The kids and I saw "An Inconvenient Truth" yesterday. Scary! After watching, even the kids started asking what they could do to help. They've seen that we already segregate our garbage, and throw kitchen waste (such as veggie and fruit peels, and the like) into our plant pots in the garden. Cuts down on garbage plus acts as fertilizer for the plants as well. We also reuse plastic bags, turn off electrical appliances not in use, recycle cans/bottles and newspapers/magazines.
Seeing that documentary made me realize that still, we do so little to save the earth. We can ALL do MORE. So I'm reposting here research I did a few months ago, and compiled into a list, "100 Things You Can Do To Save the Environment".
===================================
Repeat posting from May 4, 2007... As part of our department's project for the Company, I decided to come up with a list of things we can do to save the environment (and save the Company on costs as well!). So with a little research and help from the internet (and Google), I was able to compile this list of "100 things you can do to save the environment". And I decided to post this on my blog as well. The more people this reaches, the better! :)
Special mention goes to "Justgive.org", “everyday activist”, "earthshare.org",
"HK's environmental protection department (epd.gov.hk) which offered these valuable tips. Read on, and let's do share in saving the environment.
100 Things You Can Do To Save the Environment By making simple changes in our everyday lives, we can make significant strides to improve the planet we all share. So here are 100 tips we’ve collected from various sites. Whatever little thing we can do to help save the environment will make a big impact in the long run. So let’s all do our share! :)
IN YOUR HOME1. 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. Save gas by using microwave ovens and slow cookers. Using these can cut your fuel costs by up to 70%. A pressure cooker saves up to 2/3 cooking time, saves energy, and preserves the goodness in your food.
5. 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.
6. Store food in re-usable containers, instead of plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
7. Save wire coat hangers and return them to the dry cleaners.
8. Take unwanted, re-usable items to a charitable organization or thrift shop. Donate un/used clothing and other items. Rather than throwing away un/used clothing and items that are in good shape, consider donating them to your local church, Goodwill, or other charity. Many charities will even work with you to schedule a pick-up time.
9. Reduce water waste. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth and save 4 gallons a minute - that's 10,000 gallons a year for a family of four.
10. Install low-flow aerators to your faucets and shower heads Aerators are inexpensive, easy to install and reduce the amount of water wasted.
11. Soak pots and pans rather than let them sit under running water while you scrape them clean.
12. Install low-flow toilets. You'll use 1.6 gallons per flush compared to a standard toilet which used 3.5 gallons. You'll see big long-term savings on your water bill.
13. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk. You could save up to 80 gallons of water every time.
14. Turn off the lights, TV, or other electrical appliances when you are out of a room. Cut your vampire power! Vampire Power: Not Dracula, but the home electronics we leave on standby: TV, printer, DC re-chargers and converters… they add up to WASTED electricity.
15. Use sunlight as far as possible.
16. Use energy-saving bulbs which are cooler, like halogen bulbs, fluorescent tubes and energy efficient compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs rather than the conventional incandescent bulbs. The CF bulbs give off a warm, bright light but use 75% less energy and last up to ten times longer than the conventional incandescent bulbs.
17. Smarter air-conditioning. Use fans instead of air-conditioners if possible. (Fans with intake and exhaust fans work best, pulling cool air in and blowing hot air out.) If you must use an air conditioner, be sure to buy an Energy Star rated model, and select the correct size.
18. Install energy efficient A/C. Look for cooling units and systems with a high Energy Star rating. You'll prevent wasted electricity and benefit from big decreases in your monthly energy bills.
19. Clean/replace your air filters. Check your air filters on your ventilation system every month. If you clean them regularly, you won't have to replace them often.
20. Be pro-active in hunting down energy problems. Perform an “energy inventory” on the house. Identify areas where energy is being wasted and work on correcting them. The energy savings will pay off in your monthly bills!
21. Use automatic timers to control appliances to avoid wasting energy.
22. Dry your clothes in the sunshine and fresh air whenever possible. Reduce dry-cleaning.
23. Close drapes or blinds in warmer months. This will keep the sunshine from overheating your house.
24. Add air-cleaning plants in your home to help keep the air clean!
25. Turn your trash into crafts! Use popsicle sticks, newspapers, used office paper, etc. for craft projects.
26. Never litter, even when peers do it. Teach your children never to litter, even if they see their friends littering. Encourage them to be proud of keeping the environment clean!
27. Pick up trash. If you see trash on the street or neighborhood, pick it up! Even if it's not your garbage, its still your planet!
28. Consider cloth diapers over disposable. 18 billion disposable diapers are thrown in landfills each year, taking as many as 500 years to decompose. Disposable diapers make up the third largest source of solid waste in landfills, after newspapers and food and beverage containers.
29. Use eco-friendly laundry detergents. Look for phosphate-, petroleum-, and chlorine-free products, and use only as much as needed for a given load. If you have hard water, you may need to use more detergent than the packaging suggests.
30. Shop green! Buy shade-grown, organic coffee. Shade coffee provides habitat for birds, bats, butterflies and other wildlife in tropical countries.
31. Volunteer instead of watching TV. Instead of watching TV, spend an hour or two a week volunteering for your favorite cause.
32. Ride your bike or walk. When you don't have far to go, try riding your bike or walking instead of getting a ride in a car. You'll help save energy, lessen the amount of air pollution, and you'll keep healthy and fit, too!
33. Plan a community event. Coordinate an event at work, at your school or within your community that helps raise awareness about environmental issues such as recycling, waste reduction and conservation.
34. Use rechargeable batteries. Disposable batteries are expensive and wasteful. Although rechargable battery sets can be slightly more expensive up-front, you'll save a lot of money in the long-term.
IN YOUR YARD35. Start a compost pile.
36. Put up birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths.
37. Pull weeds instead of using herbicides.
38. Use only organic fertilizers. (They are still the best.)
39. Compost your leaves and yard debris. (Burning them creates air pollution, and putting them out with the trash wastes landfill space.)
40. Take extra plastic and rubber pots back to the nursery.
41. Instead of a garden hose, use pail and dipper to water your plants.
IN YOUR CAR42. Keep your car tuned up. When your car is running more efficiently, it will produce less exhaust. It's also better for your car, which can save you money in the long run!
43. Turn your car off. Idling can use a lot of gas. Generally, it’s more efficient to turn the car off and restart when you are ready to go. If you are thinking of hitting the drive-through, consider parking and picking up food inside. For short waits, put your car in neutral to avoid burning gas.
44. Carpool! When heading to work or school, share a car with a friend! You'll both save money on gas, you'll reduce the amount of pollutants you're producing - and maybe even squeeze in a quick nap on days you're not driving!
45. Use public transit whenever possible.
46. On weekends, ride your bike or walk instead.
47. Recycle your engine oil.
48. Keep your tires properly inflated to save gas.
49. Wheel-alignment. Keep your wheels properly aligned to save your tires. (It's safer too.) Tires that wear unevenly don't last as long.
50. Travel light! Don't keep your car weighed down with lots of stuff you don't need. Bring heavy items into the house when you don't need to travel with then. A lighter vehicle means better fuel efficiency!
51. Drive calmly. Speeding and slamming on the brakes wastes fuel and increases pollution - not to mention your blood pressure!
52. Don't litter our roads and highways. Save trash and dispose of it at a rest stop.
53. Buy a more fuel-efficient model (such as a hybrid or electric) when you're ready for a new car.
54. OR if purchasing a vehicle with a gas engine... A smaller engine will result in greater fuel efficiency and less air pollution. Try to avoid add-ons that add weight and/or drag, and avoid using 4-wheel drive unless absolutely necessary. 4-wheel drive reduces fuel efficiency.
AT YOUR BUSINESS 55. Recycle office and computer paper, cardboard, etc. whenever possible.
56. Use scrap paper for informal notes to yourself and others.
57. Print or copy on both sides of the paper.
58. Reduce documents to fit two pages onto one. Use for circulating rough drafts or file copies of documents.
59. Find alternatives to mail. Use email, voice mail and fax modem transmissions whenever possible.
60. Eliminate unnecessary subscriptions. Cancel newspapers, newsletters, and magazines you don't read or can access online. Take your name off mailing lists to reduce junk mail.
61. Make recycling easy. Place recycling bins in high-traffic areas, including the conference room and kitchen as well as by the copier and fax machines.
62. Use a routing slip to circulate copies throughout the office.
63. Use smaller paper for smaller memos.
64. Re-use manila envelopes and file folders.
65. Steer away from disposable cups - and B.Y.O.C./M. Hide the throw-away cups, and train people to use their washable coffee mugs. Use washable mugs for meetings too. Be sure to Bring Your Own Cup/Mug and set a good example!
66. Turn off your monitors. If your computers are on a network or need to be left on for remote access and can't be shut down at night, turn off the monitors.
67. Choose a computer manufacturer with a recycling policy. According to a recent study by the National Safety Council's Environmental Health Center, approximately 20.6 million personal computers became obsolete in the U.S. in 1998. Of that number, only 11 percent, or about 2.3 million units, were recycled.
68. Add air-cleaning plants. Plants not only brighten up a room, they help keep the air clean! Shoot for at least one 4-5 ft plant per 100 square feet.
69. Recycle/refill printer cartridges. If you use inkjet printers, buy replacement ink and refill them when they are empty. There are also several programs that will allow you to send in your empty ink and laserjet printer cartrdiges for recycling.
70. Use a water filter and refillable water bottle. Millions of plastic containers are thrown away every day, which adds to the amount of trash. By purchasing a refillable water bottle and using filtered water (instead of buying bottled water), you can greatly reduce waste and save yourself a bundle!
71. Choose re-usable containers for lunch. Use a lunch box or insulated cooler for lunch in lieu of a paper or plastic sack.
72. Reduce lunchroom waste. Bring home sandwich baggies and other plastic bags to be washed out and re-used
73. Recycle at the office. Recycle office and computer paper, cardboard, etc. whenever possible. Use scrap paper for informal notes to yourself and others.
WHEN YOU'RE SHOPPING74. 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.)
75. Think twice about buying "disposable" products. (They really aren't disposable and are extravagant wastes of the world's resources.) This includes disposable dust cloths, diapers, etc.
76. 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.
77. Check the energy rating of major appliances you purchase. Buy only the most-energy-efficient models.
78. 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.
79. Buy locally grown food and locally made products when possible.
80. Don't buy products made from endangered animals.
81. Buy refillables. When shopping for cleaning products, etc., always buy refills when available to reduce the amount of packaging. (Refills are usually cheaper, too!)
82. Buy eco-friendly gifts. When it comes time to buy birthday or holiday gifts for others, choose environmentally friendly gifts, shop from companies that make environmental protection a part of their mission, or buy from companies that give a portion of the proceeds to charities.
83. Buy efficient fluorescent light bulbs. New compact fluorescent bulbs use 75% less energy than a standard incandescent - and last about 10 times as long!
84. Buy food in bulk & repack in reusable containers. Less packaging is used when you buy in bulk - and it's usually a lot cheaper too! Once you get the food home, you can repack it in individual, reusable containers, like Tupperware.
85. Buy pump instead of aerosol sprays. Chlorofluorocarbons used in aerosol sprays contribute to ozone depletion. When there is a pump spray available, buy that one. If there isn't a pump spray available, write to the manufacturer and ask them to make one.
86. Shop with re-usable shopping bags. Bring canvas or net bags with you to the store.
87. Buy products made from post-consumer recycled content. When purchasing paper products, choose products with the highest percentage of recycled content —post-consumer recycled content is the best. Choose tree-free paper alternatives if possible.
88. Smarter air-conditioning. Use fans instead of air-conditioners if possible. (Fans with intake and exhaust fans work best, pulling cool air in and blowing hot air out.) If you must use an air conditioner, be sure to buy an Energy Star rated model, and select the correct size.
89. Be green when you clean. Purchase only eco-friendly cleaning supplies, and avoid/limit disposable cleaning products.
90. Purchase eco-friendly (and animal safe) personal hygiene products. Look for products that do not use animal products and are not tested on animals.
91. Get trendy with home décor. Natural fibers and flooring are in fashion! Look for interior design items made from recycled and natural materials.
PERSONAL EFFORTS92. Plant a tree! Protecting and planting trees will help create natural air filters in our cities and neighborhoods.
93. Join a conservation organization. Find an environmental organization you would like to support.
94. Volunteer your time to conservation projects.
95. Give money to conservation projects.
96. 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.)
97. Convert by example. Encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to save resources too.
98. Learn about conservation issues in your community or state. Write to your legislators about issues that affect the environment and our health, and let them know where you stand on the issues.
99. 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. Never litter, even when peers do it. Teach your children never to litter, even if they see their friends littering. Encourage them to be proud of keeping the environment clean!
100. Donate to charities that have positive impacts on 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
