GREEN TIPS

Here are some simple ways that you can do your part to cut down on waste and pollution.

RECYCLING

This may seem like an obvious action to take, but there are still several people who do not recycle regularly, if at all. You wouldn't dump trash into a heap on your living room floor, right? Why is it ok to dump it anywhere? With the recycling services available to us today, if you are not recycling at least the basics like paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass, then please start now! If your city does not offer curbside pick up, call your City Hall, or go to your city's website and find out where they have placed recycling drop off bins near you. Once you do, there's no law that says you have to fill up your car and drive to the drop off every week. As long as you keep accumulating recyclables and drop them off at some point, you're still making a big impact! And before you trash those broken appliances, half empty paint cans, used motor oil, or dead car batteries, find out where in your city you can drop them off to be disposed of safely

RE-USING

Instead of throwing away that old worn out T-shirt, cut it up into rags and use as a substitute for paper towels, use as a dust rag, or a regular cleaning rag around the house. Throw them into the wash and re-use!
Use old socks as dust rags. Just stick your hand into the sock and wipe dust up anywhere!
Accumulate pieces of paper that are only printed on one side and use them as scrap paper. Feed them into your printer for informal documents, cut them up to use for phone messages or reminders to post on the refrigerator.
Use junk mail paper as scrap paper.
Tear up or shred newspapers, or scrap paper, to use as packing material for shipping packages.

CONSERVING

Energy

Replace your standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs to conserve energy - this helps the environment AND your wallet!

13w Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Twist 4-pack

"Switching just one bulb prevents CO2 from polluting the air and saves 32 gallons of oil! Energy Star says that if every American family replaced just one bulb it would be the equivalent of removing 1,000,000 gas-fueled cars from the road."
"Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) … last from 8-10 times longer, use about 75% less energy, and produce 90% less heat [than incandescent light bulbs]. They fit right into your standard light socket."
A 13 W twist compact Fluorescent Light Bulb replaces a 60 Watt incandescent light bulb, and "saves $45 in energy costs over the life of the bulb (based on $.12 KWH)."

Water

Turn the water off while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face.
Store water in your refrigerator for drinking instead of waiting for the faucet to turn cold every time you want a drink.
Take shorter showers, and install a low-flow shower head.

"Showers account for about 20 percent of total indoor water use. By replacing standard 4.5-gallon-per-minute showerheads with 2.5-gallon-per-minute heads, which cost less than $5 each, a family of four can save approximately 20,000 gallons of water per year (Jensen, 1991)."

Install aerators on your faucets.

"Aerators can be easily installed and can reduce the water use at a faucet by as much as 60 percent while still maintaining a strong flow."

Fix leaky faucets and toilets

"Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year which will add to the cost of water and sewer utilities, or strain your septic system."

Do all of your laundry, or as much as you can, at once to take advantage of the residual heat in the dryer from the previous load instead of starting up cold.
Wash most of your clothes in cold water, and use warm instead of hot.


Recycling Re-Using Conserving	GREEN TIPS Here are some simple ways that you can do your part to cut down on waste and pollution. RECYCLING This may seem like an obvious action to take, but there are still several people who do not recycle regularly, if at all. You wouldn't dump trash into a heap on your living room floor, right? Why is it ok to dump it anywhere? With the recycling services available to us today, if you are not recycling at least the basics like paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass, then please start now! If your city does not offer curbside pick up, call your City Hall, or go to your city's website and find out where they have placed recycling drop off bins near you. Once you do, there's no law that says you have to fill up your car and drive to the drop off every week. As long as you keep accumulating recyclables and drop them off at some point, you're still making a big impact! And before you trash those broken appliances, half empty paint cans, used motor oil, or dead car batteries, find out where in your city you can drop them off to be disposed of safely RE-USING Instead of throwing away that old worn out T-shirt, cut it up into rags and use as a substitute for paper towels, use as a dust rag, or a regular cleaning rag around the house. Throw them into the wash and re-use! Use old socks as dust rags. Just stick your hand into the sock and wipe dust up anywhere! Accumulate pieces of paper that are only printed on one side and use them as scrap paper. Feed them into your printer for informal documents, cut them up to use for phone messages or reminders to post on the refrigerator. Use junk mail paper as scrap paper. Tear up or shred newspapers, or scrap paper, to use as packing material for shipping packages. CONSERVING Energy Replace your standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs to conserve energy - this helps the environment AND your wallet! "Switching just one bulb prevents CO2 from polluting the air and saves 32 gallons of oil! Energy Star says that if every American family replaced just one bulb it would be the equivalent of removing 1,000,000 gas-fueled cars from the road." "Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) … last from 8-10 times longer, use about 75% less energy, and produce 90% less heat [than incandescent light bulbs]. They fit right into your standard light socket." A 13 W twist compact Fluorescent Light Bulb replaces a 60 Watt incandescent light bulb, and "saves $45 in energy costs over the life of the bulb (based on $.12 KWH)." Water Turn the water off while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face. Store water in your refrigerator for drinking instead of waiting for the faucet to turn cold every time you want a drink. Take shorter showers, and install a low-flow shower head. "Showers account for about 20 percent of total indoor water use. By replacing standard 4.5-gallon-per-minute showerheads with 2.5-gallon-per-minute heads, which cost less than $5 each, a family of four can save approximately 20,000 gallons of water per year (Jensen, 1991)." Install aerators on your faucets. "Aerators can be easily installed and can reduce the water use at a faucet by as much as 60 percent while still maintaining a strong flow." Fix leaky faucets and toilets "Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year which will add to the cost of water and sewer utilities, or strain your septic system." Do all of your laundry, or as much as you can, at once to take advantage of the residual heat in the dryer from the previous load instead of starting up cold. Wash most of your clothes in cold water, and use warm instead of hot.