that you can start TODAY for a HUGE IMPACT
1. Just say "No" to bottled water.
Americans buy about 28 billion water bottles a year, 80% end up in landfills. And as a rule, bottled water is no safer or healthier than the H2O that flows from municipal water systems. 17 billion barrels of oil and 2.5 million tons of CO2 contribute to our annual bottled water use. Read more.
2. Bring your own shopping bag.
To make all the bags we use each year, it takes 14 million trees for paper and 12 million barrels of oil for plastic. If just 25% of U.S. families used 10 fewer plastic bags a month, we would save over 2.5 BILLION bags a year. Read more.
3. Recycle everything you can.
Go to http://www.earth911.org/ for details on your town's recycling policies. And don't just recycle trash items - if you're not using it, sell it on http://www.craigslist.com/ or post it on http://www.freecycle.org./ Everything from cell phones, Christmas trees, and shipping materials have a second home.
4. The forgotten "R" -- REDUCE
Here's a simple trick. Figure out how often you take out the trash in a week...now work to decrease that unenjoyable task. Read more. And don't stop with reducing rubbish, reduce your unnecessary consumption of water, energy, and fuel. (Here's something personal - I've started abiding by the "Let it mellow" theory, and including other small changes, like only full loads, my monthly water bill is down 33%.)
5. Change your light bulbs.
Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone in the U.S. used energy-efficient lighting, we could retire 90 average size power plants. Read more.
6. Eat less meat.
Raising livestock requires several times as much land and water to grow the grain to feed them, several times as much energy to harvest the grain and transport it, and don't forget animal waste and pesticides running into our water systems. This doesn't mean you have to eat tofu. A good PB&J will do just fine.
7. Ride your bike. Take the bus.
This isn't an option for everyone, but if you find yourself in the middle of nowhere Ohio, consider consolidating your errands into one planned route to reduce your fuel consumption and emissions. Keep your car maintenence in check to optimize your fuel efficiency. Read more.
8. Find your local farmer's market
1. Just say "No" to bottled water.
Americans buy about 28 billion water bottles a year, 80% end up in landfills. And as a rule, bottled water is no safer or healthier than the H2O that flows from municipal water systems. 17 billion barrels of oil and 2.5 million tons of CO2 contribute to our annual bottled water use. Read more.
2. Bring your own shopping bag.
To make all the bags we use each year, it takes 14 million trees for paper and 12 million barrels of oil for plastic. If just 25% of U.S. families used 10 fewer plastic bags a month, we would save over 2.5 BILLION bags a year. Read more.
3. Recycle everything you can.
Go to http://www.earth911.org/ for details on your town's recycling policies. And don't just recycle trash items - if you're not using it, sell it on http://www.craigslist.com/ or post it on http://www.freecycle.org./ Everything from cell phones, Christmas trees, and shipping materials have a second home.
4. The forgotten "R" -- REDUCE
Here's a simple trick. Figure out how often you take out the trash in a week...now work to decrease that unenjoyable task. Read more. And don't stop with reducing rubbish, reduce your unnecessary consumption of water, energy, and fuel. (Here's something personal - I've started abiding by the "Let it mellow" theory, and including other small changes, like only full loads, my monthly water bill is down 33%.)
5. Change your light bulbs.
Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone in the U.S. used energy-efficient lighting, we could retire 90 average size power plants. Read more.
6. Eat less meat.
Raising livestock requires several times as much land and water to grow the grain to feed them, several times as much energy to harvest the grain and transport it, and don't forget animal waste and pesticides running into our water systems. This doesn't mean you have to eat tofu. A good PB&J will do just fine.
7. Ride your bike. Take the bus.
This isn't an option for everyone, but if you find yourself in the middle of nowhere Ohio, consider consolidating your errands into one planned route to reduce your fuel consumption and emissions. Keep your car maintenence in check to optimize your fuel efficiency. Read more.
8. Find your local farmer's market
Experience something fresh! Farmers markets support a sustainable food system by offering regionally-grown produce. Small family farms stay in business; land is protected from development, and consumers receive fresh food that does not travel far. I recommend putting "[your city] farmers market" in Google.
9. Turn down the heat
Each 1-degree drop for an eight-hour period reduces your fuel bill 1 percent. Buy a programmable thermostat, so you don't even have to think about turning the heat down at bedtime. And don't forget the opposite still does great things for the summertime. Read more.
10. Don't sacrifice your life
Often people's biggest barrier to living a greener life is that they think it's a hindrance to their daily activity. Start small and choose one or two new behaviors. Soon you'll find it's no big deal, and you'll be as green as a locally-bought, organic cucumber (and likely be $aving $ome green too).
