To-Do List

To Do List Using the 3 R’s of the Environment

Reduce - Reuse - Recycle

Waste Not, Want Not. Didn’t our grandmothers use to tell us that, they were ahead of their times.

Reduce

Stop Air Leaks in your house
- You can save up to 20% on your energy bill, simply by going around your house and checking for air leaks.
- Get some caulking for Doors and windows.
- Go around the house and fill in any gaps in doors and windows with caulking or weather stripping.
- Close the fireplace damper when not using it .
- Also check your dryer vent cap to see that it closes tightly and doesn’t let any air in out.
Have you checked your tire pressure lately?
- Keep your Tires properly inflated and you will save money, the environment and yourself. A simple action like checking your tire pressure weekly, let’s say when you pump gas, can lower your fuel cost and keep you safe on the road.
Whenever possible, dry your clothes on a line outside or a rack indoors. If you air dry half your loads, you’ll dispense with 723 pounds of CO2.
When was the last time you checked your furnace filter?
- Check it monthly and wither wash or replace it every three months. This will cut down on your energy bill and stretch the life of your heating and cooling system.
Carpooling:
- Like most of people in the workforce, we drive into town with thousands of other people. Find people in your area that are going into town at the same time. Join a Vanpool/ Carpool.
- Here are some resources for finding a carpool in your area.

Get a programmable thermostat
- There is no use heating or cooling you house while you are not there. A programmable Thermostat will allow you to set temps at different levels depending on whether you are there or not. This will save you money on your electric bill.
Washing and Drying your clothes can take up a lot of energy and waste a lot of water if we are not diligent.
- First start out by making sure you wash full loads, not partial loads.
- Use cold or warm water rather than hot water, because most of the energy a washer uses is spent on heating up the water.
- If at all possible, avoid using the dryer all together and watch your energy bill plummet.
  If you have the space, and the weather permits, all you need is a clothesline and some laundry clips, very cheap items to acquire at many stores, and will save you loads of money and will conserve energy.

Audit your Electricity Consumption.
- You cannot save on electricity unless you know where it’s being used. Go online or call your Utility company, and ask them about having a home audit done. It’s usually free or $30/$40 bucks to do, it will show you where you can save up to 30% on your bill.(Better Homes & Gardens Mag: Living Green)
Support your local farmers.
- You may ask why this would be more Eco Friendly. In one word, Pollution. think about how many miles food travels before it gets to you. By buying from local farmers you not only help cut down on pollution but also help support your local economy.
  - For more info on your local farmers try these links.

Fix all leaky faucets and Toilets
- Go through your house every six months and check underneath the sinks, and listen for running water from your toilets. An enormous amount of water can trickle out of faucets and toilets when we are not paying attentions, wasting resources. They are easy and relatively inexpensive fixes, that can also save you lots of money.
Unplug things that glow in the dark
- Most people are paying for energy that they have no idea they are even using. Many appliances that are off continue to draw power. TV’s Cell Phone Chargers, printers, etc… anything with a LED (light emitting diode) light that glows even after being turned off is a so-called vampire. What to do? Unplug the culprits from wall sockets and instead plug them into power strips, then when you leave the room flip the switch on the power strip off to cut the flow of electricity. Make this a habit and we all save. (source: Betterhomes and Garden: Living Green)
Create a Green Cleaning Basket
- Buy environmentally sensitive cleaners. Use products that are made from plant sources rather than petroleum and that are free of chemicals that can irritate like chlorine or that can pollute like phosphates.(source: Better Homes and Garden Mag)
Light Bulbs
- Compact fluorescent bulbs use 1/4 of the energy of incandescent bulbs and last ten times longer.
Candles:
- Replace Paraffin Candles, which are made from crude Oil, with cleaner burning soy or beeswax ones. (source: Better Homes and Garden Mag)
Make your Home Earth-friendly
- TIME: Green Home Viewer
Replace all the light bulbs in you house, with energy Savers.
- Read More: TIME: The Global Warming Survival Guide
Don’t buy bottled water unless its for storing for an emergency.
- Use your tap water.
- Use Filtered water.
- “More than 40 million gallons of oil are needed to make the plastic water bottles Americans purchase each year “S.F. Mayor bans bottled water at city offices, global warming and saving taxpayer money cited as reasons.

Reuse

Buy or make reusable bags to go shopping with.
Sell your unused cell phones to greenphone.co
- They pay arround $35 and will refurbish and re-sell them. (source: Better Homes and Garden: Living Green)
Before throwing something out, ponder over it and see if it can be used for another purpose.
- For example:
  - Plastic Bags: Once you’ve collected enough plastic bags from the grocery store, stuff a big pillow with them and use it as the dogs bed.
  - Coffee Cans: Old Coffee cans can be used to store all kinds of things throughout the house and the garage. If you don’t like the look of it decoupage something you do like on it.
  - Glass Jars:Can be a great organizational tool, especially small and med sized ones can be used in the garage to store nails, screws and other small items. Just drill a screw through the top from the inside and screw it to the wall or pegboard in your garage. Then fill the jar with any item you want and screw the jar to the top.
  - Laundry Scoops: These little treasures can be used in the Garden, to scoop out dirt for small pots, fertilizer, soil additives, pesticides, etc…
  - You get the idea…
Reusable Cloths
- Instead of using paper towels, use reusable cloths made out of flannel, for dusting or wet cleaning which can be washed and reused.
Trash Bags
- Select Biodegradable bags or those made with 65% recycled content.
Natural Sponges and Scrubbers
- Try cellulose or natural Sea sponges instead of plastic ones. Old toothbrushes come in handy for cleaning grout. ( source: Better Homes and Garden Mag)
Choosing Paper Products:
- When choosing paper products, look for those with the most “post consumer waste” content, unbleached or whitened without chlorine. (source: Better Homes and Garden Mag)

Recycle

Letting your grass grow longer it benefits you lawn all around.
- Letting you grass grow to 2 1/2 inches tall is ideal for most species of grass.
  It allows it to develop deeper roots, which means less watering.
- Allowing clippings to stay on the ground adds nitrogen to the soil and discourages weeds, which equals less fertilizers and herbicides.
- It also means less mowing for you… (source: Homes and Gardens Mag: Living Green)
Recycle your Electronics
- Way to many Electronics are making into our landfill. Which means that countless pounds of chemicals and heavy metals make it into the ground and our water. There’s an easy way to recycle we just need to get on board. Collect your no longer used electronics, and make a drop off every six months. Make it a recycling project with friends or the whole neighborhood.
  - The Consumer Electronics Assoc. created, mygreenelectronics.co to help you find a recycling resource in your area. It also provides a list of Eco-friendly electronics.

Recycle your Cell Phone, PDA’s , and Pagers. Free and Easily.
- Donate your devices thru Earth Share
How to give your office a Green Makeover
- Read More: Green Makeover