What are some simple ways to 'go green'?

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animal_lover13

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I was recently accosted by the awful truth of global warming, and although I had been a big advocate of 'green' living before, I am now even more inclined to get involved. We already recycle and our house was built in a very 'eco-friendly' way. But what are some other ideas for helping the environment? Unfortunately, riding bikes places and putting in low-watt lights are not an option for us (I can only do as much as my parents will let me), and we live too far away from everything to ride a bike. But I really do want to help. Thank you so much!!!
 
"1) Take shorter showers (preferably 5-10 minutes or perhaps shorter...but still
remember to wash, lol <3)
2) unplug appliances when you go to work or ones that don't need to be plugged
in 24/7...also turn off any lights when leaving the room and try to switch to
compact florescent bulbs
3) carpool, bike, walk, or take public transit to work or school
4) grow your own fruits & veggies (whatever you can depending on where you live)
or shop at local, organic shops or farmers market and freeze some for the winter
months-----it reduces the need to go to exotic places for them plus it supports
the local industry
5) Email documents (ie essays, projects, etc) or use recycled paper when taking
notes or when handing out documents at work, etc
6) use canvas bags instead of plastic (I know people use them for garbage and
for their pets business but I'm a cashier and the amount of bags being used is
ridicoulus...I notice people want double bags for their eggs and bread which are
on seperate bags), if you need plastic bags for your garbage, just ask but
seriously people bring home more plastic bags than they know what do to with
7) reduce your meat consumption (cut down to 3 or 4 days with meat and the rest
can be veggie nights...for example indian night or eat more lean meats like
chicken)
8) use metal water bottles instead of plastic water bottles as you reuse the
metal ones and reduce the amount of plastic in the lanfill because not everyone
recycles them
9) Buy energy efficient appliances (you don't need to run out and get them now
but if they break down, and they do, then you can shop around for them and
compare prices between stores for the energy efficient appliances)
10) Pack your own lunches, it reduces the amount of garbage going into the
landfills
11) try composting or vermiculture (composting with worms)
12) Remember the 3 R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle"
 
Well you know when you go to the to the gocery take your own bag that is not made out of plastic or if you don't like that you can recycle your bags like in stater brothers they recycle so you can take your plastic bags there is also biodegradable bags for thrash can that are okay bto throw away because they disolve also when we throw away for exp orange peels or organic waste it releases toxins that are bad for enviorment so its disgusting but helps enviorment in a big plastic box put worms and dirt and throw your organic waste and worms eat it ewww I know but helps enviorment also take less time during showers and turn of heater and air conditiner.
 
Reusable grocery bags, turn off lights when you leave the room, unplug appliances when they aren't being used
 
1. Unplug electrical items that you are not going to be using.
Depending upon the item, the amount of money that you save on your light bill can be small to very noticeable depending upon how much you unplug and how much you actually have plugged in to begin with.

2. When a light bulb burns out, change over to the new, yes, more expensive energy efficient light bulbs.
While more expensive, they really do cut down on what you use, they also have a pretty long life and really worth the money and you still get the same amount of light for less money and power usage.

3. Switch over to cloth shopping bags.
The amount of waste and landfill problem that comes from the tons of plastic bags in landfills is a mind boggle in and of itself. If you have ever driven by one, you see them literally floating on the air all around the place. Switching to the cloth bag keeps not only the plastic out of landfills and wasted fuel to make such - it also keeps the clutter out of your home. I don't know about you, but I really THINK that they have babies where I store them and there always seems to be MORE than I put there.

4. Turn up/down the ac/heat 2 degrees.
Doesn't seem like much, but you will notice a difference on the billing.

5. Try to stay away from drinks that come in plastic bottles.
Seems a no brainer, but actually taking the time to plan for a drink that you know that your going to want and bringing your own in a re-useable container.

6. Buy from re-sale shops.
Not only can such save you money, but it saves cutting down of forests, the making of plastics, etc. Even if the chair that you find you have to have recovered to match what you already have - one less tree that is cut down and one less piece of furniture that goes to the city dump.

7. Plan your cooking.
I bake more on the weekend to make the most out of an already heated oven vs. having to reheat several times during a week to fix something that I know that I am going to be eating later on in the week. I also have reuseable containers that I portion control so that when I am busy and don't feel like cooking, I have a ready meal on hand.

8. Do the laundry in cold water.
With the advancement in washing powders, the need to wash in hot water is almost a thing of the past. Also, most of the newer fabrics actually do better when washed in cold water - not to mention that it also cuts down on the color fade problem. Clothes last longer - win/win situation.

I have many more, but these are ones that cost little if anything to make a more positive impact upon the planet. Better a small step than no step at all.
 
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