Re-use the plastic bags you already have:
- Old bags make great in-car trash containers.
- Use them as shoe protectors in the garden.
- Re-use them to clean up kitty litter, or to pick up dog droppings when walking your pet.
- Use them in your smaller waste bins around the house.
- Fill a few with shredded paper and tie them off for cheap, reusable packing materials. They’re also a handy way to maintain the shape of your favorite tote.
- Cut a slit in your bags and use them to protect clothes from dust, moths, and other pests.
- Take them with you for easy disposal of diapers.
Did you know? The United States is 5% of the world’s population but we’re consuming
30% of the world’s resources and creating 30% of the waste
Don’t Wallow in Water Waste
Try implementing these handy water-related energy tips at home. These quick fixes take little to no time at all!
In the shower - If you have to mix your hot water with cold, your thermostat is up too high and you are wasting energy. Why heat up water just to cool it down? Simply adjust the thermostat in your water heater to your perfect temperature.
In the washing machine - Using cold water instead of warm cuts down on energy use by 90%! In fact, using cold water is often better for your clothes.
In the bottle - Buy a water filter and drink water from the tap in a reusable bottle — that’s where 40 percent of all bottled water comes from anyway. The average American drinks 22.6 gallons of bottled water a year. Making all that plastic releases over four pounds of carbon dioxide per person and consumes a surprising amount of petroleum (.005 barrels, or nearly a quart of oil per person).
Cut Down your Carbon Clutter! Modernize your life by taking control of your stuff. Monitoring the mail you receive is a great way to cut down your clutter. You’ll have less to dispose of, you’ll feel less overwhelmed, and you’ll take a step towards helping to save our environment.
We recommend these services to help you cut down on your personal paper consumption.
Ways to Shorten the Office Paper Trail
Though many companies are already recycling their office paper, you can clean up your office by employing and encouraging some of these money-saving practices.
Copy on both sides of the paper. This is especially efficient for internal documents and drafts.
Reduce documents to fit two pages onto one. Use for circulating rough drafts or file copies of documents.
Use lighter weight paper. Lighter paper requires less energy and fewer raw materials when it's manufactured.
Consider purchasing ecoEnvelopes. These envelopes were recently approved by the United States Postal Service and can cut your mail costs 15% to 45% -- by eliminating the need to print, store, handle, insert, track and include a separate reply envelope. Reusable envelopes send an important message that you care about the environment. Learn more: www.ecoenvelopes.com
Use your e-mail and other tech-savvy alternatives whenever possible. Instead of printing out e-mails, organize the folders in your inbox for good record keeping and easy access.
Earth Share, a nationwide network of America’s leading nonprofit environmental and conservation charities, promotes environmental education and charitable giving in employee workplace giving campaigns. Click here to find out why hosting an Earth Share campaign is a good idea for your workplace and the world.
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