13 Things You Can Do To Save Our Planet

by Kathryn Schleich

The movement to be environmentally responsible is finally taking off in the U.S. Listed below are 13 steps you can take to have save the environment.

• Recycle. Minnesota has been a leader, so this is something we've been doing for years. Tip: Rinse out or wash bottles, cans, and container to avoid getting bugs.
  
  
• Use both sides of the paper. One of the truly amazing facts Mr. Shoumatoff mentions in his article is that no federal agency in the U.S. uses both sides of the paper when printing documents. My late father, Jerry, had this down to a science in his office and again, I’ve being doing this for years.
  
  
• Drive less or buy a fuel-efficient vehicle. If you can’t drive less, how about consolidating your trips? Since I work from home, I don’t have the endless commute of many Americans, but I do consolidate my errands and appointments. The ultimate change in driving habits is a fuel-efficient vehicle such as a Toyota Prius or Ford Fusion. In 2008 my husband bought an Escape Hybrid and I'm looking at a Fusion.
  
  
• Keep a cloth bag in your car for small trips to the store, pharmacy, etc. Plastic bags have become another ecological disaster in the making, using limited resources and not being biodegradable. According to the Clean Up Australia web site (www.cleanup.com.au), “Most plastics are not biodegradable and will persist in the environment for hundreds of years.” That alone should make us shudder. Even worse, the resources used to manufacture plastic include crude oil, natural gas, and coal, all of which are in finite supply. More and more people are using cloth bags which are not only reusable but washable.
  
  
• Wash and reuse plastic storage and sandwich bags. It’s not difficult and there’s the added benefit of saving money by purchasing bags less frequently. I’ve been doing this so long, its years before I buy a full box of plastic bags.
  
  
• Keep the heat in your home set lower and the air conditioning set higher. For example, we keep our thermostat set at 66 degrees on average during winter days and down to 62 at night (and we live in Minnesota). For summer, we set the air conditioning between 76 and 78 degrees. In either case, you’re not just saving resources but money, especially given the recent cost of fuel.
  
  
• Use fewer lights. If you don’t need the light, turn it off.
  
  
• Replace incandescent bulbs with energy efficient florescent bulbs. Compact Florescent Lights (CFLs) use less energy and have a longer rated life. In the United States, a CFL can save over $30 in electricity costs over the lamp’s lifetime compared to an incandescent lamp and save 2000 times their own weight in greenhouse gases.
  
  
• Replace the shower heads with low-flow ones. You won’t even notice. Other places you can reduce your water usage is flushing less frequently, turning the water off while brushing your teeth, and not letting water run.
  
  
• Replace your toilet. If your home was built before 1992 and has never been replaced, it’s very likely you do not have a water efficient toilet that uses 1.6 gallons per flush. The difference? Some older toilets use up to 8 gallons of water per flush. A toilet’s date stamp – the year it was manufactured – is located inside the tank on the back side. Toilets are the largest user of water in your home.
  
  
• Replace other appliances – refrigerator, dish washer, microwave, and freezer – with energy efficient models. Find out from the dealer if they will take and recycle older appliances.
   
  
• Run the dishwasher only when it’s full. By taking this approach, I run our dishwasher two the three times a week versus every day.
  
  
• Properly dispose of cell phones and other electronic equipment. Another ecological disaster, discarded electronics are eating up landfill space at an alarming rate. We take the time to find community programs or companies that properly dispose of old computers, televisions, cell phones, and other electronics. We also don’t upgrade our cell phones every two years but hold onto them longer.

These are just a few of the things you and your family can do to save resources, money, and our environment. But think about this – almost 75% of what Americans throw away can be recycled. America has become the ultimate disposable society, but the preservation of the earth for future generations demands that we all make serious lifestyle changes. Check out the resources below for further information and many other ways to recycle, conserve energy, and reuse items.

Resources
The Mission of Earth Share is engaging individuals in creating a healthy and sustainable environment www.earthshare.org
Global Stewards provides tips for sustainable living www.globalstewards.org
Clean Up Australia offers information and tips www.cleanup.com.au
Water use and conservation tips www.h2ouse.org
Energy conservation tips and ideas www.energeysavers.gov
Ecology Center based in Berkeley, CA www.ecologycenter.org  

Kathryn Schleich is a freelance writer residing in Minnesota. In 2003 she published her first book, Hollywood and Catholic Women: Virgins, Whores, Mothers, and Other Images through iUniverse. She may be contacted at: kathrynschlei777@yahoo.com. Or visit the web site:www.women-write.com.