Unsustainable Items to Give Up

Today, I looked at my newsletter from “The Daily Green.”  In it, there was an article about giving up items for Lent that will help the environment.  Although they are suggested to be given up for lint, you could easily give up some of them year-round.  Here are their suggestions:

1.     

           Give up plastic bags (and paper bags, too).  This costs only about $1 per bag, and can help to reduce use of these bags, which are unsustainable.  If you forget them, choose a bag provided at the grocery store that you will recycle.

2.       Quit using bottled water.  Bottles can be very toxic for the environment, and require more water to make than is filled up with them.  Instead, use a reusable, aluminum bottle.

3.       Stop Receiving Unwanted Catalogs.  I generally don’t receive random catalogs in the mail, although it does happen.  CatalogChoice.org is the website listed in the newsletter, I have not gotten a chance to see how it works.

4.       Give up conventional detergents.  Look for a natural detergent, and make sure to wash in cold water.  Using cold water also saves energy.

5.       Stop using your clothes dryer.  Instead, use a clothesline outside.  This is a good choice that would save a lot of energy, however, I’m unsure how effective it would be in windy areas like the Tri-Cities, or in rainy areas such as Seattle or Portland.

6.       Choose recycled toilet paper over conventional toilet paper.  Recycled toilet paper costs about the same as conventional toilet paper, would eliminate approximately 60,000 pounds of chlorine pollution, save 356  million gallons of freshwater, and save 1 million trees.

7.       Stop using paper towels.  Use small, microfiber towels instead.

8.       Set your thermostat 2 degrees lower in the winter and 2 degrees warmer in the summer.

9.       Stop going to the dry cleaners.  Some still use lots of toxic chemicals when cleaning their supplies, which can evaporate into the air in your home.  Instead, avoid clothes that require dry cleaning when possible.  If you must dry clean clothes, let it air out outside before bringing it in your house.

Source: The Daily Green: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/give-up-for-lent-022509