Earth Day

Little things you can do...

40% of the energy on our energy bill is wasted energy leaked by electronics and appliances which are TURNED OFF but still plugged in. When you’re done using something, such as toasters, coffee makers, lamps, etc, UNPLUG it.
Starbucks is making an effort to save the environment through partially recycled cups, but if you bring your own reusable mug, they will discount your coffee.
CFL’s (condensed fluorescent lights) may cost a bit more up front, but last much longer than incandescent lights (8-10 years) and will save you money on your energy bill the first month. These decrease the amount of energy used (by about 75%) which decreases the amount of coal burned in power plants which ultimately decreases air pollution.
The average person is responsible for emitting 94 lbs of carbon dioxide every day. It takes four trees to offset this per month. Plant four trees.
It is very common for the air inside to be twice as polluted as the air outside because of chemicals in everyday products. Cleaning products can often spark asthma attacks. Use environmentally friendly cleaning products such as Seventh Generation and Method for a real, safe clean, not a toxic and fake lemon smell.
If using disposable plates, use ones that are 100% recycled. They can be washed in the dishwasher and reused.
Organic foods aren’t grown with pesticides which can pollute our freshwater by runoff and threaten numerous species of plants and animals. They’re also healthier for you in general.
Instead of using multiple paper or plastic bags at any store, especially grocery store, bring your own reusable linen bag. Plastics make up the largest component of landfills and can not be broken down.
One thing to consider if you buy a plastic bottle is its grade. Look on the bottom of the bottle for a small plastic triangle with a number in the middle. If you see a number 2, 4 or 5, the bottle is safe. If it has some other number, don't use it as a water bottle. Those other plastics can make your water taste like plastic and leach harmful chemicals into your body.
Junk mail is not only annoying, but also requires 100 million trees and 20 billion gallons of water per year to create. By paying a mere dime a day, Greendimes will stop 70-90% of junk mail from being delivered to your house. Greendimes also promises to plant one tree a month for every member.
8 Billion ATM transactions occur every year and with that comes a huge amount of litter, receipts. If everyone were to stop getting receipts, about 2 billion feet of the roll would be saved (enough to circle the world 15 times). Next time you go to an ATM, don’t get a receipt.
RECYCLE! When you throw your garbage away, it doesn’t just disappear. It sits in landfills for decades… just sits there. By recycling a 4 foot high stack of newspapers, you are saving the equivalent to a 40 foot fir tree.
To decrease water consumption on a daily basis, replace your shower heads with low flow heads or aerated heads.
To save energy when doing laundry, wash clothing on a cold cycle. The dryer sucks up a massive amount of energy as well, and cleaning out the lint filter before every load will ease this.