1. Take shorter showers, don’t let the water run while shampooing or conditioning your hair, shaving, or washing your body.
2. Turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth or shaving.
3. Use reusable cloth bags for shopping; keep them in your car.
4. Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable batteries.
5. Remember to turn off your lights and any electronics when not in use, as well as power strips.
6. Use rags or hand towels instead of paper towels or napkins.
7. Avoid disposable plates, cups, and utensils. Carry your own cup and utensils.
8. Buy bulk and unpackaged items rather than packaged goods when possible. Buying in bulk is cheaper and uses minimal packaging.
9. Buy carrots, onions, potatoes, etc. loose, and not in plastic bags.
10. Decrease TV watching and increase creative learning.
11. Recycle paper products (newspapers, office paper, cardboard, etc), aluminum, glass, tin, steel, plastic, batteries and everything else possible.
12. Use non-toxic, environmental-friendly products for cleaning
13. Recycle, re-use unneeded items. Avoid new consumption.
14. Use reusable containers to store food in your refrigerator instead of putting food in aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or zip-loc bags.
15. Mend and repair, rather than discard and replace.
16. Drive a fuel-efficient car, avoid using the air conditioning.
17. Cook your beans and grains in a pressure cooker to cut the cooking time in less than half.
18. Support local stores and restaurants.
19. Turn down the temperature on your water heater (to 130 degrees- hot enough to kill bacteria and still save energy).
20. Turn down the thermostat and wear warmer clothes instead.
21. Join the Green Ribbon Pledge @ www.greenribbonpledge.org to make a commitment of simple actions you can do to conserve energy resources for a secure future.
22. Pick up litter when you walk, and support litter pick-up days in your neighborhood.
23. Dispose of leftover food, yard trimmings, and weeds by starting a compost in your backyard. When contents decompose into soil use the soil for plants and gardening.
24. Try not to use hazardous chemicals, but if you use them be sure to keep them in spill proof containers, and dispose of them properly and responsibly.
25. Avoid using styrofoam and plastic as often as you can.
26. Start or help with a community garden, and spend more time in nature.
27. If your family celebrates Christmas, buy a living Christmas trees, and plant it somewhere after the Christmas season.
28. Plant trees in your community.
29. Hang your clothes out to dry whenever possible.
30. Before you throw away plastic six-pack holders into the garbage, make sure you cut each circle with scissors.
31. Make sure the tires on your car are properly inflated and balanced. Rotate your tires every six to eight thousand miles.
32. If you decide to buy aerosols, make sure that you check the labels. Don’t buy it if any of the following halons or CFCs are listed: CFC-11 (Trichlorofluoromethane), CFC-12 (Dichlorodifluoromethane), CFC-13 (Trichlorotrifluoroethane), CFC-14 (Dichlorotetrafluoroethane), CFC-15 (Monochloropentafluoroethane), CFC-15 (Monochloropentafluoroethane).
33. Put plastic bottles filled with water and rocks (for weight) in your toilet tank to conserve water each time you flush.
34. Bring a coffee cup from home to the coffee shop, instead of using disposable cups.
35. Try to find alternative means of transportation as often as possible to conserve gas and decrease air pollution. Ride the bus, the subway, the train, a bicycle, or simply walk at least once a week.
36. If you eat meat, try to cut down on how much meat you are consuming. Avoid beef as often as you are able, buy organic.
37. Avoid supporting fast-food restaurants.
38. Keep your car tuned up. It’s the easiest way to make your car more fuel efficient.
39. Decide what you want before you open the refrigerator, so you can avoid wasting energy while the door is left open.
40. Replace your light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, for more light and a lot less energy. 41. Get off junk mailing lists. Reduce the amount of junk mail you receive (by up to 75%) by writing to:
Mail Preference Service
Attn: Preference Service Manager
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 3079
Grand Central Station, NY 10163
42. If you are 18 or older, register to vote if you haven’t already, because one vote can make the difference, let your voice be heard.
43. Try to recycle everything that you must buy.
44. Strive to buy only recycled products.
45. Organize a beach, lake, river, or creek clean up.
46. Be aware of local waste management methods, and visit your local dump site and/or recycling center.
47. Try limiting yourself to only one bag of trash this month. See if you can reduce your amount throughout the year by being environmentally smart about what you buy and throw away.
48. Buy a water bottle for yourself. Refill, use it, and carry it with you at all times, so you don’t have to waste money and plastic on a disposable water bottle when you’re thirsty.
49. Speak out. Let your voice be heard. Write letters to environmentally unsound companies, demanding that they take responsibility for their actions.
50. Have fun, be joyful, and join the Earth Guardians for a better world.
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