1. Recycle recycle recycle. Paper products use up at least 35 % of the world's annual commercial wood harvest. If every newspaper found its way to a recycling bin we would save 250,000 trees annually. Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.
2. Stop buying water in plastic bottles and get yourself a reusable thermos. The US consumed enough bottled water in 2009 that if laid end to end the bottles would circle the earth 160 times!
3. Take your own bags to the grocery store. If just 25% of U.S. families used 10 fewer plastic bags a month, we would save over 2.5 BILLION bags a year.
4. Start composting or take your clippings and leaves to a compost facility. Every year we throw away 24 million tons of leaves and grass. Leaves alone account for 75% of our solid waste in the fall.
5. Install a programmable thermostat in your home. Lowering your home temperature by just one degree can mean as much as 10% savings in energy consumption.
6. Install a timer on your home's hot water heater. The second largest energy consumer in the home is the hot water heater. Turn down the temperature setting a degree or two and install a timer to heat water only when you're home.
7. Wash your clothes in cold water. By switching to cold water detergents you can reduce your washer's energy consumption by up to 90%.
8. Use renewable energy to dry your clothes. The sun and wind have been around awhile and they do a pretty good job drying clothes...and they're free to use.
9. Install compact fluorescent lights in your home to save energy and reduce bulb production. CFLs last up to 60 times longer than incandescent lights and use 1/3 of the energy.
10. Donate your slightly used garments and home furnishings to charitable organizations. Recycling these items is good for the environment and even better for those in your community who could use a little help.
