Going green isn’t as hard as it seems. By following these 10 simple rules, you will be helping the environment tremendously and you will feel good about yourself knowing you have made a tiny difference in the world.
1. REDUCE: You can do this by, turning off the water while you brushing your teeth or washing your face. On average you can save more than 200 gallons of water a month. Also, turning off lights in a room you are not using is a way to reduce energy. Using both sides of computer paper when you are printing something off saves trees:) Drink tap water instead of wasting plastic bottles.
2. UNPLUG UNUSED ELECTRONICS: By unplugging your cell phone charger when it is not in use can make a big difference when it comes to your electricity bill. If you think you might forget to plug your cell phone charger back in when you need to use it again, try using a power strip, which can be turned off.
3. RECYCLE: Recycle items such as aluminum cans, glass jars, and milk cartons to save energy and landfill space. By recycling, you can prevent pollution from occurring. Paper is also recyclable, and knowing college kids they do not really care about recycling, but it can make a big impact when you start saving trees!!
4. ENERGY STAR: Look for ENERGY STAR labels on things such as light bulbs, washing machines, and other appliances. By switching over to ENERGY STAR appliances you will see a change in your energy bill. These kinds of appliances do not use as much energy therefore, they save you money in the long run.
5. USE FLUORESCENTS: Using fluorescent light bulbs last up to at least three times as long as incandescent light bulbs, which are the light bulbs most people are familiar with. Using incandescent bulbs convert to heat and not light, that is why fluorescent bulbs are much more efficient.
6. FIX LEAKS: Did you know that a faucet that leaks one drip a second can waste up to 3,000 gallons of water each year!!! That is a lot of water and money down the drain!!! Fix leaks in your window pains. In the winter, if you have a draft coming from the window, you probably have leaky window. To solve this problem, you can buy a window sealing kit that allows you to put plastic around the windows. This stuff actually does work, we use it every winter in my household, and it saves a good amount of money each year.
7. BUY RECYCLED PRODUCTS: Look for words like RECYCLED on your items when you are shopping. By purchasing these types of products, you are using material that has already been recycled and is being reused. You can find recycled products such as, paper, plastic bottles, and paper towel. Try to buy products that have the highest percentage.
8. COMPUTER POWER MANAGEMENT: Instead of having your computer on all the time put your computer settings as low-power sleep mode. Doing this will save you money on your electricity bill. Most people today have computers, so if you all set out computers at low-power sleep mode, we will all save money in the end.
9. PROPERLY DISPOSE OF HAZARDOUS WASTE: Certain things such as, batteries, light bulbs and styrofoam, because they certain materials that do not allow them to decompose. Another benefit by disposing hazardous waste properly is sometimes you can get paid to recycle these items!
10. FRESH OR ORGANIC: You can buy fresh foods at a local farmers market, this it allow people to save money on shipping the food to its destination. Fresh foods allow you to save energy on producing frozen foods. Organic foods are good for the environment and good for your health :)
These 10 simple ways of going green do not take much time to do. If we all can remember to turn off the water when we are brushing our teeth, recycle, and fix leaks, we will all save a little bit of extra cash and we will even feel good about ourselves in the long run knowing we helped the environment.
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