Here is a list of things you can do.
Take a small step and start with 10 things on the list .
Add 10 each month and soon you will go from Sage Green to Bright Kelly Green! You might even been greener than you thought ;) Check it out.
1. Don’t use plastic bags. Worldwide Consumption for plastic bags is 500 BILLION a year! If you have to, try to reuse plastic bags as much as possible. Think about everything that is in plastic: Bread, sandwich meat, zip-locks in lunches, frozen foods, shredded cheese, bagels,snacks, etc… There is a whole lot in plastic bags these days.
2.Don’t use sandwich bags. Use a reusable wrap (e.g. The Wrap N Mat)
3. Don’t use plastic produce bags. Use a reusable produce bag made of cotton/mesh. Or at least save and reuse the old ones!
4. Don’t by fresh food in plastic (e.g. Lettuce & apples slices). They spray the bag with chemicals to keep the food from going bad.
5. Never microwave in plastic…period. Buy glass bowls with lids for storing left overs and reheating instead of plastic.
6. Don’t buy plastic water bottles. Get a reusable BPA free water bottle or a stainless steel water bottle.
7. If you can not get away from Zip-locks wash them out and use them again.
8. Never let plastic wrap come in direct contact with your food. Especially fatty foods.
9. Never heat food with plastic wrap on your food!
10. When possible, avoid PVC plastic wrap and all PVC when it comes to food.
11. Don’t buy food and beverages in plastic if you can help it. Avoid numbers #3,#6, and #7 plastics. Check your milk and orange juice containers. These are big offenders. Switch brands if you have to. Write these numbers down and take them to the grocery store. Check the bottom of the plastics before your next purchase.
11. Compost compost compost! It is easy, it is free, and it does not stink- Truly! All the biodegradable food you toss in the plastic garbage bags will never decompose because it will never get enough air to it to do so. Compost your food stuff and get great soil to use around the house in landscaping soil, in your flower beds, and your gardens. See Earth911 for Benefits of composting (earth911.com)
12. Buy things in less packaging when you have a choice
13. Reduce the amount of laundry. Don’t wash it unless it it dirty. Something you wore for an hour probably can be worn again.
14. Use only cold water for your laundry.
15. Don’t wash for more than 12 min on your washing machine. It doesn’t get any cleaner after 12 min.
16. Hang dry as much of your laundry as possible.
17. Don’t use dryer sheets. Especially on children’s pajamas. It makes them flammable.
18. Don’t use chlorine bleach. It is hazardous to you and the environment.
19. Change the lint trap on your dryer after every use. It makes it work better, it is more efficient, and prevents fires.
20. Be cautious of synthetic surfactants in laundry detergents- they are not readily biodegradable. Also look for synthetic whiteners and “optical brighteners”.
21. Use vegetable based soaps and detergents. If the reference is vague, as far as ingredients, that generally means the ingredients are questionable.
22. Use vinegar as your fabric softener and dryer balls in the dryer (when you’re not line drying)!
23. Less is more when it comes to soaps and detergents for the washing machine and the dishwasher. It doesn’t get the stuff any cleaner the more you use. It just causes more buildup, makes you spend more money, and causes more pollution.
24. Don’t put plastic in the dishwasher. Hot water breaks down the plastic and increases the chemical leaching.
25. Use real castile soaps.
26. Buy milk in glass. Make sure it is hormone free if not organic.
27. Carpool when you can. Don’t do multiple trips into/around town.
28. Turn off the car when you are waiting in a line. Picking kids up form school, waiting in the drive through for prescriptions, picking up dry cleaning etc.
29. Buy Local. Local retailers, artisans, and or grocers/farmers. Check out the farmers market. They will have the freshest most decadent fruit and veggies!
30. Reuse paper. Print on both sides. Keep the “oops” papers for reprinting non-important documents or for the kids to color on the back side.
31. Get rid of the paper towels and napkins. Go with the linen/cotton version. You can use them more than once before they need a washing. Keep them at everyone’s place setting to reuse the next day.
32. Buy recycled toilet paper, paper towels and napkins (if you can’t go without).
33. Use a lunch box instead of paper bags
34. Opt out of junk mail. Go to Greendimes.com
35. Say no to paper plates and plastic cutlery in your house. It is going right in the landfill. You should feel guilty when using these!
36. When eating out, think of what you are using as far as napkins, spoons, forks, cups, etc…. Take only what you need. Save the leftover napkins from the drive through in the glove compartment of your car for kid emergencies, runny nose, oops ” I spilled something” kind of things.
37. Go paperless, pay bills on line.
38. Buy recycled computer paper.
39. Recycle phone books.
40. Cancel the magazines from the companies you don’t ever buy from.
41. Pre-cycle when you shop. Try not to buy it if its not in a recyclable container.
42. Donate old children’s clothes to a woman’s shelter
43. Don’t always buys new. Garage sales are totally GREEN!!!!
44. Share your books with friends. You don’t always have to buy new ones.
45. Donate your old books to libraries and schools.
46. Use old rags (or old burp cloths) for the everyday cleanups instead of a paper towel. Put them in a basket on the counter to use daily.
47. Don’t use wrapping paper for presents. Use a reusable bag or a great ribbon. Or make the wrap part of the present.
48. Reuse boxes and packing material for sending things.
49. Never reuse plastics if they are # 1’s or #2’s. They are literally made for one time use only. (Like old cottage cheese and sour cream containers) But are defiantly recyclable.
50. Reduce the amount of waste. Think before you buy something or reuse items . Think before you put it in the landfill.
51. Recycle! If it doesn’t have the triangle with a number on it, it is not recyclable. Be conscientious when buying things to see if they are recyclable and call to see what numbers your garbage company takes. Most only take #1 and #2.
52. Reuse your tinfoil. Fold up the clean tinfoil and use it next time you need some. Recycle it if you can (some garbage companies take it).
53. Recycle your light bulbs. Hardware stores and Home Depot will accept them. There is a small amount of mercury inside so don’t just toss them in the landfill.
54. Recycle your old TV. Home Depot will take them for $10 (then give you a $10 gift card )!
55. Recycle glass bottles,newspaper, junk mail, and magazines
56. Recycle aluminum cans and cash them in for money
57. Recycle your ink carriage or get it refilled
58. Recycle your cell phone and get money back: greenphone.com
59. Recycle things you never imagined at terracycle.net (great for fundraisers)
60. Use rechargeable batteries. These are recyclable (Home Depot takes them)
61. Buy recycled products. This is a new market. “Green Toys” makes toys out of recycled milk jugs. Cool… huh?
62. Don’t buy bottled water . Have your water tested by the state. Its easy and not that expensive. Might save you a whole lot of money rather than using the water delivery service (uses gas for delivering,water and energy for washing the plastic, not to mention the dangerous plastics it comes in) Go to: www.isws.illinois.edu/chem/psl/wtesting.htm for the state of IL. They give you a free sample kit and then you pay for the appropriate tests.
63 Unplug your cell hone charger when not in use; as well as other small appliances.
64. Don’t buy single packets just to make your life easier. It has so much more pollution in the process of making it, energy for printing it, and a ton more waste in the end.
65. Buy and use recycled mailers: All Express Mail and Priority Mail envelopes and boxes are C2C certified and 100 percent recyclable and compost-able. (USPS mail)
66. Recycle cardboard, when not wet or contaminated with food or oil it is recyclable. Pizza boxes are not recyclable
67. Turn your heat down . Between 65-68 degrees . At night down to 60 degrees. And down to 55 (or off) when your away for a more than a day.
68. Set your air conditioner to 78. I know, that’s hot, right? How about 76 !?
69. Set your water heater to 120 F . Most are set at 140 F . Turning it down by just 10 F will prevent every household from producing about 600 pounds of carbon dioxide a year (electric) and 440 lbs (for a gas) heaters. This amount totals the carbon dioxide emitted by the country of Kuwait or Libya!
70. Use CFL light bulbs. One CFL light bulb saves 700 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
71. Turn off heat dry mode on your dishwasher. It is not hot enough to sterilize and is a huge energy hog. Run it at night and the dishes will be dry by morning.
72. Use the washer, dryer, and dishwasher at night when energy consumption is low.
73. Change your filters frequently; air conditioners, heaters, and refrigerators especially.
74. Turn off the power to the TV and lights when you leave the room! This is an ancient old rule! Follow it!
75. Inflate your tires to the recommend amount. It makes your car more efficient on the road. It will save you money in gas and reduce the amount of carbon in the air.
76. Choose natural organic sheets. Sleeping is a major part of your day and conventional sheets are treated with formaldehyde .
77. Buy organic cotton when possible. Cotton is the most pesticide intensive crop there is.
78. Buy houseplants. Toss the fake plastic ones. Houseplants literally grow fresh air and absorb formaldehyde and carbon dioxide!
79. Don’t use aerosols. Buy the pump kind. Pampered Chef has a hand soap pump and a kitchen pump for cooking oils etc…
80. Never buy something that has “fragrance” listed as an ingredient. Essential oils is the only acceptable fragrance there is.
81. Plant a tree….seriously. It improves your property value about 9% too!
82. Plant a garden.
83. Microwave your sponge for 30 seconds to get rid of all the germs.
84. Use a lemon to clean the microwave. Squirt some juice in a bowl and turn it on and let is splatter. Then just wipe!Use fresh lemons. Less calories & less waste. Also an antibacterial antiseptic and deodorizer.
85. Never use mothballs in your house.
86. Never use Antibacterials. Use Tea Tree oil instead. It’s an antiseptic, disinfectant, and an anti fungal.
87. Don’t use petroleum based products. That includes petroleum jelly and vapor rub. Use Eucalyptus for colds and congestion. Use it in the vaporizer and in the bath water.
88. Challenge yourself to one day of not buying ANYTHING.
89. Challenge yourself to one day of not DRIVING.
90. Use “green” paints when remodeling. Choose low VOC paint.
91. Stay away from DEET and please don’t put it on your children…ever. Buy DEET free bug repellent.
92. Check the recalled toys list at the CDC for lead exposure. Buy lead free and formaldehyde free toys.
93. Buy Fair Trade items..
94.-100. A detailed list of plastic (#1-#7)
PETE (#1 plastic) Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene. Use in water, soda pop, and shampoo bottles. Also in detergents & peanut butter containers. Widely recyclable.
HDPE (#2 plastic) High Density Polyethylene. Use in milk containers, water jugs, bleach bottles, cleaning products. Widely recyclable.
Never use PVC ( #3 plastic) Polyvinyl Chloride or Vinyl Chloride. Used in cling wrap, toys, water pipes. Avoid at all costs. Vinyl chloride is a human carcinogen ! Not recycled.
Avoid LDPE (#4 plastic)Low Density Polyethylene. Used in grocery store bags, plastic wrap and baby bottles. Safer than most plastics but not commonly recycled. Safer for food than others and less toxic to produce.
Avoid PP (# 5 plastic ) Polypropylene. Used in food containers, plastic squeeze bottles like ketchup and syrup.
Never use PS (#6 plastic) Polystyrene. Used in Styrofoam containers and opaque cutlery. Highly toxic to the nervous system and the brain. Is a suspected carcinogen. Also may have an effect on the liver, kidney, stomach and blood cells. Not recycled.
Avoid other(#7 plastic) usually polycarbonate. Used in plastic baby bottles, sippy cups, 5 gallon water bottles, sport bottles, and metal food can liners. This is the BPA leacher! Not recycled.
For more detailed information go to www.mindfully.org “Get Plastics out of Your Life”
101. Celebrate EARTH DAY. Tell friends about your green ideas and go green together!
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