Here are 13 more ways to easily reduce our footprints on the earth.
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USE YOUR CRUISE CONTROL - When using cruise control your vehicle could get up to 15% better mileage. Good for the environment and your wallet.
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GO TO A CAR WASH - Professional car washes are often more efficient with water consumption. If everyone in the U.S., who washes their car themselves, took just one visit to the car wash we could save nearly 8.7 billion gallons of water.
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WAIT UNTIL NIGHT - Do not fuel your vehicle or mow your lawn during morning hours ... all those emissions bake in the sun all day causing more ozone.
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RECYCLE UNWANTED WIRE HANGERS - Wire hangers are generally made of steel, which is often not accepted by curbside recycling programs. Instead of tossing them, take them to the nearest dry cleaners ... they typically accept them back to reuse or recycle (just call them first to be sure they'll take them). If they won't, donate them to thrift stores or homeless shelters.
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WHEN NOT USING A FIREPLACE, KEEP THE DAMPER CLOSED - Keeping the damper open (when you're not using your fireplace) is like keeping a 48-inch window wide open during the winter. It allows warm air to go right up the chimney. This can add up to hundreds of dollars each winter in energy loss.
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CHOOSE MATCHES OVER LIGHTERS - Most lighters are made out of plastic and filled with butane fuel, both petroleum products. Since most lighters are considered "disposable," over 1.5 billion end up in landfills each year. When choosing matches, pick cardboard over wood. Wood matches come from trees, whereas most cardboard matches are made from recycled paper.
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USE COTTON SWABS WITH A PAPERBOARD SPINDLE - Some brands of cotton swabs have a paperboard spindle while others are made of plastic. If 10% of U.S. households switched to a paperboard spindle, the petroleum energy saved per year would be equivalent to over 150,000 gallons of gasoline.
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DOWNLOAD YOUR SOFTWARE - Most software comes on a compact disc, and more than thirty billion compact discs of all types are sold annually. That's a huge amount of waste, not to mention the associated packaging. Another bonus to downloading your software is that it's often available for download at a later date when you upgrade to a new computer or are attempting to recover from a crash.
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PAY BILLS ONLINE - By some estimates, if all households in the U.S. paid their bills online and received electronic statements instead of paper, we'd save 18.5 million trees every year, 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and 1.7 billion pounds of solid waste.
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SKIP THE COFFEE STIRRER - Each year, Americans throw away 138 billion straws and stirrers. To stir without stirrers, simply put your sugar and cream in first, and then pour in the coffee ...it should be well mixed. Determined to stir (and didn't bring your Swiss Army Knife)? Ask the establishment for a spoon (a real one ... not a plastic one).
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SHORTEN YOUR SHOWER - For every 30 seconds you shorten your shower, you'll save up to 4 gallons of water.
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EAT LOCAL - It takes 17 times more oil to transport non-local food compared to that which is produced nearby.
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FIND A BETTER WAY TO BREAK THE ICE - When a big winter storm heads our way, most of us use some sort of ice melter to treat steps and sidewalks. While this makes the sidewalks safer, rock salt and salt-based ice-melting products can contaminate wells and drinking water causing health problems. It's also harmful to pets, plants and the environment. Searching for an Eco-friendly alternative, however, is tough because almost everything used to clear away ice is bad for the environment in some way. So ... the message here is moderation ... if you must use an ice-melting product, use as little as possible.
Yes ... these 13 tips can be yours for the low, low price of a little time. BUT WAIT ... there's more!! If you act now, we're giving you a bonus ... another easy way to reduce your footprint on the earth:
- Share these easy ways to go green with everyone you know. Together we can make a difference!
As always ... I'd love to hear from you!