http://www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/
1) CONSERVE WATER BY CAPTURING SHOWER “WARM-UP” WATER TO WATER YOUR PLANTS
The average American uses 140-170 gallons of water per day; each of us could change a few simple things to shave a couple of gallons off our average daily use. A leaky faucet alone can waste 100 gallons a day. That is why it is important to practice simple water conservation techniques like not leaving the water running while brushing your teeth. Another good rule to live by is never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or cleaning.
2) GROW A GARDEN
There are many benefits to converting your lawn into a garden. The rising cost of fuel increases the cost of food that is shipped and the average distance food travels to our supermarkets is 1,200 miles. A vegetable garden uses less water than a lawn. By producing your own organic foods you can significantly reduce your intake of herbicides and pesticides.
3) PLANT NATIVE VEGETATION
Native vegetation is drought resistant, which means that it uses less water than non-native landscaping plants. It is also better for the ecosystem to plant native vegetation.
4) BRING YOUR OWN MUG TO COFFEE SHOPS
41 million coffee cups are thrown away each day. And, each year Americans throw away 25,000,000,000 Styrofoam cups, enough every year to circle the earth 436 times.
5) USE A REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE (STAINLESS STEEL)
Americans throw out 2.5 million plastic bottles every year and it will be 700 years before they begin to decompose. Not to mention, that 1.5 million barrels of oil per year are used to make bottled water (and that doesn’t even include the amount of fuel used to transport bottled water).
6) CARPOOL
Avoiding 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year. Plus carpooling is a great way to get to know people in your community and saves you money on gas.
7) BUY IN BULK IT REDUCES THE PACKAGING MATERIAL WASTED
Americans produce more garbage than any other people on the planet. Try to buy products with little or no packaging to reduce waste. About one-third of an average dump is made up of packaging material!
8) US A CLOTH BAG AND SKIP THE PLASTIC BAG AT THE GROCERY STORE
Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photo degrade-breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest. Each of us can make a positive impact by bringing re-usable bags with us to the store or forgoing bags when they aren’t absolutely necessary.
9) UNPLUG APPLIANCES AND ELECTRONICS WHEN THEY ARE NOT IN USE
Cell phone chargers, TVs, DVD players, stereos, microwaves and other electronics with transformers continue to draw power, even when they’re off or not charging anything, as long as they’re plugged in. In the U.S., such “phantom electricity” emits about 12 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere a year, use 5 percent of our domestic energy, and cost consumers more than $8 billion annually.
10) RETHINK YOUR LAUNDRY
Washing your clothes in cold or warm water instead of hot saves 500 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Drying your clothes on a clothesline six months out of the year would save another 700 pounds.
11) BUY LOCAL
Buying locally produced food is good for you and good for locally owned businesses. On average, most foods available in the grocery store have traveled 1,200 miles or more. Locally grown food uses less fossil fuel and is fresher because it goes more directly from the farmer to your table! You can buy local by attending the area farmer’s markets, joining a CSA, going to your local Food Co-op and by dining out at restaurants that source locally.
12) TAKE THE BUS, RIDE YOUR BIKE, OR WALK WHERE YOU NEED TO GO. IT’S BETTER FOR YOU!
American’s are the largest consumers of oil in the world in large part because of how much we drive cars. By not driving, you reduce the amount of fossil fuels burned, which means that there is less pollution in the air. You will also decrease the amount of cars on the road and in turn reduce the cost to maintain the roadways therefore freeing up some of your tax dollars for open space preservation. It also saves you money and is good exercise.