"GREEN" Tips

It's easy being GREEN...

Can you make a difference? Yes! We can all make a difference and it doesn't cost anything except our time and effort. Listed below are some simple things we can all incorporate into our daily lives that save energy, preserve our natural resources and help clean up our environment. Just start with one or two of the following and once you have made them a part of your daily routine then move on to another one and then another one until you have completed this list.


Go Green Tips:

BYO (Bring Your Own):
Every year Americans throw away 25 billion polystyrene cups and 25 billion individual water bottles, most of which end up in landfills. Instead buy a reusable to-go mug and a bottle that you can refill with filtered tap water. Bring your own (to a coffee shop, a meeting), and you cut down on Styrofoam.

Bag It:
Get reusable cloth bags for the grocery store, and the dry cleaner. More than 100 billion plastic bags are thrown away every year.

Stop Junk Mail:
Every year 100 million trees are chopped down for junk mail sent to American homes. Contact the direct marketing association at www.dmachoice.org/mps to remove your name from mailing lists of their members.

How Many People Does It Take To…
Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) use four times less energy than incandescent ones. If every American family substituted FIVE CFL bulbs for incandescent, it would be equivalent to taking eight million cars off the road for a year. They cost a little more up front, but they last up to 15 times longer.

De-Lint the Dryer:
Lint builds up after every dryer cycle, reducing the machine's efficiency. Removing it does a lot to decrease its usually massive energy use.

Pick Safe Paints:
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, architectural coatings such as paints and varnishes are the second-largest source of fumes from volatile organic compounds, substances that evaporate at room temperature and react in sunlight to form photochemical smog. Look for cans with "No VOC." We'll all breathe easier.

Shut Down:
The average computer left on all day uses nearly 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, producing more than a ton of carbon emissions. So turn off your computer anytime you're not on it, and eliminate the screen saver function, which uses more energy than the sleep mode. 

Gas saving tip: 
SLOW DOWN - for every 5 mph you reduce your highway speed you can reduce fuel consumption by 7% and save up to $.19 per gallon.  

Water saving tip #1: 
Create your own, inexpensive "low flow" toilet tank and save up to 300 gallons per month.  Fill a 16 oz. plastic water bottle with stones or sand and place it in your toilet tank.  This will displace the water in your tank and reduce the amount of water per flush.

Water Saving tip #2:
Shorten Your Showers. For every two minutes you shave off your shower, you save 10 gallons of water. Low-flow showerheads offer a big improvement as well.

Water saving tip #3: 
Sweep away water waste by using a broom to clean off your driveways and sidewalks instead of hosing off these areas.  You can save up to 80 gallons of water each time you do this.

Electronic waste tip: 
Every year nearly 200 million tons of electronic waste end up in our land fills with most containing hazardous materials like mercury, lead and chromium.  Contact www.eiae.org to find an e-recycler in your area or contact www.samsclub.com for an e-recycling program that allows you to recycle and reuse old electronics equipment AND get a Sam's Club gift card in the process.

Lawn care tip:
Set your mower at it's highest setting.  This will help develop a stronger root system and a healthier lawn by preventing evaporation of water, preventing water run off and help prevent weeds from growing in your lawn.    

Weed control: 
Create your own non-toxic weed killer for use in your rocks, on sidewalks and in driveways.  Mix one ounce of white vinegar, one ounce of cheap gin with eight ounces of water and pour or spray this on your weeds. 

Recycle old athletic shoes:
Nike has a program called Reuse-A-Shoe that allows you to send in old or defective athletic shoes to Nike and they will recycle the shoes to create a product called Nike Grind.  This is used to create cushioned sports courts all over the world and is used for soccer fields, basketball courts and other sports courts.  You can send your shoes to Nike Recycling Center c/o Reuse-A-Shoe at 26755 SW 95th Ave, Wilsonville, OR 97070 or contact www.nikereuseashoe.com for more information or to find a drop off location in your area.

Reuse packing peanuts and other packing materials:
Contact www.loosefillpackaging.com to find a drop off location in your area for Styrofoam packing peanuts as well as other non-recyclable packing materials.  You can also call 800-828-2214 for more information.

Reuse paper:
You can help save up to 100 million trees each year by reusing your printed paper.  First only print things you absolutely need to print and once you are done with it, don't throw it away.  You can create your own note pads and scratch paper by using the non-printed side. 






For more information on "Go Green Tips":

The Clinton Global Initiative: 50 Ways to Change the World
http://www.mycommitment.org/files/50Ways.pdf



Carbon Conscious Consumer (C3) is a national climate campaign sponsored by the Center for a New American Dream that challenges individuals to establish climate-friendly daily habits and inspire their friends to do the same. Get more info at http://c3.newdream.org/