30 Easy Green Tips
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1. Get off junk mail lists. Try GreenDimes. Or you can call or go to the company web sites and they'll remove you from their list.
2. Buy products that use recyclable materials whenever possible.
3. If you use plastic grocery bags, reuse them such as for small trashcan liners.
4. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Target sells a cute reusable bag and for each bag you use at check-out, they take 5 cents off your order.
5. Lower your thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat. Or shut off the heat/air conditioner in good weather and open some windows!
6. Use a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water.
7. Use low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets in your bathroom.
8. Start a compost in your back yard or on your rooftop.
9. Buy foods locally. Check out Eat Local Challenge and FoodRoutes to get started. Buy locally made products and locally produced services.
10. Buy in season.
11. Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. You'll find more on energy-efficient products and practices at Energy Star.
12. Turn off lights and electronics when you leave the room. Unplug your cell phone charger from the wall when not using it. Not only good for the Earth, but lowers your electric bill!
13. Recycle your newspapers and magazines. Many schools have bins that you can drop off your magazines and newspapers and the school earns money.
14. Car pool.
15. Go to your local library instead of buying new books. Or trade books with friends.
16. Consider using organic cleaning products, like vinegar, borax, and baking soda.
17. Use cloth diapers instead of disposable.
18. Go paperless. Consider reading your newspaper and magazine subscriptions online. Switch to electronic banking and credit card payment, too.
19. Teach kids about the environment.
20. Take your batteries to a recycling center.
21. Buy snacks in large containers and divide them into smaller, reusable containers, instead of buying the individual bags.
22. Do full loads of laundry and set the rinse cycle to “cold.” Try Tide detergent for washing in cold water.
23. Reuse. Think creatively about the items you have in your house. For example, we like to buy organic packaged apples from Costco that come in plastic containers. The plastic containers are great for storing small items, such as markers or art supplies.
24. Don’t run the water when brushing your teeth.
25. Give away your goods and find new ones at FreeCycle.
26. Recycle your technology. Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and IBM, among others, offer recycling programs.
28. Turn your car off if you’re going to be idle for more than one minute.
29. Get (10) FREE trees from the Arbor Day Foundation
30. Shop smart. Choose eco-smart products.
