Earth-Friendly Living

WATER

• Use low-flow shower heads and low-flow toilets. I have never used the shower heads but they are supposed to work pretty well. Low-flow toilets may need to be flushed more often but they save a lot of water.
• Take shorter showers. This one is really difficult for me - I love long showers. However, if I turn off the water while I'm soaping myself or shampooing my hair, it helps to cut down on my water consumption. Which leads us to . . .
• Turn off running water when you're not using it, for example when you're brushing your teeth.
• Don't flush the toilet every time you pee. Some people think this is gross, but if you're not one of them, it is a good way to save a lot of water. (I recommend discussing this with your family/ housemates first!)
• Use natural cleaning products (brands such as Ecover, Seventh Generation, or Kiss My Face, which use biodegradable, non-toxic ingredients) for your dish detergent, laundry detergent, soap, and so on. These products have a tendency to be slightly more expensive than regular products, although of course this depends on which products you usually buy.

EARTH

• Tell the cashier "I don't need a bag, thanks" if you're only buying one or two items at the store. Cashiers generally don't like this because it breaks their routine, which is understandably annoying to them. So try to be especially friendly about it.
• Take a cloth bag or old plastic or paper bags when you go shopping.
• Take used clothes, books, furniture, and other household items to a thrift store if they are still in good condition. Or if it is appropriate, consider donating them to an organization like a homeless shelter or battered women's shelter. (Try to be sensitive about this too, though - if you don't want the gross old hole-y sweater, probably a shelter resident doesn't want it either.)
• Buy things second-hand whenever you can.
• Find out about your local recycling center - what can be recycled there? Often, if you put things that cannot be recycled in your recycling bin, the whole load will get thrown out. So it is crucial to know exactly what the center will and won't accept. (For example, many stations don't accept plastic bottle tops.)
• Refill water bottles when they are empty rather than buying a new bottle of water. You can carry it around with you and drink from it instead of plastic or paper cups.
• Re-use paper as scrap paper whenever you can. Keep wrapping paper and re-use it to wrap gifts for others. If you don't have any leftover wrapping paper, use magazine paper or newspaper to wrap gifts.
• Print double-sided unless there is some reason you really need single sheets. This may take a little more time/ energy, as most printers won't print double-sided and you will have to take out each printed sheet and put it in the paper tray; but it really can save a lot of paper.
  
• Pick up trash.
  
• If you are menstruating, use reusable cotton pads or sea sponges instead of disposable products. They may seem expensive but in the long run you will save money as well as helping reduce waste. (Lunapads has a great selection.)
• Eat vegetarian. Even if you don't go completely vegetarian, moving toward a more healthy vegetarian diet is good for you and for the earth, for several reasons. (Here's one article about environmental effects of animal farming, and here's a large listing of articles on animals and the environment.)

AIR

• Walk instead of driving whenever you can.
• Ride your bicycle if you don't have time to walk.
• Share a ride if it's too far to walk or bicycle.
• Get a clean, fuel-efficient car. Ideally, get a hybrid! If you can't afford that, find out how your car rates on pollution and gas mileage at the EPA Green Vehicle Guide website. Research different cars before buying one to find out which one has the best rating.
• Don't leave your car running for more than a minute. Don't leave it "warming up" for five minutes while you get ready to leave the house, even though it is much less comfortable to get into a cold car.
• Don't smoke. Okay, I had to say it.

FIRE

• Get energy-efficient appliances. The EPA's Energy Star program rates appliances on their energy-efficiency. (Their website also allows you to measure how energy-efficient your home is, and get tips on improving your status.)
• Turn lights off when you're not in the room.
• Insulate your home well - this saves energy from heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.
• Don't turn on heat or A/C until you have to - keep the heat low in the winter and wear a sweater and slippers, or find other ways to cool down your home in summer. (Personally, I am really bad about the heat thing in the winter because I hate to be cold. On the other hand, I make up for it in the summer because I don't really like the A/C, and when I have it on I don't keep it very high.)

Other Resources