Household

Household

Bathroom(11)

Energy(10)

Kitchen(26)

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Use solar power.: Solar power is the most plentiful renewable power source available and could allow us total independence from earth based fuel. Fossil fuels are limited and they pollute the environment when produced and burned.


Wear warm clothing instead of using the furnace.: Even during the coldest temperatures, it is not necessary to constantly maintain shirt sleeve temperatures in our homes. Wearing a sweater at home instead of firing up the furnace saves a great deal of energy and reduces the power bill.
Avoid the drink box.: The "aseptic drink box" is made of layers of paper, plastic and aluminum - it can not be recycled. Instead use drink containers that are reusable or at least recycleable.
Bundle up rather than blasting the heat.: Sometimes it's enough just to put on a sweater or warm socks rather than turning up the heat. This can save money and energy!
Buy eggs in cardboard flats.: The cardboard "flats" used in egg packaging are made of recycled newspaper, they are recyclable and biodegrade quickly while polystyrene (styrofoam) takes lifetimes to biodegrade and it produces harmful chemical buyproducts when it does.
Buy green power: Renewable and "green" energy utilizes wind and water turbine power and solar power. It does not pollute the atmosphere when being produced and it costs the same as unrenewable and polluting energy sources.
Buy socially responsible and fair trade products: When you buy socially responsible products you help the environment and everyone who was involved in making that product Plus you can affirm you values. Think of it as voting with your dollar.
Chop your veggies by hand.: Rather than using a noisy, electric appliance, save energy and exercise your muscles by hand-chopping vegetables.
Compost kitchen scraps, leaves and yard clippings.: Leaves, yard clippings and kitchen scraps can be composted, reducing landfill glut, and producing, rich organic gardening fertilizer.
Conserve water in the bathroom.: By using a low flow shower head, a toilet water displacement device, by taking showers instead of baths and letting the "yellow mellow", one can conserve an enormous amount of water.
Fill your dishwasher.: Run your dishwasher only with a full load. For drying, use the energy-saving setting instead of heat.
Flush only when neccessary.: Reducing the number of toilet flushes per day, by "letting the yellow mellow" can save an enormous amount of water.
Heat your home more efficiently.: Save energy and help prevent global warming by maximizing the efficiency of heating and cooling systems in the home, use double paned windows, insulation, ceiling fans and don't use the heater when away.
Keep your freezer more than 2/3 filled.: Freezers operate most efficiently when they are at least 2/3 full. Keeping it full requires less energy to chill the empty space, which saves energy and lowers your power bill.
Keep your thermostat adjusted for energy efficiency.: Not overheating or overcooling rooms by monitoring your heater/air conditioner thermostat by turning it off when not needed, saves an enormous amount of energy.
Purchase dry goods in bulk.: Purchase dry foods in bulk (health food stores have bulk bins great for beans, pasta, grains, etc.) You are afforded more choices this way while reducing packaging waste and you'll save money too.
Put leftover food in the composter: A great way to help alleviate the landfill problem is to compost your left over food.
Recycle used deodorant containers.: Most deodorant containers are made from recycleable plastic. Let's keep this out of our landfills and away from degrading into our water supply!
reload printer paper: Certain items you print out at home or at the office have a one time use, and then get discarded. I feel that we can use these sheets again for the reverse side by refeading them back into our printers. We practice this at work, and we save generally 50
Resist using aluminum foil, plastic wrap and plastic bags.: Disposable food wrapping and storage devices are unnecessary and very polluting as well as being taxing on natural resources. It is much more economical and environmentally kind to use washable plastic containers. If you do use these products, wash and r
Resuse chopsticks.
Reuse jars and plastic containers.: Many of the products that we buy in the supermarket are packaged in jars and plastic containers than can be reused in many different ways. This reduces waste and saves us from having to buy containers.
Share a shower with your friend or loved one!: Two can shower as fast and efficiently as one. Not only will you save water but you can get help cleaning those hard to reach areas!
Solar heat your house & water: Solar power is green
Turn off lights when they are not needed.: Save energy and help prevent global warming, turn off lights in unused areas.
Use a dishwasher and save water.: Using a full dishwasher saves an average of 5.8 fewer gallons of water per load than washing by hand.
Use a solar water heater.: Putting a solar water heater on your roof is a good way to lower your electric bills and help the environment at the same time.
Use as little water as possible when cooking.: The more water you use in your food when cooking, the longer it takes to heat. Reducing cooking time lowers energy usage which translates to big savings on your energy bill.
Use cloth wipes instead of toilet paper or baby wipes: If you cloth diaper, chances are you use cloth wipes...why not use cloth wipes instead of TP for the rest of the family? Of course, I always leave a package around for guests but even then it is recycled.
Use energy efficient large appliances.: Save energy and prevent global warming by using a low energy, high efficiency fridge and washing machine, and by using large loads instead of small, and drying clothes on a line.
Use low flow shower heads.: Low flow shower heads conserve water by reducing the amount of water while increasing water pressure.
Use only cold or warm water when washing clothing.: Using cold or warm water when washing clothing instead of hot, saves energy and prolongs the life of clothing.
Use reusable coffee filters.: Instead of using disposable paper coffee filters, switch to reusable mesh coffee filters. They are tree-free and will save you money too.
Use sponges or rags instead of paper towels.: An average sized family goes through 3 rolls of paper towels per week, that adds up to an enormous amount of waste. Using a rag or a sponge saves many trees worth of paper over the course of a lifetime.
Use toilet paper containing 50% or more of post consumer waste.: If saving old growth forests is your interest, using recycled toilet paper is an important purchase decision. Post consumer products are the best way to reduce deforestation.
Wash dishes, glass and silverware in hot soapy water.: Germs are passed easily from one person to another on the rim of a cup or an eating utensil. The best way to ensure that all germs and bacteria are killed before the next use is to clean them in hot soapy water.
Wash the dishes or use the dishwasher... not both!: If you need to wash your dishes thoroughly before putting them in the dishwasher, save the water and put them in the drying rack instead.

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