How you can Make a Difference!
1.) Turn off the water when brushing your teeth.
This
is such an easy way to help our planet! Did you know older faucets release 3 to 7 gallons of water per minute?
That could add up to more than 5,000 gallons per year flowing down the drain while you brush! 2.) Turn off your appliances! Don't just put your appliances on standby, turn them off.
Also perhaps buy energy saving lightbulbs.
3.) Wash
your clothes in cold or warm water, not hot.
If you wash two loads per week this way, the reduction in carbon
dioxide is as high as 500 pounds per year, according to the Greenhouse Network.
4.) Cut down on your meat-eating (or better yet become a vegetarian).
Even cutting out one
meal of meat per week can have an impact!
5.)
Use your car less!
- Walk or bike to where
you want to go. This saves petrol and money, while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.
- Lobby your local government to increase spending on footpaths and bike
lanes.
6.) Don't drink bottled water!
- Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying
bottles. Bottles are expensive and it generates large amounts of plastic waste, not to mention the transport costs
and energy.
- Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum
rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.
7.) Shop Ethically; Buy
fair-trade coffee and other “fair” food.
Fair-trade coffee protocols guarantee farmers a decent
price so they can earn a living wage.This site links to forums on everything from hybrid cars to “tightwadding”
to wind power.
http://www.ecoforums.com/
8.) Make your own compost. By having a compost bin, this cuts down on waste at the landfill and is also very good for your garden plants.
9.) Make an organic flowerbed!
http://pennsylvania.sierraclub.org/northeastern/organic.pdf
10.) Learn more about solar energy!
The
earth receives more energy from the sun in just one hour than the world uses in a whole year, according to SolarBuzz. Here
is a fun resource: http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar/educational_resources.html#science