Think you’re doing all you can to give the environment a break and make your home a little healthier for your family? Or do you want to go green but you’re not sure where to start? Scan this list of green ideas and start adding a few to your routine every week.
- Carry reusable bags with you anytime you shop.
- Recycle just one more thing each week.
- Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
- Skip bottled water, use filtered tap water.
- Decorate with plants to improve air quality.
- Add a low-flow showerhead.
- Turn down the thermostat.
- Unplug chargers and appliances when you’re not using them.
- Recycle electronics through e-waste collection programs.
- Sign up for recall alerts at recalls.gov.
- Take shorter showers.
- Plant bee-loving plants (sunflowers geraniums, pumpkins, blackberries, rosemary, sage, honeysuckle).
- Share toys with another mom when your child outgrows them.
- Use the microwave or the toaster oven to cook small meals to save energy.
- Turn off the water while shaving or brushing your teeth.
- Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool.
- Scrape rather than rinse dishes before loading into the dishwasher.
- Repair leaky toilets, which can waste 200 gallons of water a day.
- Sweep outside instead of using a hose.
- Use durable coffee mugs instead of paper or Styrofoam cups.
- Use cloth napkins and hand towels.
- Set your water heater to 120 degrees – also a good rule of thumb to help prevent burns.
- Buy paper products, like toilet paper, made from recycled paper.
- Compost food scraps, grass, yard clippings and dead plants.
- Change heating and cooling system filters every month.
- Install a programmable thermostat if you’re away from home for set periods of time every day.
- Insulate your home, pipes and water heater.
- Buy unbleached coffee filters.
- Use rags instead of paper towels to wipe up spills.
- Buy biodegradable wax paper.
- Buy eggs in cardboard cartons instead of foam packaging.
- Use low-phosphate detergent or phosphate-free laundry detergent.
- Use a little less detergent than manufacturers recommend.
- Keep car tires properly inflated to save gas and tire life.
- Have your tires rotated and balanced every 6,000-8,000 miles.
- Buy cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers, which can take 500 years to decompose.
- Give kids a lunch box or insulated cooler for lunch instead of a paper or plastic sack.
- In cafeterias and fast food restaurants, take only the napkins, straws, condiments and plastic drink tops you plan to use.
- Print and copy on both sides of paper when possible.
- Save files and e-mails electronically and don’t print out hard copies unless you have to.
- If you are leaving a room for more than 15 minutes, turn off the lights.
- Carpool to school, sporting events and shopping.
- Turn trash such as Popsicle sticks, newspapers and used office paper into craft projects.
- Wash and reuse sandwich baggies and other plastic bags.
- Donate your old computer to a community or senior citizens center.
- When you replace your cell phone, donate it or pass it on to a new user.
- Don’t air condition an empty room.
- Walk, ride your bike or take public transportation.
- Pay your bills online.
- Dry towels and clothes on a rack instead of in the dryer.