We have read and heard in varied books, magazines, newspapers, internet, television etc about a whole of tips to adopt greener methods of living life. Words like eco-friendly and sustainability which was alien to most of the citizen some time ago is moderately gaining popularity.
Below is a list that I have ready from varied tips I have read here and there of the easy changes that we can make in our life and safe our earth from the dangers it is facing. You may be well-known with many of these ideas but sit back and think how many of them are you verily following and fulfilling your responsibility to save our nature.
1. Keep belongings that you use on a quarterly basis or are important. It will help cut waste.
2. Before purchasing any stock think of the way the stock has been made and the impact it will have on disposal.
3. Replace disposable products with reusable products.
4. Share with friends and neighbours things likes books, movies, newspapers etc.
5. Replace paper napkins with cloth napkins.
6. Buy bleach-free, toilet paper.
7. Copy and print on both sides of the paper.
8. Try and reuse envelopes, wrapping papers and other paper material ordinarily used and kept.
9. Read books, magazines, newspapers from a local library or online.
10. Make cards/letters from handmade paper.
11. Try to generate minimum whole of trash. For example, avoid taking any extra plastic utensils, straws etc.
12. Eat ice cream in cones and not plastic cups.
13. Do not use plastic cups in offices and other places for having beverages.
14. Donate your old household items: books, furniture, magazines, appliances etc.
15. Recycle your cell phone, ink cartridges etc.
16. All the time use Dustbin.
17. Buy and use rechargeable batteries.
18. If you are traveling and no recycle bins are available, pack your recyclables home with you whenever possible.
19. Arrange toxic products like paint, varnish, gasoline, kerosene, bathroom cleaners, pesticides etc at a perilous waste facility.
20. Switching to a vegetarian diet is a very suited measure to safe environment.
21. Eat unpackaged/unprocessed food whenever possible.
22. Buy power salvage products where needed.
23. Ride your bicycle or walk to the local market.
24. Use your own paper or jute bag for shopping.
25. Take group communication whenever possible.
26. Take the shortest route potential for work or any other place your usually visit.
27. Keep your tires inflated at the maximum recommended pressure.
28. Go for quarterly maintenance of your car.
29. Minimize use of air conditioners.
30. Get your air conditioners cleaned every month or two.
31. Drive at the appropriate speed limit.
32. Drive as smoothly as possible. Avoid quick starts and stops.
33. Do not start your car until you are ready to start off. Turn off the cars at signals.
34. Keep the air and fuel filters of your car clean.
35. Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120ยบ Fahrenheit.
36. Turn off the lights and fans even when leaving the room for a shorter time period.
37. Set your freezer temperature between 0-5.
38. When using oven, avoid occasion door every now and then, it reduces oven temperature by 25 to 30 degrees every time the door is opened.
39. Unplug seldom-used appliances.
40. Switch off the charger of your cell phone and laptop after being charged.
41. Wash clothes with warm and cold water instead of hot water.
42. Buy appliance and office equipments with the power star label.
43. Use fluorescent light bulbs to save money and energy.
44. Shut off electrical equipments while leaving the office.
45. Plant trees to shade your home.
46. Avoid cleaning homes with perilous chemicals.
47. Cover your lead based paints with wall paper instead of sanding or burning it off.
48. Use traps instead of rat and mouse poisons and insect killers.
49. Leave grass clippings on the yard-they decompose and return nutrients to the soil.
50. Use fertilizers only required.
51. Use minimal whole of pesticide.
52. Water grass early in the morning.
53. Set up a bulletin for notices and memo in office instead of sending it individually to each employee.
54. Use e-mail for correspondence instead of paper.
55. Encourage school/college/office to print documents with soy-based inks, which are less toxic.
56. Recycle printer cartridges.
57. Use solar power for home and water heating.
58. Check and fix any water leaks.
59. Don't wash dishes with running water continuously.
60. Setup low-flow shower.
61. Check your car for oil or any other leak
62. Close taps when not using water..
63. Articulate and mend durable products.
64. Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminum foil.
65. Reuse containers materials. Use newspaper for packing.
66. Derive water from shower, kitchen and laundry to use in the garden.
67. Try buying food from local growers.
68. Instead of photocopying try scanning and save the documents electronically.
69. Use a digital camera. Saves on printing papers.
70. Give gifts of homemade food and services.
71. Trying buying clothes made of organic cotton or bamboo fibre.
72. Subscribe to podcasts and buy music electronically instead of buying corporeal Cds.
73. Take home made lunches to work, college, schools etc. Take away uses a lot of containers material and you also eat healthy.
74. Drink water instead of soft drinks and cut waste as well as keep healthy.
75. Use sustainable construction materials.
76. Donate part of your savings to green companies, investigate and stock development.
77. Stop Smoking- it is unhealthy and causes a lot of waste.
78. Do not leave the computers on stand by mode.
79. Turn off the lights if the window provides adequate light.
80. Keep your refrigerator's temperature set at a medium-cool temperature.
81. Carry on your bills and bank accounts online with paperless statements.
82. Plant trees or other vegetation to offset your carbon footprint.
83. Encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to save resources.
84. Do not clothes made of animals skin.
85. Never publish helium balloons into the air. Balloons cause the death for countless numbers of sea turtles and whales.
86. Buy in bulk and save on the waste on packaging.
87. Check the document before printing so that you do not need to re-print it because of errors.
88. Use small productive devices to cook food.
89. If you have central air conditioning, do not close vents in unused rooms.
90. Share your Wi-fi with neighbours.
91. Try and buy used furniture.
92. Take a shorter show and do not waste water.
93. Carpool whenever possible.
94. Leave the beach and park clean.
95. Hang out the clothes in the sun. Dry clothes naturally.
96. If you have a small yard, think using a hand-operated lawn mover.
97. If possible, buy a small car. It is more power efficient.
98. Volunteer to keep your environment clean.
99. cut extra weight from your car and cut the whole of fuel use.
100. Unless you are production bread, pastry or similar items do not pre-heat the oven.
101. Avoid packed water bottles as they are not recycled and takes years to decompose.
102. Choose Match Sticks over lighters. Lighters are made of plastic and filled with butane fuel, both petroleum products.
Yes, this is a long list and also does not contain all things potential but if you effect even 25 of the above ideas you are doing a lot to safe the environment. So, what's your count?
What's Your Count?