I have been thinking about all the little ways that we can go green in our day to day lives without any pain at all. I have mentioned some of them before on the blog under titles like water conservation and recycling. But I think it might be nice to put them all together in a little “to do” list so that they can be looked at and practiced. So I sat down and went through all the ideas I have seen and the ones I came up with myself and compiled a green to do list that people can use every day.
I promise you that these are valid ideas that do not require a lot of work or sacrifice. In fact, most of them are simple and easy and save you money as well. They are ideas we should all have had already and much of what you do is stuff you should do anyways. Take a look. I think you’ll like the list and find it easy to follow. If you do these simple things, you are a big step towards making a difference and leaving a much small carbon footprint as you go.
This list is not in any particular order. No one idea is any better than the rest.
Recycle. Use the bins the city offers and fill them with glass, plastic and paper.
Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.
Use rechargeable batteries.
For the car battery, call your city and see if they have a disposal location for hazardous waste.
Collect water used to wash vegetables or to rinse out towels or dishrags and use it to water the plants.
Collect rainwater to water the flowers
Insulate your home with natural insulation
When changing your own oil, reuse the drip pan and do not dispose of used oil in the grass or street
Call the county or the local office of the EPA and find the location to dispose of used motor oil
Turn off all powered equipment when it is not used. Check the standby light and make sure it’s off.
Use email instead of letters.
Practice the 50 gas savers to save on consumption of fossil fuels
Send holiday and birthday cards through email instead of sending paper
Use recycled toilet paper
Do not use paper plates, plastic forks or other throw away utensils
Buy eco friendly to encourage businesses to move in this direction
Take a cloth bag to grocery shop instead of using plastic or paper bags
When you do have used bags from the grocery, reuse them for garbage, packing or storage
Buy as natural as possible to reduce the amount of packaging you consume
Buy locally grown and organic vegetables and fruits
Give more green gifts
Recycle used electronics instead of tossing them out
Buy cotton or hemp linens and towels
Go natural in the kitchen and bath
Do not buy bottled water. Buy a water filter and fill glass or refillable plastic bottles instead
Take up a form of hand crafting and make more of your own stuff instead of buying and disposing
Choose natural or biodegradable cleaning products
Switch your bath products to green
Switch to energy star appliances if you can afford to do so
Use recycled paper, plastic and glass whenever you can
Buy used clothing and furniture for areas less used and for home or leisure attire
Cut back on meat (this reduces CO2 from methane)
Use solar lights or gas lanterns outside at night; these are easier on the critters, too
Switch to CFL bulbs (this alone is a huge contribution)
Naturalize your yard
Plant trees
Plant seeds from local varieties and cultivars
Switch to natural plant predators instead of using insecticides
Switch to natural indoor pesticides too
Introduce plants to the garden that are natural pest repellents, plants like mint and pennyroyal
Use olive or avocado oil as suntan oil instead of washing chemicals down the drain in the shower
Make your own compost and mulch and never use packaged peat
Pull weeds instead of using weed killers
Save your grass clippings and redistribute (removing weeds first)
Do not use a leaf blower, use a broom or a rake
Let your grass grow a little higher before filling the mower up with gas or plugging it in again
Locate a nearby waste disposal facility and dispose of antifreeze there; never throw it on the ground
Buy more natural outdoor furniture, less PVC and polyurethane.
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