| Reduce, Reuse and Recycling 1. Recycle cardboard. Save it up by breaking it down flat and folding it up for easy storage in other boxes. Delaware recycle centers have bins for cardboard. For a location in Delaware check the Delaware Solid Waste Authority Website. 2. Recycle or dispose of electronic devices properly (old cell phones, pagers, broken TVs, printer cartridges) and batteries. There are many outlets for batteries and electronic equipment. Check your local recyle centers and check your local household hazardes waste days. The EPA has a host of links to help you find a new user for your old equipment or dispose of it properly. Here is the link to EPA Site with info on electronics. Many electronics stores also take back equipment you purchased there. You can recyle phones at this website for Collectivegood.com. 3. Start additional recycling programs at work 4. Return pots from potted plants to the store you bought them. 5. Bring your own re-usable grocery bags to the grocery store. Many grocery stores provide credit when you bring your own bag. They also sell reusable bags. -Pathmark even gives you $.02 per bag back -Safeway sells reusable bags made from recycled materials for $1.00 with the profits going to a charity. They also give a credit. -There are many available online made from organic cotton. Concider using reusable bags for your fruits and vegetables. 6. Pick up litter on the side of the road or in a park and recycle it. 7. Recycle metal from your home. There are plenty of things around the house made of metal that get throw out when broken or if they are useless such as cast iron tubs, appliances, coat hangers or a broken lamp. There are many metal recycling centers. Don't just recycle aluminum, turn it into cash at metal reclaim (~$0.60/lb). 8. Use rechargeable batteries where ever you are using a lot of batteries like a digital camera or popular toys. 9. Share magazine subscriptions with people with similar interests 10. Reduce the number of useless catalogs you receive in the mail by saving the back pages and calling to get removed from the distribution every few months. It can take a while for them to stop once requiested but it works. 11. Packaging peanuts can be reused or given to local business who need them for packaging such as Mailboxes Ect. and UPS Store. If you live near wilmington try here. 12. Reduce junk mail through a company called Greendimes. Driving 1. Carpool once a week 2. Increase the pressure in your tires (at you own risk) 3. Telecommute once a week/month Food 1. Bring your lunch to work to prevent frequent driving. Use reusable containers rather than throwing away plastics. Bring utensils as well to prevent using plastic sporks every day. 2. Compost your food (plus grass and leaves) in a custom or purchased compost bin. A simple goggle search will give you hundreds of compost bins to choose from. A search will also provide many good links on how to compost. There are a couple how to links below. If you don't have "browns" like leaves to go with your grass, weeds, vegetables and fruits find a friend who does some wood work and get some saw dust. HowtoCompost.org CompostGuide.com 3. Cook/bake less in the summer - minimize HVAC/oven competition 4. Make your own food instead of buying packaged foods. Buy bigger volumes to reduce specific packaging duty - eg. don't buy 2 one-half gallons of milk - buy a full gallon. And buy HDPE jugs rather than cartons - more recyclable, less ink. 5. Buy produce that is locally grown especially if it�s organic. This reduces fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse emissions due to shipping. Just look at all the labels on your fruit and vegetable and you can figure out that it's traveling thousnads of miles. Buying locally also supports the local economy. Clothing 1. Only wash clothes in cold water 2. Buy cotton clothing instead of synthetic. Don�t buy clothing that requires dry cleaning. 3. Cascade your clothing - use it for work/formal when it looks best and downgrade it to "kick-around" status and eventually rags when appropriate. When this isn't possible or desirable, donate it as soon as you're sick of it for reuse. 4. Buy used clothing at Goodwill or Ebay Household 1. Turn off the heated dry feature on your dishwasher. Some spots on your glasses won�t kill you :�) 2. Turn off electrical devices when they are not being used like your computer, VCR, DVD or printer. 3. Try to do full loads of laundry and the dishwasher to reduce the number of cycles.. 4. Use a reel mower to do your lawn. Link 5. If you live in PA make sure you are buying at least some wind power. You can buy as little as 100KW of wind per month for about $2.50 a month more than you are paying now. You can slowly increase the amount over time as your budget allows. Here is the link to the basics about Peco Wind Here is a link to sign you up. This is the number you call to increase the amount of wind power you purchase. 1 866 WIND 321 6. Buy items with less packaging and or buy in bulk when appropriate. 7. Plant trees often. Plant high deciduous shade trees to shade your home. The shade helps with HVAC in the summer, and the trees loose their leaves so you can capitalize on radiant heating in the winter. Use the leaves for mulch or take them to a mulcher. Buy a local Christmas tree that you can plant later or at least make sure your Christmas tree (and your neighbors) is mulched or composted. You can compost it at home or look for a local site to compost it at. Why buy a real Christmas tree? It�s renewable, supports local economy, increases the value of the land -think Christmas tree farm vs. mini-mall. 8. Use renewable materials for home renovations... hardwood, cork, or wool floor coverings, water-based paint and stains, etc. There are companies such as Interface that make carpet from vegetable based polymers and have great environmental programs withing the company. Home renovation is a huge topic so spend some time on the internet next time you are planning a renovation. 9. Use mulch from city leaf collections instead of bagged mulch which is often free (or have a load delivered). 10. Use organic cotton napkins instead of paper. 11. Unplug electrical devices when not in use, especially those with displays. Put them on power strips to make it easy to turn them off. 12. Kill your television. 13. Look into a whole house attic fan. If you house is exposed in the sun - get an fan or a vent for your attic space (thermostatically controlled). Increase the insulation above your ceiling. Insulate the underside of your roof (they have now have soy based products for this) 14. Put ceiling fan in bedrooms and turn the thermostat up higher 15. Clean or replace the heater or AC filters monthly. Dirty air filters cause the AC unit to work harder than necessary. The energy bill can act as a monthly reminder to do this�change the air filter before sending out the bill. 16. Keep the grass around the AC trimmed, being careful not to blow debris or grass clippings into the AC. Make sure landscaping does not block the outdoor air conditioner components. Four to five feet of open air between any shrubs or trees and the AC unit will ensure proper airflow. Blocked AC units have a harder time taking in air to cool the home, which means higher energy costs. 17. Shade the outdoor AC unit. Air in a shaded space is typically five to six degrees cooler than the surrounding air, which means the AC will have an easier time cooling the air before pumping it into the home. Air conditioners with proper shading can be up to 10 percent more efficient over a cooling season, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. 18. Insulate ducts. Sealing ducts will save energy and money year round. First, seal the duct joints and leaks with mastic tape or sealer. Plain duct tape is not recommended because it will dry out and peel off over time. Wrap the ducts with low-cost, foil-faced R08 rated fiberglass insulation (recommended for cold climates like Iowa), and seal the insulation seams with regular duct tape. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, insulating ducts in the typical American home costs about $250, but the improvement will pay for itself in energy savings in two and a half years. Even the added cost of hiring a professional to install the insulation will be repaid with the energy savings. 19. Clean off dirt buildup on the indoor and outdoor coils of the central AC system. These heat exchangers between the refrigerant and the surrounding air can quickly build up impurities will hinder the coil's performance by as much as 8 percent. Both indoor and outdoor coils can be cleaned with warm, soapy water, but need to be treated gently. Before performing any maintenance, be sure to consult the manufacturer's recommendations to answer any questions about an AC unit's care. 20. Keep the unit fan on �AUTO.� IT is not necessary to run the fan constantly when the air conditioner is turned on. Household Chemicals 1. Create a safe collection area for extra and old chemicals and dispose of them at special collection locations or your local chemical collection days. Delaware PA - Chester County 2. Use vinegar and water to clean windows, etc. 3. Reduce and standardized the chemicals you use to clean your house. Try not to use a different cleaner for every different surface and room in your house. There are also many natural proucts to look at. Ed Begley sells cleaner Sun and Earth sells may cleaning products Trader Joes has natural cleaners Shaklee sells concentrated cleaners 4. Use MgCl2 instead of salt on driveway ice. Or don�t go to work until your driveway thaws. Miscellaneous 1. Support politicians with green policies 2. Use organic fertilizer. It can be found at local garden store or on the internet. Return To Green Home Go to Next Level Green |
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