Due to all the crazy weather that has been going on all over the country lately, and because its April, I thought I'd do a quick blog on ten things you can do today to make the earth a better, cooler place to live. It doesn't have anything to do with being bogged down with edits for my June release. No. That's another author.
1. Recycle everything you can. Reach out to your trash services to get a list of everything they recycle. Many have lists on their websites too. There are probably a few items on that list that will surprise you and that you aren't currently recycling.
2. Turn off any electrical devices you aren't using. Many, such as small kitchen appliances and entertainment equipment use energy even when you aren't using them. Consider putting them on a power strip and cutting off power to them all when you aren't using them.
3. By local produce whenever possible. This cuts down hugely on transportation costs of your food.
4. Turn down or up the temperature in your home, depending on where you live and what season it is. Heating and cooling our homes is one of the greatest uses of energy in America. Even changing the temperature a few degrees can make a large impact.
5. Cultivate your own plants (consider starting your own garden to accomplish this as well as number 3). The more plants and trees in the world the more CO2 that is processed from our environment.
6. Turn down the temperature on your water heater. Keeping it at a lower temp requires less energy. You can also get a insulated jacket for the device to keep the heat in. But you'll have to go out an get that, so that is you can't necessarily do that today. But its a good idea to do in the future if you can.
7. Eat less meat. Feeding and watering live stock, along with the growing of grain to feed these animals, is one of the largest uses of water in the United States. Consider going meatless one day a week to lower the drain on these resources without making a huge impact on your lifestyle.
8. Switch to a reusable products whenever possible. Switch out reusable shopping bags for plastic, use towels and sponges instead of paper towels, etc...you get the idea.
9. Limit your mail. Change your bills over to electronic delivery, remove yourself from any catalogue lists you don't need use. That will limit the use of paper and the transportation needed to get those pieces of mail to you.
10. Read more ebooks. Okay, I'm not really sure this will help the environment that much, but it definitely won't hurt. And there are some great books out there, by some really great authors.
If you liked this list and would like to find out more ways you can help the earth, check out http://www.50waystohelp.com/. There are a lot of great resources out there for what you can do to help. If we all do our part we can make the world a cooler place to be, in more ways then one.
4 comments:
Great tips, Willa. I'm sure there are many who will scoff at your suggestions. Of course, those folks don't believe global warming is happening either. *sigh* Hopefully, the rest of us with sense will be able to save Mama Earth.
Wow, what a bunch of great tips....Thanks so much, Willa
Tina, you are so right. I'm sure some will scoff, but with the northeast in record lows, the southeast in record highs and California in a horrible drought, it seems to me there's no denying something is going on with the environment.
We brought our kids up this way. Low-flo toilets, low-flo showerheads, turn off the faucet when you're brushing your teeth, etc. My husband has never used any poisonous chemicals on our lawn. His saying is, "My lawn doesn't have a chemical dependency and a drinking problem...does yours?" Son #3 is doing graduate work in Hydro-Geology. He wants to save the earth in a big way! And hopefully he'll have the education to be able to help.
You're right...if we all just do our part, every little bit helps.
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