15 Things you can do to help

Save the Planet

The following measures are within your control and will have a real impact on the environment over time. Don't underestimate the value of small changes. Each change you make works in concert with the efforts of others to make the world a better place. Your children see what you are doing, and your habits are a blueprint for their future behavior. Look at the litter around your local high school for a glimpse of what we are really teaching our children about eco-friendly habits. Controlling waste and curbing consumption starts with taking personal responsibility.

Recycle with a vengeance. Instead of placing a few items in your recycling bin, make a real effort to check for the recycling symbol and support the recycling effort. Make a commitment to double the items in your recycling bin each week. If you discover that the packaging on an item you use often isn't recyclable, write the manufacturer and ask why.

Walk more. Walking saves on gasoline and gets you in touch with your environment. It's good for you, too. Pick up any refuse that you see along the way, and dispose of it responsibly. Expanding your sense of stewardship to include cleaning up after others is a sign of real commitment.

Stop using plastic grocery bags. Buy sturdy cotton bags and use them for your grocery items. If you have young children, get them to decorate the bags with their unique artistic vision of a clean, natural world. Keep a supply of bags in your car for unexpected shopping trips.

Conserve water. Put restrictors on showerheads and sink faucets. Make sure your toilets are water efficient, and teach your children to turn off the water while they brush their teeth or wash their hands.

Clean your refrigerator's condenser coils to reduce energy consumption and make your kitchen cooler.

Microwave instead of using the oven.

Use a toaster oven instead of your large oven for smaller jobs.

Turn your computer off at night.

Only run your dishwasher when it's full.

Cut back your clothes dryer use. Dry clothes on a clothesline, and just use your dryer to fluff clothes once they're dry.

Buy local. Make use of summer vegetable stands for your produce, or grow vegetables yourself. If you have a choice of buying from a local outlet or manufacturer, choose that option. Fewer marketing and transportation costs means less consumption, and that's one of the goals of conservation.

Use your air conditioning less and plant a tree near your house to help create some shade. Newer homes rely almost exclusively on heavy energy consumption to heat and cool indoor environments. Some strategic natural intervention, like trees and swamp coolers, can help reduce energy costs and save the planet.

Buy foods with less packaging and processing. Instead of buying single serving items for lunches or dinners, buy in bulk and prepare your own meals. It's cheaper that way and better for the environment. While you're at it, bring your lunch to work a few days each week.

If you are redecorating, use natural or recycled materials. Buy eco-friendly paints, stains, and cleaners. Think before you replace furniture. Can an item be repaired or refurbished? If a chair or table has to go, donate it instead of pitching it.

Think small. This is probably the most important item on the list. We tend to think larger rather than smaller as time goes by. We buy bigger homes, larger cars, more clothing and toys, more everything. Thinking small helps put the environment first.

Everything you replace and discard goes somewhere. If you are sitting in a sea of stuff thinking that you need a bigger house, think again. Lose the bloat by donating unused items, and consider carefully before you buy anything new. You know the rule; if you haven't used an item in the last two years, you don't really need it. Conspicuous consumption is a mindset. If you had to pay a heavy fee every time you bought an item, a tax for its safe ecological disposal, it would change your thinking about stuff. Don't wait for that to happen, start thinking green now.

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