer resources on their way to your plate, and they're usually fresher, too, since they're typically picked more recently.