one

One Hundred Ways To Live Greener

Celebrate Earth Day with these 100 Easy Ways to Live Greener
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 100 green ideas and start adding a
few to your routine every week. Then, visit [Link] and share with us what you’re doing.

1. Carry reusable bags with you anytime you shop. 24. Compost food scraps, grass, yard clippings and dead
plants.
2. Recycle just one more thing each week.
25. Change heating and cooling system filters every month.
3. Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
26. Install a programmable thermostat if you’re away from
4. Skip bottled water, use filtered tap water.
home for set periods of time every day.
5. Decorate with plants to improve air quality.
27. Insulate your home, pipes and water heater.
6. Add a low-flow showerhead.
28. Buy unbleached coffee filters.
7. Turn down the thermostat.
29. Use rags instead of paper towels to wipe up spills.
8. Unplug chargers and appliances when you’re not using
30. Buy biodegradable wax paper.
them.
31. Buy eggs in cardboard cartons instead of foam
9. Recycle electronics through e-waste collection
packaging.
programs.
32. Use low-phosphate detergent or phosphate-free laundry
10. Sign up for recall alerts at [Link].
detergent.
11. Take shorter showers.
33. Use a little less detergent than manufacturers
12. Plant bee-loving plants (sunflowers, geraniums, recommend.
pumpkins, blackberries, rosemary, sage, honeysuckle).
34. Keep car tires properly inflated to save gas and tire life.
13. Share toys with another mom when your child outgrows
35. Have your tires rotated and balanced every 6,000 to
them.
8,000 miles.
14. Use the microwave or the toaster oven to cook small
36. Buy cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers, which
meals to save energy.
can take 500 years to decompose.
15. Turn off the water while shaving or brushing your teeth.
37. Give kids a lunch box or insulated cooler for lunch
16. Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting instead of a paper or plastic sack.
the faucet run until the water is cool.
38. In cafeterias and fast food restaurants, take only the
17. Scrape rather than rinse dishes before loading into the napkins, straws, condiments and plastic drink tops you
dishwasher. plan to use.
18. Repair leaky toilets, which can waste 200 gallons of 39. Print and copy on both sides of paper when possible.
water a day.
40. Save files and e-mails electronically and don’t print out
19. Sweep outside instead of using a hose. hard copies unless you have to.
20. Use durable coffee mugs instead of paper or Styrofoam 41. If you are leaving a room for more than 15 minutes, turn
cups. off the lights.
21. Use cloth napkins and hand towels. 42. Carpool to school, sporting events and shopping.
22. Set your water heater to 120 degrees – also a good rule 43. Turn trash such as Popsicle sticks, newspapers and
of thumb to help prevent burns. used office paper into craft projects.
23. Buy paper products, like toilet paper, made from 44. Wash and reuse sandwich baggies and other plastic
recycled paper. bags.

[Link]
 two
45. Donate your old computer to a community or senior 79. Take extra stuff out of your car trunk to save gas.
citizens center.
80. In public restrooms, use the warm-air hand dryer instead
46. When you replace your cell phone, donate it or pass it of paper towels.
on to a new user.
81. Buy remanufactured ink and toner cartridges.
47. Don’t air condition an empty room.
82. Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load.
48. Walk, ride your bike or take public transportation.
83. Rent or borrow seldom-used items such as chain saws,
49. Pay your bills online. ladders and party decorations.
50. Dry towels and clothes on a rack instead of in the dryer. 84. Take your car to a carwash instead of washing it in the
driveway.
51. Wash laundry in cold water instead of hot.
85. Use the library instead of buying books and DVDs.
52. Drive the speed limit.
86. Have a clothing swap party.
53. Before buying new items, check online sites for gently-
used options. 87. Don’t preheat the oven or open it during cooking.
54. Collect rainwater to water your houseplants and garden. 88. Opt out of receiving phone books and Yellow Pages.
55. Make rags out of old towels and t-shirts. 89. Send e-cards in place of the traditional paper variety.
56. Adjust your refrigerator temperature to 37°F and the 90. Use bar soap instead of liquid to save packaging and
freezer to 0°F. costs.
57. Swap out one meat dish for a veggie dish each week. 91. Skip the treadmill and walk or run outside instead.
58. If the line at the drive-thru is long, park and go in. 92. Have your paycheck direct-deposited.
59. Use a push lawn mower instead of a power model. 93. Make your own cleaning supplies with non-toxic
ingredients, such as baking soda and vinegar.
60. Plant native flowers and shrubs that need less fertilizer
and pesticides. 94. Download music and software instead of buying it on
discs.
61. Replace the air filters in your car regularly.
95. Opt for glass bottles instead of aluminum cans when
62. Install dimmer switches.
you buy beverages.
63. Wrap an insulation blanket around your water heater.
96. Every time you toss something out, challenge yourself
64. Get off junk mail lists at [Link]. to think about how it might impact the planet, and see
65. Buy concentrated laundry detergent to save packaging. if you can think of ways to lower its impact, or buy less
next time.
66. Dust the coils underneath and on the back of your
refrigerator. 97. When remodeling, pick low-VOC paints and carpeting,
light colored roofing, and windows and insulation with a
67. Combine the week’s errands into one trip. high R-Value.
68. Support local farmers by shopping at the farmers market 98. Plant shade trees by your home.
or curb stands.
99. When remodeling, install dual-flush toilets and heating
69. Buy unbleached paper. systems that heat from the floor up, instead of pushing
70. Plant perennials instead of annuals in the garden. air down.

71. Turn on the ceiling fan instead of the air conditioner. 100. Take only what you need.

72. Turn off your heater’s pilot light in the summer.

[Link]