[Vision2020] 50 Green Tips for Earth Day and Beyond

[Ted Moffett]

http://divinecaroline.com/article/22355/28177


1. Lower your thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat.

2. Reuse your water bottle. Avoid buying bottled water. In fact, reuse
everything at least once, especially plastics.

3. Check out your bathroom. Use low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets.

4. Start a compost in your back yard or on your rooftop.

5. Buy foods locally. Check out Eat Local Challenge
<http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com/>and
FoodRoutes<http://www.foodroutes.org/>to get started. Buy locally made
products and locally produced services.

6. Buy in season.

7. Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. You'll find more on energy-efficient
products and practices at Energy Star. <http://www.energystar.gov/>

8. Turn off lights and electronics when you leave the room. Unplug your cell
phone charger from the wall when not using it. Turn off energy strips and
surge protectors when not in use (especially overnight).

9. Recycle your newspapers.

10. Car pool. Connect with other commuters at
eRideShare.<http://www.erideshare.com/>

11. Consider a car sharing service like Zipcar. <http://www.zipcar.com/>

12. Ride a bike.

13. Walk, jog, or run.

14. Go to your local library instead of buying new books.

15. At holidays and birthdays, give your family and friends the gift of
saving the earth. Donate to their favorite environmental group, foundation,
or organization.

16. Get off junk mail lists. GreenDimes <http://www.greendimes.com/> can get
you started. They'll even plant a tree for you!

17. Buy products that use recyclable materials whenever possible.

18. If you use plastic grocery bags, recycle them for doggie poop bags or
for small trashcan liners.

19. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Given a choice between plastic
and paper, opt for paper.

20. Buy locally. Find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of
sustainably grown food near you at LocalHarvest.<http://www.localharvest.org/>

21. Consider organic cleaning
products<http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22156/27357>like
vinegar, borax, and baking soda.

22. If you have a baby, consider using cloth diapers. To sign up for a
diaper service to do the dirty work, check out the National Association of
Diaper Services. <http://www.diapernet.org/>

23. Consider buying a fuel-efficient car or a hybrid.

24. Landscape with native plants. Check out the
article<http://www.epa.gov/greenacres/>on the EPA
website. <http://www.epa.gov/>

25. Opt into a clean energy program. Check out the Green Power
Network<http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/>at the US Department of
Energy.

26. Go paperless. Consider reading your newspaper and magazine subscriptions
online. Switch to electronic banking and credit card payment, too.

27. Teach kids about the environment.

28. Take your batteries to a recycling center. Earth 911 gives you the
scoop<http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=lib&a=electronics/bat_index.asp>
.

29. Turn your car off if you're going to be idle for more than one minute.

30. Do full loads of laundry and set the rinse cycle to "cold."

31. Recycle. If you're not at home, take the extra steps, (literally), to
find that recycling can.

32. Reuse. Plastic food containers make good crayon and marker holders. Use
padded envelops more than once. Buy your toddler or preschooler's clothes
from a thrift shop and give away those that don't fit to friends.
Goodwill<http://www.goodwill.org/page/guest/about>or the Salvation
Army <http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn.nsf> can help.

33. Limit the length of your showers. Even better, take a "navy shower,"
shutting off the water while soaping up and shampooing.

34. Don't run the water when brushing your teeth. Learn about water
scarcity<http://www.unwater.org/flashindex.html>
.

35. Wash towels after several uses.

36. Purchase one case of water and provide clean
water<http://charityis.com/videos/charity_water.wmv>to 24 people (for
over twenty years).

37. Give away your goods and find new ones at
FreeCycle.<http://www.freecycle.com/>

38. Recycle your technology. Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and IBM, among
others, offer recycling programs.

39. Go zero! Log on to the Conservation Fund's Carbon Zero
Calculator<http://www.conservationfund.org/?article=3128&back=true%20I>and
in less than five minutes, you can measure and then offset your carbon
dioxide emissions by planting trees.

40. Put your money where your mouth is—invest in green investments. Web
sites like Co-op America's National Green
Pages™<http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/>can help.

41. Learn about threats to ocean life and help
Greenpeace<http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/oceans/threats>take
action.

42. Whenever you can, try using green cleaning products. Check out Cheap,
Clean, and Green <http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22156/23878>.

43. Find your local watershed <http://www.epa.gov/surf/> and learn how to
protect it.

44. Build a greener home. <http://www.nrdc.org/cities/building/fwoodus.asp>

45. Opt for eco-friendly and holistic health
products<http://www.greenpeople.org/>
.

46. Good to the last drop. Switch to fair trade
coffee.<http://www.transfairusa.org/>

47. Go paperless at work. Distribute company information and post company
material online.

48. Eliminate junk mail at work. For no fee, the EcoLogical Mail
Coalition<http://www.ecologicalmail.org/> will
eliminate the junk that former employees receive at work.

49. Plant a forest and feed a
family<http://www.sustainableharvest.org/forestsfeedfamilies.cfm>while
you're at it.

50. Shop smart. Choose eco-smart products. <http://www.greenerchoices.org/>

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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
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