Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

By Bonnie Owens on April 24th, 2009

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At our household we have a recycling bin next to our garbage can.  We turn the faucet off while brushing our teeth.  We turns the lights off when we leave the room.  We do what can fit into our daily routine, but we don’t do nearly enough.  In honor of Earth Day I am committing our family to do more.  Here are a few ideas for everyone who is ready to take a more active role in taking care of our planet.

• Save water by decreasing your shower time — or if you have time, take a bath, which uses less water than a shower.
• Switch from paper and plastic bags to reusable bags and totes.
• Forget the electric or gas dryer.  Especially with the warm, sunny months ahead, now is a great time to start hang drying your clothing.
• Opt for direct deposit, online banking, and paperless statements to reduce your paper usage.
• Try your hand at composting (planting scraps from fruits, veggies, and coffee grounds outside), which will help create better soil and less landfill waste.
• Don’t purchase disposable water bottles, but rather use recyclable and refillable beverage containers that you can fill with filtered water.
• Unplug all of your appliances when you leave the house to save energy (and prevent a fire hazard).
• If possible, take public transportation or walk.
• Keep one set of dishes at the office, including: a cup, utensils, bowl, and plate.  This will prevent you from reaching for disposable utensils, cups, and plates.
• Save stained or ill-fitting clothing to use for dusting and cleaning.
• Use rechargeable batteries — Duracell now has a line of pre-charged rechargeable batteries.
• Unplug any chargers or appliances that aren’t in use.  Just being plugged in uses energy.
• Do not heat food within a plastic container in the microwave.
• Purchase used items from thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, and more.
• Rent movies and borrow books, instead of purchasing.  Netflix and Blockbuster make it easy by delivering the flicks right to your door.
• Select products made of recyclable materials.
• Buy groceries in bulk, as it reduces packaging and the number of trips you take to the grocer.
• Purchase locally produced food at farmer’s markets and even road-side stands.
• Purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, instead of jarred, canned, or frozen.
• Use cloth diapers, as opposed to disposable diapers, which cause landfill waste.
• Select soy or beeswax candles, instead of paraffin candles.
• Use healthy and environmentally friendly cosmetics, such as mineral-based cosmetics and natural bath products.
• Donate, donate, donate!