Recycling: Most simply don't think or care about recycling. You can recycle almost 80% of your household waste. In addition to paper, plastic, metal, and glass, see if your area has a yard waste/compost service. If you already do, simply dump plant trimmings, vegetable/fruit peelings, bones, napkins, and any soiled paper items in there. If you have a large backyard, or are a gardener, consider backyard composting!
There are also ways to recycle more obscure items, from motor oil (most Jiffy Lube/oil change places), florescent/swirly lightbulbs (Home Depot), wine corks (Whole Foods), batteries, yogurt cups, DVDs, Styrofoam, surfboards, and even crayons! You can find out where to drop them off for free at earth911.com.
Energy: Look around your home at the items you have plugged in/on. Set your computers to shut off their screens after 5 mins, completely after an hour. They produce lots of heat and waste lots of energy. If you haven't, change your lightbulbs to the swirly fluorescent ones (but dispose of them properly!) Turn off any lamps that remain on at night, or set outlet timers (you can buy them for $2). If you're not using it, turn it off!
If you want to make a bigger difference, revamp your appliances. Front-loading washers, efficient fridges, dishwashers, dryers, and TVs account for nearly 1/3 of your home's energy use. They are plugged in 24/7, so see if you can get more efficient ones when replacing.
Heating/Cooling: The temperature of your home accounts for nearly half your energy! If you have a thermostat, set it to something reasonable; 70 is good for cooler months, 60 or 65 in the warmer months. Don't leave the heater or AC running when nobody is home, and if you're sleeping, have them shut off halfway in the night.
Make sure you have no gaps in doors and windows, and if you can, make sure your attic has good insulation. For water, see if you have a water heater tank. If you consider changing it to a tankless model, you only heat water when you need it, not 24/7. Plus, you never run out of hot showers!
Lifestyle: Transportation accounts for a significant amount of pollution. If you can ditch the car and carpool or bus to work/school, do so! It'll save on gas tremendously. Try replacing short trips for errands with bus, bike, or foot.
Your diet also can impact the environment, and your health. Replace meals with beef and pork with chicken and seafood, and if you can, try switching more lunches to vegetarian or with little meat.
Avoid using pesticides in your garden/lawn. If you have the time, physically plucking weeds will solve your problems- but thats the reason why pesticides were invented! If you must, use them sparingly.
Lastly, check to see if your area offers a 'Green Energy' program. By far, this is the biggest difference you can make. For some amount per month (about $12 where I live) you can choose to have 100% of your energy come from renewable resources; wind, hydro, solar, biomass, and geothermal. Nothing in your home will be powered by coal or oil! The more people that sign up, the more your utility provider switches to alternatives. Besides, they help lower energy rates too!
1) Be vegetarian
2) Use mass transit or walk whenever possible
3) A LOT of deforestation occurs to produce cotton. If possible, try to find shirts that use as little as possible (this is virtually impossible with pants/shorts, and 60% is usually the minimum you'll find with shirts
4) Take short showers
5) If you can, buy food at local farmers markets
6) There are some companies that will plant a tree if you pay an extra dollar at the time of purchase (of one of their products). Take advantage of this.
7) Don't print something unless you have to. And if you do have to, double-side the paper (even if somebody yells at you for doing so).
8) Recycle (what exactly you can recycle will vary by community). Take note of the recycling company in your area and go to their website.
9) Remember that it's REDUCE, then REUSE, then RECYCLE. Reducing waste should be the first thing you do.
10) Compost if where you live permits it.
We are in the process of making a similar change, but I am retaining a few meat meals a week as I feel my children (ages 2 & 4) need it in their diet...that's what those big pointy teeth are there for!
We put in a small vegetable garden & a small herb garden as well as some fruit trees. We are also building a chook house so we can have our very own fat & happy hens to lay eggs! I cut back our meat consumption from 7 meals a week to 4 meat (with at least one being fish), 2 egg dinners (quiches, fritatas, etc) & one pure vegetarian (possibly even vegan as there are generally no animal products at all but I have not read much about veganism).
Another thing you can look at which is pretty cheap & easy is window coverings...look at what curtains you have & see if they are keeping the heat in during winter & out during summer or purely decorative. As a general rule, the windows facing the south (if you are in the N hemisphere) will need better coverings in summer & those facing the north will need the better ones in winter.
Use public transit. Eat local or organic (needing to be vegetarian is a fallacy as processed vegetarian products can use just as much resources as meat). Buy food and any products without packaging. Use reiki, meditation and yoga to relieve stress instead of taking painkillers. Wash your hands and dishes without leaving the water running to conserve water. Use reusable bags when shopping. Don't use disposable anything, so carry your own water bottle, mug, napkin and cutlery. Do potluck meals instead of restaurants when spending time with family and friends. Smile and give thanks for all that you have.... and lastly, feel free to visit www.greenminutes.ca for more green tips.... I live and breathe sustainability and love teaching people how to live healthy lives! :)
I find this really neat of you! ^^
- I am a vegetarian myself, and it's really opened my eyes to the impact we as humans can make, plus all the fun food can give us! I really have expanded my menu rather than restricted it. I went cold turkey, but perhaps you want to start by finding a local farm (check it out to make sure it is using good practices for animals and environment) to purchase your meat from, or possibly hunting your own meal. Industrial meat should be a scary thought, haha! Also, vegetarians can be unhealthy as well, so make sure not to rely on junk food and dairy for your hunger cravings. Legumes and vegetables and fruit can be yummy, and there are many sites to lead you to fab recipes. Be careful about meat substitutes as well as any really processed food--not only does processing use up energy/resources, but they often throw in a lot of undesirable ingredients-Ew! Just take a trip to a whole foods store or section and pick out things that appeal to you to start off with.
-I suggest replacing your cleaning supplies and beauty supplies with natural ones. Many substitutes can be found online. We don't need all of these icky chemicals on our skin and in the hair or the drain...
-Reducing water usage can be done in many ways--shower less(shorter, whatever), use dishwasher, energy efficient appliances and have a low-maintenance lawn that needs little watering for aesthetic purposes.
-Bike everywhere! Get fit and use less fossil fuels. There are many ride sharing opportunities most places if you can't.
-create a compost bin (instead of wasting garbage space/weight= more gas to transport to landfill=bad for environment) and use it to start your own garden!
Remember a lot of this can be fun! ^_^
This site offers a free vegetarian book that has over 400 recipes and weekly/monthly meal plans that will provide guidance and support that you require to maintain a healthy diet and protect the environment. http://essentialvegetarianonline.com
Earth911.com
-Hang your laundry out outside
-Only run the dishwasher, dryer, washer when full
-Use the sunlight during the day
-Unplug electronics when not in use (even when plugged in they still draw energy)
-Pay bills online (save paper)
-Recycle everything and anything
-Bike or Walk everywhere
-Keep your tires inflated, you get better gas mileage
-Compost
-collect rain water and water your plants with your collected water
Good luck
hi, im just looking to live a more environmentally friendly life and im looking for some good tips on becoming vegetarian..want to stop abusing the worlds resources.. need some tip. wondering all the things i can recycle, maybe environmental products, ways to reduce water... really looking for a totaly healthy lifestyle change..
