50 Things You Can Do To Save the Environment
"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging
to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use
it with love and respect." ~Aldo Leopold
IN YOUR HOME
1. Recycle everything
you can: newspapers, cans, glass bottles and jars, aluminum foil, motor oil,
scrap metal, etc.
2. Don't use electrical appliances for things you can easily do by hand, such
as opening cans.
3. Use cold water in the washer whenever possible.
4. Re-use brown paper bags to line your trash can instead of plastic bags. Re-use
bread bags and the bags you bring your produce home in.
5. Store food in re-usable containers, instead of plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
6. Save wire coat hangers and return them to the dry cleaners.
7. Take unwanted, re-usable items to a charitable organization or thrift shop.
8. Don't leave water running needlessly.
9. Turn your heat down, and wear a sweater.
10. Turn off the lights, TV, or other electrical appliances when you are out
of a room.
11. Flush the toilet less often. (If you cut flushing in half, you'll save up
to 16.5 gallons a day.)
12. Turn down the heat and turn off the water heater before you leave for vacation.
13. Recycle your Christmas Tree.
back
to top
IN YOUR
YARD
14. Start a compost
pile.
15. Put up birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths.
16. Pull weeds instead of using herbicides.
17. Use only organic fertilizers. (They are still the best.)
18. Compost your leaves and yard debris, or take them to a yard debris recycler.
(Burning them creates air pollution, and putting them out with the trash wastes
landfill space.)
19. Take extra plastic and rubber pots back to the nursery.
20. Plant short, dense shrubs close to your home's foundation to help insulate
your home against cold.
21. Use mulch to conserve water in your garden.
back
to top
IN YOUR CAR
22. Keep your car
tuned up.
23. Carpool, if possible.
24. Use public transit whenever possible.
25. On weekends, ride your bike or walk instead.
26. Buy a more fuel-efficient model (such as a hybrid or electric) when you're
ready for a new car.
27. Recycle your engine oil.
28. Keep your tires properly inflated to save gas.
29. Keep your wheels properly aligned to save your tires. (It's safer too.)
30. Don't litter our roads and highways. Save trash and dispose of it at a rest
stop.
back
to top
AT
YOUR BUSINESS
31. Recycle office
and computer paper, cardboard, etc. whenever possible.
32. Use scrap
paper for informal notes to yourself and others.
33. Print or copy on both sides of the paper.
34. Use smaller paper for smaller memos.
35. Re-use manila envelopes and file folders.
36. Hide the throw-away cups, and train people to use their washable coffee
mugs. Use washable mugs for meetings too.
back
to top
WHEN
YOU'RE SHOPPING
37. Avoid buying
food or household products in plastic or styrofoam containers whenever possible.
(They cannot be recycled and do not break down in the environment.)
38. Think twice about buying "disposable" products. (They really aren't disposable
and are extravagant wastes of the world's resources.)
39. Buy paper products instead of plastic if you must buy "disposables." They
break down better in the environment and don't deplete the ozone layer as much.
40. Check the energy rating of major appliances you purchase. Buy only the most-energy-efficient
models.
41. Ask questions. Don't buy products, such as styrofoam, that are hazardous
to the environment or manufactured at the expense of important habitats such
as rain forests.
42. Buy locally grown food and locally made products when possible.
43. Don't buy products made from endangered animals.
back
to top
PERSONAL
EFFORTS
44. Join a conservation
organization. Browse the JustGive Guide or search by keyword to find
an environmental organization you would like to support.
45. Volunteer your time to conservation projects.
46. Give money
to conservation projects.
47. Switch to a vegetarian diet. (Raising animals for food consumes vast quantities
of natural resources, including water, land, and oil; destroys habitats; and
generates a tremendous amount of water and air pollution.)
48. Convert by example. Encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to save
resources too.
49. Learn about conservation issues in your community or state. Write your legislators
and let them know where you stand on the issues.
50. Teach children to respect nature and the environment. Take them on hikes
or camping. Help them plant a tree or build a birdhouse. Teach them by example.
back
to top
|
