Green Tips

There are three ways to Green Around You: monetary donations, spreading the word, and sharing Green Tips.

Green Tips are suggestions for people to follow to minimize their impact on the planet's resources. Green Tips encompass reuse, recyling, and reducing consumption. They're randomly rotated through Green Tip Bar for you and others to see, like the one at the bottom of the page.

On this page you can view member-suggested Green Tips, and you can share your own. (Please check it isn't a duplicate first, thanks.) Click a tip to view more information about it and to discuss it.

Transportation

• Brake early, accelerate gently
• Use http://gebweb.net/optimap to plan the shortest travel distances for multiple stops
• Hoof it, pedal it, hop on the bus, subway, or ride share when you can.
• Plan Ahead
• Dump the roofrack (unless you actually need it)
• Don't fill up your gas (petrol) tank
• Urge trucking companies to investigate installing "Boat Tails" - use 7.5% less fuel
• Don't idle for more than 30 seconds
• Check your tire pressure
• Clean out your Trunk
• Visit the county/state fair by bus

Work

• For non-presentational documents, use the back side of old print-outs
• If your provider offers it, contribute to wind-power efforts
• Don't overuse AC
• Replace your coffee pot with a thermal carafe.
• Use "Eco Fonts" that use less ink/toner - http://ecofont.nl
• Telecommute
• Don't waste food - don't make too much & reuse leftovers
• Turn off your monitor and don't keep your system on
• View & share electronic documents like PDFs instead of printing on paper
• Replace light switches with motion detectors
• Turn off your computer (or at least your monitor)
• Bring your lunch in a trendy bento...

Home

• Flip off the faucet while you're brushing your teeth.
• Clean the coils behind your fridge
• Boil water in a kettle or microwave first
• Consider zero population growth... an average of one child per person
• Use solar powered attic fans
• Buy unprocessed food
• Switch to Solar Heating
• Keep shopping lists on your cell phone to save paper
• Buy local food
• Use plastic bags over paper. They take less energy to create OR recycle. Better yet, reusable bags!
• Dust your Light Bulbs
• More blankets on your waterbed - in the summer
• Insulate your hot water heater to prevent heat from escaping
• Replace normal light bulbs with CFL "pig tails"
• use a camping potty whenever possible, to lower water/toilet use
• Flip the lights off when you leave the room.
• Unplug battery chargers when you're not using them to save electricity!
• Pull the Plug
• Shade the outside of a window air conditioner
• Defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator.
• Replace toilets with low-flow toilets
• Use Cold Water in the Laundry
• Buy proper windows
• Turn the shower off when shaving/lathering to preserve water
• Green your roof
• Turn the computer off overnight
• Mend clothes rather than always buying new ones
• Take reusable bags to the grocery store to cut down on plastic bags
• Don't overload the dryer
• Dispose of Compact Fluorescent bulbs safely
• Insulate your hot water pipes
• Take "Sailor" showers
• Hang your clothes on a clothesline to dry
• Don't overload the dryer
• Bank online - save trips to the bank
• Open windows at night in summer to let in cool air.
• Reuse incoming envelopes
• Give your kids $1 for every time they find a light on in an empty room
• Put a lid on a pan
• Switch to space heaters
• Buy locally grown/manufactured products in order to cut down on fuels used in shipping.
• Cover Pots when cooking
• Multitask your Oven
• Use pulp from juicer
• Support online literature to save paper.
• Ask for paper bags at the grocery store, they recycle better than plastic
• Use less soap
• Learn how to defrost and cool foods properly
• Reuse paper and plastic grocery store bags as trash can liners or for kitty litter disposal
• Dump the conventional lightbulbs and spotlights
• Replace old appliances with Energy Star certified appliances,
• Tweak your thermostat a couple degrees
• Consider using fans over Air Conditioners
• On hot days, lower your blinds in the morning to keep cool air in and reduce reliance on A/C
• Keep lamps away from thermostats
• Donate old vehicles and items to charities,

Community

• Feed your chickens and save the land fill!
• Recyclable Symphony
• Tired of taking care of your lawn? Turn your yard into a garden.
• Advocate for wind or solar energy use
• Ask your community to time the stoplights to minimize car idling
• Organized a wildlife headcount
• Join a local food co-op to encourage local farmers

Garden

• Plant drought resistant plants
• Use solar powered garden lights
• Use irrigation strips to conserve the amount of water you use
• Make compost: healthier plants and less greenhouse gas
• Use old bottles to create mosaic art for your garden
• Don't water the lawn when it's hot out -- it evaporates
• Collect soapy water for plants
• Mix coffee grounds and egg shells with your soil or compost
• Water your garden in the early morning or late at night.
• Be sure to recycle the plastic planters that purchase plants come in
• If you throw out all your fruit in your yard it will improve your garden and help the environment.
• Put a small bucket in the sink to collect water when washing produce. Use in the garden or the lawn.
• Leave grass clippings on the grass
• Plant an herb garden to cut down on the growing and transport of commercial herbs
• Bury wood chips or logs to retain water and release carbon slowly instead of quickly.
• Pop Bottle Planters
• turn your yard into a wildlife habitat and mow less, enjoy more native plants/animals!
• Plant a Lasagna Garden

Share A Tip

(Please first make sure it isn't a duplicate of one above, thanks. Please keep language diplomatic and G-rated; avoid hyperbole or editorializing, like "the best thing you can do is"; no political lobbying.)

Category: [Select Category]CommunityGardenHomeTransportationWork

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