Earth Day Ideas
Put on a sweater instead of turning up the thermostat when you’re cold.
Take off a layer, turn on a fan, or open a window when it’s too hot in your house.
Set a timer to automatically turn your thermostat down while you’re sleeping and away from home.
Leave your car in the garage and walk or bike whenever possible.
Plan an efficient route when running errands so that you don’t waste gas.
Use both sides of paper.
Use cloth towels and rags rather than paper towels.
Repair faucets so they don’t drip.
Use empty wine and olive oil bottles as flower vases.
Assign everyone in the family a different colored towel and reuse the towels at least once before washing them.
Plant a tree…or two or three.
Take short showers instead of baths.
Share magazines with friends and family.
Set your lawn mower to a higher level so your grass requires less watering.
Turn the water off while you brush your teeth.
Replace old appliances with new, more efficient models.
Turn off lights when you leave the room.
Turn the tv off when you’re not watching it.
Recycle glass, aluminum cans, paper, plastic, clothes and cardboard.
Replace drafty windows and doors.
Take your own bags to the store.
Use paper bags for mailing or wrapping paper.
Reuse gift bags, bows and tissue paper.
Have a garage sale or donate items you no longer need to charity.
Don’t buy products that come in wasteful packaging.
Use bar soap rather than liquid soap.
Take that last sliver of soap and press it onto a new bar of soap. When it dries it will stick to the new bar…no more waste!
Use a ceramic coffee cup instead of a throw-away cup.
Buy reusable bowls with covers and use them instead of aluminum foil or plastic wrap for leftovers.
Open the door of the dishwasher at the beginning of the dry cycle and let your dishes airdry.
Don’t run the dishwasher unless it’s full.
Put up a clothesline to dry clothing outdoors.
Put your dress clothes in the dryer for only about half the time it would take to get them completely dry.
Then hang the clothing on hangers to dry. This takes less energy and cuts down on the amount of ironing needed.
Close the air-conditioning/heating vents in your basement during the summer months. Your basement is naturally cool in the summer.
Turn off your air conditioner at night and open your windows to take advantage of the cool night air.
Install ceiling fans in your home to push warm air to the floor in the winter and circulate cooler air in the summer.
If you must buy water, buy the large jugs rather than the individual bottles or install a reverse osmosis water system in your home for pure drinking right from the tap.
As you can see, it IS easy being green. Try these ideas and make every day Earth Day.
