Going Green Made Easy
How can you go green at home? Here are 10 simple steps to green up your life and change the planet.
1. Buy Only What You Need
- Plain and simple—don’t over purchase.
- However, when buying items that you use daily or in large quantities, consider buying in bulk. You will save money and packaging. Consider splitting bulk purchases with neighbors or friends to get that savings but not the full quantity of the purchase. Sometimes we can’t always use 50 rolls of toilet paper!
It's just a couple of steps away! Going green doesn't have to require a ton of money or time. Simple changes to your daily routine can make all the difference. Photo: Schipul.com
2. Recycle, Recycle, Recycle!
- Earth911 offers recycling, reuse and proper disposal options for more than 250 different materials, everything from plastic bags to construction materials.
- Remodeling? Don’t forget to look for recycling and reuse programs for your household items—windows, doors, tile, etc. New technology has enabled some companies to recycle old porcelain toilets and tubs into beautiful counter tops and tile.
- Don’t forget the last step in the recycling loop—buy recycled! In order for recycling to be sustainable, we need to purchase recycled-content materials! Look for and purchase post-consumer recycled content packaging and products whenever possible.
3. Change a Light, Change the World
- When your incandescent light bulbs stop working, replace them with the new, energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) CFLs use 2/3 less energy than traditional incandescent light bulbs and last 10 times longer. Making this switch will save you money and energy.
- Some incandescent light bulbs may contain mercury, so remember to dispose of both properly at your local household hazardous waste facility.
- Take the U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR pledge to save energy and help reduce the risks of global climate change by replacing at least one light in your home with an ENERGY STAR qualified one.
4. Bag It Up the Green Way
- Plastic bags are getting the “thumbs down” in several communities around the country because of litter problems. When going to the store, consider bagging your own groceries in cloth, reusable bags. Many stores sell reusable bags and charge to provide plastic grocery bags.
- When walking your dog and cleaning up after then, use a biodegradable bag rather than a plastic bag.
- If you decide to use plastic bags, remember to recycle them. Thousands of locations are available across the country.
5. Green Your Gadgets
Electronics become “outdated” so much more quickly than 10 or 20 years ago. To insure you are responsible with your gadgets, consider doing the following:
- Resist the urge to upgrade every time a “newer” or “cooler” gadget comes out. Reduce at the source—you save money and the time (and frustration) to learn how to operate and program the new gadget.
- Donate working electronics to charities or school programs resell or refurbish them.
- Completely broken? Recycle! Electronics are the new “hot” item being recycled across the country.
- Refill or recycle your inkjet or toner cartridges.
- Close the recycling loop and buy recycled, post-consumer content paper for your printer. Most local office supply stores, such as Staples, offer a growing selection of environmentally friendly papers.
- Keep in mind even computer game equipment and iPods now have reuse and recycling programs available. G4 TV offers a new campaign encouraging e-gadget reuse and recycling.
6. Make Every Drop Count
Even though 70 percent of the world is covered by water, we should conserve all that we can. Here are some quick tips to save that last drop:
- Turn off the water faucet when brushing your teeth.
- Use your dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full. Try to avoid small, partial loads.
- Compost food scraps instead of using your garbage disposal. You’ll save gallons of water every time and have a great soil amendment for your garden.
- Clean your driveway or sidewalk with a broom instead of hosing it down with water. You’ll save at least 80 gallons of water every time.
- Don’t use running water to thaw food.
7. Turn Up the Savings
- A few degrees can make all the difference in your energy savings and your wallet. In the summer raise your thermostat two degrees. In the winter lower your thermostat two degrees. You probably won’t notice the difference, at least until your utility bill arrives!
- Use a ceiling fan to cool off a room or house. It consumes as little energy as a 60-watt bulb, which is about 98 percent less energy than most central air conditioners.
- Install a programmable thermostat to better regulate the temperature in your house through the day and night. Remember to recycle your old, mercury containing thermostats.
- When replacing an appliance, be sure to look for one that is more energy efficient. Always look for the ENERGY STAR symbol and compare water and energy usage to ensure you get the best product and environmental savings to suit your needs.
8. Clear the Air
- Carpool, ride the bus, use public transportation or bike to work
- Telecommute. Employee productivity will increase.
- Trip chain! Save fuel and time by planning ahead and consolidating trips into one trip. Also, vow to only go to certain, far away stores less frequently.
- Keep your tires inflated to the appropriate air pressure level. This will extend the life of your tires and give you better gas mileage.
- Drive the speed limit.
- Service your car on a regular basis per the manufacturer guidelines.
- In the market for a new car? Consider one of the new hybrid or fuel efficient vehicles.
9. Save A Tree
- Save paper, time and postage, and pay your bills online.
- As the price of paper cards and postage increases, consider e-mailing e-cards.
- When printing documents, print on both sides of paper. You can cut your paper consumption almost in half.
- E-mail documents and information instead of printing and mailing them.
- Save documents on your computer or on a disk instead of in a print copy in your filing cabinet. You’ll free up lots of space.
10. Home Sweet Home
- Clotheslines are making a comeback. Dry your clothes on the line instead of in the dryer. They will smell better, and you will save money.
- Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. They can be used over and over again and thrown in with your weekly load of towels.
- Make your own less toxic cleaning alternatives using baking soda, soap and vinegar.
- When repainting a room, be sure to look for paint that is low VOC (volatile organic compounds). Several manufacturers now offer VOC paints and they don’t leave that paint fume smell.
- Open the doors and windows to let the fresh air in! Indoor air quality is often times worse than the air outside. Open doors and windows daily to circulate fresh air in and germs and smells out.
jessicagreen
posted on May 21st, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Re #2-Many Habitat for Humanity affiliates maintain “Restores” where a recycler can drop off their building supplies or buy recycled materials. I’m a big dropper-offer, but my daughter found a beautiful carved wood door for her home. AND there’s an additional feel-good factor: the money generated helps get people into homes!!
treehugger
posted on May 25th, 2007 at 5:53 am
“Everybody should use water as if they were camping and only had a limited suppy.” I believe that rain water harvesting will someday be one of peoples main sources of fresh water. I encourge people to use this free water and store it in a cistern. There are also landscaping techniques to help lower the water and energy you use. For instance, you can plant a shade tree near the house to block the summers heat. You can reuse your shower, sink and laundry water to water that shade tree or other plants in the yard. Heck, make the shade tree a fruit tree that cools, feeds, and helps clean the air as well as bring birds. (Birds will eat the fruit but they also eat bugs, hang a bird feeder for extra options.) Checkout http://www.OasisDesign.net http://www.HarvestingRainwater.com
pipes10
posted on May 27th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I AM A KID MORELESS I LOVE HELPING THE EARTH SOMETIMES I DONT DO THE BEST BUT ITS BETTER TO TRY THAN TO JUST SIT AROUND I DO MY BEST FOR MY AGE WE HAVE FUNDRAISERS, PICK UP DAYS AND WE TRY OUR BEST
dacoolest34
posted on November 17th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
i used to think that since i’m just a kid that i coldn’t do much to help the environment, but now that i know all of theese great tips i will try to be more of a help to the environment.
Kathy G
posted on November 18th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Interesting note on the EnergyStar Program: Last night on NPR I there was an article regarding new televisions, (large flat screens) informing they are rated based on energy consumption when they are TURNED OFF!!
That was a wake up call – I thought that appliance ratings were based on consumption when in use; reconfirms that all of us need to be aware of the hidden consumption in our households.
Daughter
posted on January 23rd, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Re: printing on both sides of the paper. If you don’t have an industrial-quality printer, you might find yourself having the same problem I do when you print 2-sided: paper jams! I often wasted more paper attempting to print two-sided than I would have had I printed one-sided in the first place.
Instead, I reduce the amount of paper I use by decreasing the margins and font sizes. And, if I’m printing something for my eyes only, I often set the printer to “2 pages on 1″ – which means I’m printing two pages side by side on the same sheet of paper. It uses the same amount of paper as 2-sided printing, without the paper jam problem.
Meanwhile, provided the printout doesn’t contain any confidential information, I let my 3-year-old color on the blank backs of printouts I no longer need.
Daughter
posted on January 23rd, 2009 at 4:31 pm
An additional thought: the best way to reduce font sizes and ensure that your document is still readable is to be selective about the fonts you choose. Neither the ubiquitous Times New Roman nor Arial fonts are very readable below 10 points. On the other hand, Bookman Old Style and Verdana are both very readable at 8 points, and (depending on your eyesight) possibly even smaller.
Old Mother Hubbard
posted on February 8th, 2009 at 5:54 am
Daughter — you must be young. When you get older you need to have things in 12 point font. 8 and 10 point is too small to read in most fonts!
Lynn
posted on February 17th, 2009 at 11:22 am
THAT PERSON IS WIERDDDDD!!!!!!! (up above me)
Tim
posted on April 13th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Clotheslines- Greening up your gadgets, recycling- these are all great tips. If we can spread the consciousness about this, it could have serious reverse (good) impact on the earth.
Bigger still is learning how to get one’s home off the power grid entirely. I think the more this becomes known, the more common it will become. I’m currently in an apartment because my wife works close by where we live, but once we move out west in a couple years, it’s my plan to have the house producing it’s own energy.
Wouldn’t it be cool to get more than half the homes out there doing that? Eventually it would reach a “tipping” point where others sucking energy from power companies would feel like they are losing out- and losing energy money. And they would be. gethomemadeenergy.org
Edwige
posted on June 16th, 2009 at 8:15 am
About point 4:
Oxo-biodegradable bags also are a good alternative. From what I have read, during the manufacturing process, an oxo-boiodegradable additive is used. This additive is blended into the plastic during the extrusion process, so, it is less harmful for the environment. I particularly like the brand EconoGreen from Jig-A-Loo. Their new line of plastic bags are made from 100% recycled plastic, are 100% oxodegradable and 100% recyclable. It’s always better that grocery bags…
You can get more info about them there: http://www.jigaloo.com/ca/e_products_econogreen.php
Vipul Seth
posted on June 25th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I recently ordered bio-degradable liners from Performance Restaurant Source, LLC at a good price. read about them on a blog.
Something I found about oxo-boiodegradable bags:
Additive based (oxodegradable/photodegradable) Polythene:
These films are made by blending an additive to provide a UV / oxidative and/or biological mechanism to degrade them. This typically takes 6 months to 2 years in a landfill site if adequate exposure to oxygen and heat over 140°F/60°C. According to people who develop this process, degradation is a two stage process; first the plastic is converted by reaction with oxygen (light, heat and/or stress) to molecular fragments that water can wet, and then these smaller oxidized molecules are biodegraded, i.e. converted into carbon dioxide, water and biomass by microorganisms. But complete biodegradation, i.e. transformation by micro-organisms in energy, CO2 and H2O, has never been established. Indeed, at the end of degradation, the small particles are still too big to be absorbed and transformed by micro-organisms. This is similar to the break down of woody plant material where lignin is not readily completely broken down and persists as a humus component improving the soil quality (water and nutrient retention / release properties). If put in a compost, the oxo degradables[1] which persist could be considered a form of pollution (cf International Biodegradable Polymers Association and Working groups) even though it may contribute to improved soil fertility.
Livy
posted on July 7th, 2009 at 9:31 am
I sent an email to all my friends with a bunch of go green tips. Everyone is supposed to forward it to as many people as possible and so on. That way the word gets out quickly. Maybe you ( the reader ) should try that.
EcoGirl
posted on August 4th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
I try to re use before i recycle. i think getting another use out of an item before you recycle will not only help the environment but your pocketbook as well. Plus, it takes a lot of energy to recycle those plastic bottles so i try to find another use before i toss them in the recycle bin.
kayla
posted on August 18th, 2009 at 5:45 am
since i’m a kid i have been trying to convince my mom to recycle,plant our own veggie garden,plant trees,etc so today i really bugged her and she okay so YAY!!!
LEDBulbs?
posted on August 26th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Hey,
Great read! It really is the little things that add up into a major environmental impact. I do have one question though:
Item 3 mentioned CFLs, but didn’t say anything about
energy efficient LED bulbs. Is there are a reason? I actually prefer the LEDs. I like the light better and there are some really cool applications for them.
Best,
David
posted on September 7th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Great green tips on going green and staying that way. I have implemented many of these great tips in our family’s day to day life. It’s also fun teaching our kids about the reasons to live the green alternative and how the much of a difference so little effort means.
Keep up the great articles
Thanks
Nick
posted on September 8th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Yes; great list, thanks!
However, also on Item 3 – you mention “When your incandescent light bulbs stop working, replace them with …” etc. It annoys me when I hear people say this. Don’t wait for the old bulbs to stop working people; it will start saving carbon emissions *as soon as* you change your old bulbs, so DO IT NOW! This is worth more than the carbon emissions associated with the ‘waste’ of throwing away a working bulb. A CFL or LED bulb will also start saving you money as soon as you put them in.
There is no environmental OR economic reason I’m aware of that means you should wait until your incandescent light bulbs stop working, as you state.
Please could you either change your text, or clarify why you’ve written this??!
Tracy
posted on September 16th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I would like to share some information about products that were green long before “Going green” was a buzz word! There really is more to “going green” than what has been discussed here. Most people don’t consider the harmful effects caused from toxic ingredients found in most personal care products and cleaning products. As you read the ingredient lables ask yourself if cancer is lurking in your bathroom. Going green also means cancer prevention. By all means save the planet, recycle, reduce pollution but also protect yourself and your family from the harmful effects of toxic ingredients.
Bruce
posted on October 2nd, 2009 at 9:15 am
Great resource to all of us ‘greenies’. I would like to also mention a national free website that facilitates the resuse of commercial and consumer items in an effort to keep them out of the landfill. Check out http://takemeimFREE.com
We can make the world a better place if we all work together.