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Human
beings are gobbling up our planet's resources at an unsustainable rate.
•
Half of the planet's wetlands disappeared in the twentieth century alone.*
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Of the 4 million tons of junk mail U.S. residents receive each year,
almost half of it isn't even opened.
•
90 percent of large fish that used to live in the oceans are gone.
•
A football field-sized area of rain forest is demolished every second.
What's more, our culture is geared toward disposability. Whatever's
cheap, convenient and fast is favored over quality and sustainability.
Manufacturers create products out of un-recyclable materials that end
up clogging landfills. We consume paper, gasoline, water and electricity
without little thought to what it's costing the Earth in the long run.
Many people don't know that the sun, an abundant resource, provides
enough energy in a minute to account for our energy needs all year long,
or that almost 85 percent of the garbage we produce can be recycled.
As a concerned citizen of Planet Earth, there are some simple, easy
steps you can take to make a big difference in the state of the worldÑand
its communities.
*All facts, unless indicated, taken from One
Makes the Difference: Inspiring actions that change our world by Julia
Butterfly Hill (HarperCollins, 2002). See Collage's Eco
Goods section for more information.
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Donate old clothes and furniture you're done with to your local Goodwill
or church. Shop at thrift or antique stores for your furniture and decorations.
Buy secondhand or vintage clothes, or swap clothes with friends.
Recycle glass jars, and bottles, aluminum and anything else your local
recycling program permits.
Clean out and reuse Ziploc bags.
Be pro-Tupperware and anti-aluminum foil and saran wrap. You can do
it!
Use cloth from old t-shirts to clean up around the house instead of
paper towels. Cloth napkins are also a good idea because they can be
washed and reused.
Reuse large envelopes to send packages to someone else. You can save
and reuse bubble wrap and packing "peanuts," too. Some are even biodegradable.
Turn old CDs into art. Ideas at:www.circleoflife.org/education/sustainable/greening/cds.htm
Transform expired calendars into cool new envelopes. Learn how: www.circleoflife.org/action/arts/
Use rechargeable batteries rather than buying new ones. To learn more
about rechargeable batteries or where to recycle yours, visit www.informinc.org/fact_CWPbattery.php#rechargeables.
Light your room or house with low-energy fluorescent light bulbs. They'll
last way longer.
The average household flushes 40 percent of its water down the toilet.
Conserve water: Keep a pitcher in the refrigerator instead of running
the tap; when washing dishes, soap and scrape everything and then turn
on the water; run the dishwasher and the washing machine only when full.
Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth and keep showers to five
minutes. You'll save thousands of gallons of water! For more tips, visit
www.conserveh2o.org/smart-tips/indoor-tips.shtm.
Try to cut out using air conditioners, and resist turning up the heat
as long as you can. Turning down the thermostat one degree means saving
tons of fuel.
Buying
a new cell phone? Don't throw out the old one! Donate a Phone's "Call
to Protect" campaign collects old, but still working, cell phones to
benefit victims of domestic violence. Mail yours in or drop it off at
a location near you: www.wirelessfoundation.org/CalltoProtect/HowToDonateCTP.cfm
If you're throwing a party or having a barbecue, consider using biodegradable
utensils and plates instead of plastic and paper.
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Since
the 1940s, over 40 percent of garbage in landfills has been paper. Use
recycled paper whenever possible, and recycle old paper.
Encourage your school to buy remanufactured toner cartridges (learn
more at www.carrotink.com),
and copy machine cartridges.
Hand in your homework on scrap paper. Print and Xerox on both sides
of a paper (called "duplexing").
Build your own recycled notebooks out of scrap paper and materials.
For ideas, see
how students did it at the University of Michigan.
Encourage your school to donate old computers and printers to other
schools and libraries that need them.
Suggest to your teacher or professor that they pass one message or handout
around rather than making lots of photocopies for everyone.
If your school doesn't already recycle its paper, find out about recycling
programs in the area and then work with administrators to place bins
in each classroom. Also, spread the word about the merits of buying
recycled paper.
Find out how to reduce waste in your school: visit www.moea.state.mn.us/campaign/school/index.html.
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Travel
with a reusable mug (stainless steel is best). You'll help reduce solid
waste by 86%. If you're going for takeout or getting a doggie bag from
a restaurant, bring along a reusable container. At a festival or picnic,
bring along non-plastic utensils and a cloth/hemp napkin. Make your
own to-go kit or buy one at Circle of Life's store. www.circleoflife.org/education/sustainable/greening/kit.htm
Every gallon of gasoline burned means 20 pounds of carbon dioxide go
into the atmosphere (source: Union of Concerned Scientists). www.ucsusa.org
Walk when you can; bike; take public transportation or carpool. If you
have a car, give other people a ride. Also, get better mileage by inflating
your tires frequently. If you're buying a car, make sure it's super
fuel efficient.
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Shop
green. Scope out health food stores near you and places that sell Earth-friendly
clothing and accessories. Visit "green" websites for cool stuff; some
of it is featured in our Eco-goods
section.
Bring a cloth bag or backpack to the store with you. They're roomier,
easy to carry, durable, and great for the environment.
Be aware of unnecessary packaging in grocery stores. Buy fruit that's
loose in the bin, not wrapped in plastic. Reuse plastic containers for
something else (i.e. margarine tubs). Look for items packaged in recycled
materials, like bottles, bags, and cereal boxes.
Buy stuff in bulk if you use a lot of it.
Buy unbleached (toxic chlorine-free) toilet paper and feminine hygiene
products.
The dry cleaning process is full of toxic chemicals. Look for a "green"
or "wet" cleaner in your area or hand wash clothes with a gentle detergent.
When buying washing detergent, look for a "HE" or "High Efficiency"
label. That means you'll have to use less detergent each time.
Bottled water sucks—consider buying a water filter and refill empty
bottles with that.
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Tell
your local transportation officials to replace wasteful diesel buses
with electric, hybrid, or natural gas. Learn more about sustainable
transportation at www.climatesolutions.org.
Encourage local schools, businesses, libraries, grocery stores, etc.
to install bike racks.
Talk to your City Hall officials about the construction of bike lanes
on wider streets.
Visit Scorecard's website to find out how your community ranks in pollutants
and who's doing the polluting, then take action. www.scorecard.org.
Reach out to the media and to your friends about reducing waste. Comprehensive
fact sheets, how-to guides, and sample articles are all available to
download at www.moea.state.mn.us/campaign/download.
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