Today is Earth Day 2008, a day to reflect on how much our planet gives us daily and what our repsonsibilities are in order to protect and care for it.
What can you do to help the environment:
1. Walk or take public transit when possible.
2. Turn off lights when not in use.
3. Use cloth bags for groceries instead of plastic.
4. Only do full loads of laundy and wash in cold water when possible.
5. Turn your heat back in the winter and put on a sweater.
6. Buy used items when possible. Not everything needs to be new.
7. Don't throw perfectly good items in the garbage, donate them to local charities and thrift stores.
8. Recycle.
9. Buy energy-saving appliances when possible.
10. Ask yourself if you truly need something before you purchase it. Chances are you might not. Cut your consumer consumption.
11. Buy organic when possible.
These are just a few things off the top of my head.
What are you doing to help the environment?
6 comments:
Happy Earth Day! I've popped over from Rhian's blog. I already do everything on your list. I don't own a car, how's that for being green?
Combine errands to conserve gas. Low wattage bulbs. Earth-friendly (plant based rather than petroleum, non-toxic) laundry detergent, dish detergent, and household cleaners. Combine cooking to conserve energy usage, rather than turning the oven on multiple times. Compost your coffee grounds, vegetable and fruit peels, etc. instead of throwing it in the trash. (You can usually find a gardener who'd love your compost even if you don't have a garden.)And go paperless whenever possible: 50% of all paper used is thrown away the same day, and about 75% within a week. So before you hit "print", ask yourself if you really need that. Save a tree!
Happy Earth Day to you too, Julia. That's very green. I don't own one either. :-)
All excellent suggestions, Charli!
We use the low wattage bulbs too. And I've used the green cleaners for years...mostly because of hubby's allergies. Everything from soap to deoderant is "green" in our house. LOL
Composting is something I don't do. I live in an apartment complex and have a teeny-tiny balcony. Someday.
And I've cut down on the amount of paper I used drastically. I only print out one copy of each book when I work and use both sides of the sheet. I figure it's all a help.
I don't print nearly as much as I used to and always use both sides of the paper, too.
Here's a couple from me - collect grey water to water the garden.
Use plants that are suitable for your climate rather than those that need to be babied with heat or extra water. i.e. plant the right type of lawn seed and also plants native to your area rather than exotics. Make compost. Recycle. Buy ebooks rather than lots of print. Buy local produce rather than imported items.
Great suggestions for the garden, Shelley.
And I try to buy local as much as possible too. It's good for the environment and the local farmer.
Post a Comment