Ways To Go Green
The green movement has prompted one question over all others; how to go green? Below not only gives a variety of suggestions, but also factual information and statistics of why we as a collective community should choose to go green.
Did You Know That...
Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour, and that 8 million plastic water bottles are thrown away every day.
About 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable, but our recycling rate is only 28%.
Americans generate 30 billion foam cups, 220 million tires, and 1.8 billion disposable diapers every year.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion!
Plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photodegrade – breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.
Why Organic Cotton you ask? Well according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 84 million pounds of pesticides and 2.03 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizers were applied to 14.4 million acres of cotton in the US in 2000. Seven of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton in the United States are listed as possible, likely, probable, or known human carcinogens according to the EPA.
Here's How You Can Help...
- If your shower can fill a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, then replace it with a water-efficient shower-head. They're inexpensive, easy to install, and can save you up to 750 gallons a month.
- Reuse the water from your dehumidifier to water houseplants.
- We have all heard to turn off the water while brushing our teeth, which save 25 gallons a month, but gentlemen did you know that you can save more than 3 to 400 gallons a month by turning off the water while you shave?
- Cut down on your plastic consumption by keeping water pitchers filled in your fridge. If you like using water bottles, keep a few filled and grab those instead of always buying new ones and throwing them away.
- Limit in coming catalogs by contacting the vendor and having them take you off their list.
- Commit to eating local. This helps the local economy and our farmers, and where would we be without them?!
- Bank online; it saves on gas and paper.
- Send e cards instead of paper ones. Or if you are going to send them, make sure they're printed on post consumer paper.
- Better yet buy seeded cards and then after they've served their purpose, the recipient can pop them into the ground and grow a plant or tree!
- Most kids never turn off their computers; they simply post away messages. Setting computers to power down automatically after 15 to 20 minutes of idle time is a good energy reducer.
- NEVER use Styrofoam. There are conflicting stats on how long it takes for styrofaom to decompose, from 900 years to not ever!
- Use plastic storage totes as extra recycling bins.
- When you do use your garbage can, line it with a decomposable garbage bag.
- Little by little replace your light bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL). ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
- Leave reusable bags in your car for any kind of shopping; they are not just limited for groceries, recycled cotton and organic cotton are the best choices.
- Use cleaners that are protective of the planet. From toilet bowls, sinks and floors, to leather furniture, counters and windows there are products to clean everything.
- Make your own cleaning solutions with baking soda. Sprinkle some in the kitchen sink and scrub with half a lemmon. Add a small amount of vinegar to make a silver polishing paste.
- Use a drying rack or rod for clothes. It saves on ironing too.
- Keep your thermostat turned up in the summer if you use air conditioning, and cooler in the winter.
- Buy organic cotton back packs and bags for carrying books. And while you're at it use solar calculators, and chargers for your iPod. Pencils from certified forests, refillable pens and recycled paper are the staples of any eco conscious student.
- Even your pets can be eco-friendly. Give them organic food and treats, and bath them with organic pet shampoo.
- We've all heard to keep our tires inflated, but it really does count in terms of better gas mileage. So does driving the speed limit.
- Reuse your old mousepad by turning it into a new hot–plate! Take some old material or cloth napkins and seam them together on three sides. Slip the mousepad into the open end and sew together the open end; you now have a new hot–plate!
- It's not as hard to be green at work as you might think. The same principals apply here as they do at home and school. Recycle, recycle, and recycle. Set you printers for double sided printing for non-important materials.
