Environmentally Friendly Habits to Get Into

Today, I found an article from Scientific American that listed talked about eleven environmentally friendly habits to get into.  Although some of these have been repeated continually, some are new.  Those made me decide to share this with you:

1.      

           Look for recycled toilet paper.  Although the more upscale brands may be softer, they contain virgin fiber and are then bleached with chlorine to give them their white color.  Virgin fiber generally comes from trees on tree farms, grown specifically for that reason.  If is much more sustainable to use recycled toilet paper.

2.       Put a lid on water when boiling.  Then can save a lot money and energy.

3.       Planting a vegetable garden is a way to buy “local” food.  Not only does this cut emissions, but it ensures pesticides haven’t been used on your food.  Also, gardening is a good way to help with habit number four.

4.       Spend more time outside.  This requires you to use less electricity than you would sitting inside at a computer or watching TV.

5.       When remodeling your house, look for used flooring and other supplies.  This keeps these items out of the landfill, which is an excellent way to promote sustainability.  You can also consider selling or donating your floors, doors, windows, and more when remodeling.

6.       Replace electronic kitchen appliances with models that don’t require electricity.  Examples of such electronics are juicers, can openers, and coffee grinders.  This helps to reduce electricity use.

7.       Check out the ingredients for things such as toothpastes, shampoos, and soaps.  See if you can cut out chemicals in these products by looking for more environmentally friendly products.

8.       Completely rinse off your boat when you take it out of the water.  This helps slow the spread of the invasive species zebra mussel.  This mussel will compete with native species for resources, and clog pipes. 

9.       Turn your computer off at night.  By keeping your computer on when not using it, you waste a lot of energy, not to mention you increase your energy bill.  Turning off after use is another easy way to promote sustainability.

10.   Don’t use the “hot” water setting on your washing machine.  Using a lower setting saves a lot of energy.  For example, heating water to 140°F uses almost two times the energy that heating to 104°F does.

11.   Pay bills online.  This saves paper, and ensures that the bill will be paid on time. 

All of these are excellent ways to live a practical, sustainable life.

Source: Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=being-green-11-enviro-habits