Monday, April 22, 2013

How to Make a Positive Difference for the Environment For Earth Day

Ditch disposable water bottles. “If just one out of 20 Americans stopped buying water in disposable bottles, we’d save 30 million pounds of plastic waste a year.” —From Do One Thing Green by Mindy Pennybacker

Map your route. “Some estimates suggest that the average vehicle drives in the wrong direction 5 percent of the time. This is wasteful of money, carbon dioxide and time.” —From The Green Guide for Business by Chris Goodall

Buy a reusable tote or thermos. The next time you’re at the store, buy a reusable grocery tote for $1. Not only does it cut down on plastic bag waste, but many stores, such as Target or Trader Joe’s, offer a 5 cent discount on each reusable bag you use—an amount that adds up quickly for grocery visits.

Unplug and save. “Standby power or vampire power (because it sucks energy in the middle of the night) accounts for 5 percent of residential energy use, costing U.S. consumers over $4 billion per year. To cut your use of standby power, unplug appliances such as toasters, electric can openers and hair dryers when they’re not in use.” —From The Green Year by Jodi Helmer

Go digital. If you haven’t already, opt out of paper bills and notices in favor of email correspondences that are sent straight to your inbox. It’ll reduce the amount of paper you trash and make that letter from Grandma just that much more special when you see it in your mailbox.

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