Everyday Actions for the Enviroment
October 6, 2007 by robin
Filed under Going Green
A well known ancient Proverb says “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”
What better way is there to be respectful our responsibility to our one home and our children by safeguarding their futures with our actions today?
When we read the doom and gloom in the media about our earth, we often feel overwhelmed and confused. Don’t let that make you so depressed that you don’t take action. There are things you can do each and every day to lesson your impact on the environment, starting right now.
Remember, set goals for yourself and your family and commit to making changes slowly. This way, good habits of stewardship of our planet are more likely to stick and become permanent lifestyle choices.
Here are everyday actions that can help.
1. Use motion sensor attachments on your lights to make sure they are off when not in use.
2. Start a compost bin for kitchen scraps, grass clippings, leaves, and paper.
3. Take showers instead of baths.
4. Put a timer next to your shower and limit your time to only 4-5 minutes. This would save tons of water in a year as well as save you money on your water bill.
5. Use vinegar and baking soda to clean your house
6. Make sure your next appliance purchase is Energy Star approved toconserve energy.
7. Use a natural liquid soap to wash your car.
8. Wash your car on the lawn in the summer to water the grass.
9. Politely refuse flyers that are being handed out on the street.
10. Send online greeting cards and invitations to save paper.
11. Dry your clothes on a clothesline to save energy
.
12. Collect rainwater to water indoor plants.
13. Use Reusable Bags
How often does a typical family shop each month? If you kept reusable bags in your car for those grocery store and other stops, you would make a huge difference in the number of plastic bags that end up in landfills, all of which will still be around when your great-grandchildren are alive.
14. Buy rechargeable batteries whenever you can and dispose of non-rechargeable batteries appropriately.
15. Save paper and do not print emails. If you need to save an email take a screen shot and save it to your computer as a picture file.
16. Reconsider having the newspaper delivered to your home everyday and see if you can read it online instead.
17. Subscribe to magazines that offer digital subscriptions and read your favorite magazines online.
18. Ditch the dryer sheets and use homemade pouches of dried lavender.
19. Check the air pressure in your car tires frequently to make sure your car is running as efficiently as possible.
20. Fill empty milk jugs with water and put them in your toilet’s reservoir to save water.
21. Use glass jars, food storage containers, baby bottles, and beverage containers to reduce the amount of plastic in your home.
22. When looking for new clothes try hosting swap party with friends and neighbors to see if you can exchange clothing instead of buying new.
23. Color your hair with natural colorants such as coffee grounds, lemons, beets, cinnamon, and tea.
24. Buy dental care products that do not contain fluoride.
25. When making your grocery list use a piece of scrap paper, the back of a junk mail flyer, or the back of a used envelope.
26. Grow your own food.
27. When you are done with something, Freecyle it (Freecyle.org) or give it to charity instead of just tossing it.
28. Wear T-shirts with environmental slogans and promote social consciousness.
29. Make your own baby food.
30. Ride a bike to do errands if you can.
31. Use Cloth Diapers
It’s been said that using cloth diapers is the single most important way a parent can help the environment. I don’t know if it’s true, but it does keep around 2 TONS of plastic out of the landfills. If you don’t have the heart to do cloth diapers, then at least choose biodegradable diapers like gDiapers.
32. Use microfiber cloths for cleaning save money and are more effective than paper towels for household cleaning.