Saving the planet may seem overwhelming but in reality making some small changes in your life can help save the planet. Going green is not as hard as you think it is with this simple checklist!
Here are twenty ways you can help save the world one step at a time:
1. Brew your coffee at home. Your coffee grounds can be used as a dye, cleaner, and deodorizer. You can also use the grounds in your garden!
2. If you must get your coffee at a shop, use a travel coffee mug instead of paper cups.
3. Did you know that over 60 gallons of water is used during a 15 minute shower? Save water (and money!) by listening to one song on your I-pod player. When the song is done so is your shower!
4. Hang your clothing out on a clothes line instead of using your dryer.
5. Take advantage of public transportation.
6. Change your light bulbs to fluorescent light bulbs. They last ten times longer and burn just 25% electricity of a standard light bulb.
7. Bring a green lunch to work (and I’m not talking salad either). Use a lunch box, cloth napkins, and bamboo utensils.
8. If you need a new car, buy an electric or hydrogen car.
9. Don’t buy bottled water! Put tap water in a reusable container.
10. Create a compost pile in your yard. Less waste goes to the landfill, and you have fertilizer for your garden. Compost bins can be purchased at your local hardware store, the internet, and catalogs.
11. Reuse paper. If you have only used one side of the paper, cut up the paper and use the other side as a scratch pad.
12. Plant a vegetable garden and eat what you grow. Growing your own produce is eco-friendly (think about how far the produce in your local grocery store has to travel) and also will save you money! For every $1 you spend, you should average $4-$5 in produce. Whatever you don’t use, can easily be donated to your local food pantries too! If you can’t grow your own garden, shop at your local farmers market.
13. Buy your clothing at secondhand thrift shops.
Bamboo Clothing
14. Many companies are going green and offering eco-friendly clothing options. Visit Green Earth Bamboo to see a wide selection of bamboo clothes.
15. Use reusable bags when you grocery shop. Most stores now sell them!
16. If you do get plastic bags from the store, reuse them. You can use them to line the trash cans in your home.
17. Lower the heat in your house a couple of degrees in the winter and put on a sweater or bamboo jacket if you are cold.
18. Install a programmable thermostat. You can save around 10% on your heating and cooling costs by programming it to adjust the temperature up when you are asleep and not at home.
19. Get a rain barrel. Watering your yard can account for up to 40% of your water consumption! Catching water with a rain barrel will help you save on your water bill by catching up to 3,275 gallons of water per year!
20. Plant a tree. Trees help remove CO2 from atmosphere. They also provide homes for animals and provide shade for our homes (which keep them cooler). Better yet, plant a bamboo garden! Bamboo stores more C02 and releases 35% more oxygen into the air than an equivalent strand of trees.
Don’t underestimate the importance of these steps!
Just think – if only one or two of these steps were done by everybody in the United States, what an impact it would make!
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Great . Thanks a lot!
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