*Sunshiine* asked:
I need tips on going green, saving energy, and being a better person!
I need tips on going green, saving energy, and being a better person!
Thank you so much :
[:
I need tips on going green, saving energy, and being a better person?
June 17th, 2009 by Discuss this article »
umm… dont burn tires
and recycle!
Funny thing about going green is that so many things aren’t actually better for the environment, they just have different ways of polluting it. For instance, regular light bulbs versus the halogen bulbs. Regular light bulbs use much more energy, but they don’t contain awesome elements like mercury in them like halogen bulbs do. Oh, and recycling for other things? Recycling often takes more energy to recycle something rather than it just decomposing. Not to mention, you often have to drive to a recycling center in the first place. What will we do with all the hybrid car batteries when those cars die? Oh, em, recycle them or throw them away somewhere.
Just do some common sense things, turn the lights off when you’re not in the room, turn the heat/AC down/up a few degrees. Conserve driving and do all your trips in one day, public transportation if you can, carpool. Ask for paper instead of plastic because it decomposes easier. Drink tap water instead of buying bottled water.
I’m just personally dubious of anything labeled by a company as “green.” You can buy Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” in a box with a halogen light bulb wrapped in THREE sheets of plastic and cardboard. Hypocrisy for the lose.
stop buying throw away clothes like the swifer wetjet. getting those new light bulbs are great if they did not come with 15 feet of plastic to wrap them. also try reusing cell phones and try not replacing computers and other gadgets every six months have you seen the amount of computer and music garbage we throw away in a year?
1 When you’re waiting for your water to warm up you could collect some of the water in buckets/bowls to re-use for washing dishes in the sink, watering plants or when you need to mop, etc. We don’t do that, but we do collect rainwater for our plants and to clean our lawn chairs.
2 When washing laundry switch from warm/hot water to cool/cold water - and try to only wash full loads of laundry.
Also if you can, air dry your clothes on a clothes line instead of using the dryer.
3 Air or towel dry your hair instead of using a blow dryer, also try to find other ways to curl or straighten your hair other then using ironers.
4 Unplug things that don’t need to be plugged in - Nightlights,toasters,chargers etc. (They still take energy from outlets even when they’re not being used.) Turn of things when not in use.
5 When shaving don’t leave the water running, instead fill a small bucket/bowl or use a puddle in the sink/tub. Side note: Disposable shavers aren’t good for the environment, and electric shavers aren’t either because the energy they use offsets what it saves by not disposing(unless you have a solar charger/power source) - the best choice for a razor is using a plastic handled shaver that can have the BLADE changed.
6 Re-use old clothing as rags, or donate them. And buy clothes from second hand shops. Your old worn towels can also be used for rags or just fold it up a bit and use it as a rug for when you step out of the shower.
7 Instead of using tissues or napkins you can use cloth napkins and hankerchiefs. If you think they will be using more water you’re wrong - because most of the time you can wash them with your towels.
8 Buy re-usable grocery bags(canvases/totes, nylon or cloth bags,etc) instead of getting all plastic or paper bags at the stores. If you do get plastic bags certain places will recycle them, over here our Wal-Mart recycles plastic grocery bags.
9 If you don’t mind cleaning your trash cans off every once in a while - get rid of your trash liners, you’re pretty much just buying large plastic grocery bags just to push trash into it. 9 1/2 Same goes for buying dog poop pick up bags - just use grocery bags, or those plastic covers that your newspapers might come in.
10 Instead of driving short distances, walk or ride your bike - it doesn’t pollute and are you get exercise.
11 You could start to grow some of your own food. And buy locally from farmer’s markets. And also eat less meat.
12 Print on both sides of paper and if your print ends up not looking right keep the paper for scratch paper instead of just recycling it first hand, you can use envelopes that way too.
13 Fix leaky faucets and showerheads - the dribbling from them can waste gallons of water each weak.
14 If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down - I’m serious. And also placing a filled water bottle in your toilet tank can save 1/2 gallon of water each time you flush.
15 Don’t buy bottled water - get a filter and use stainless steel water bottles(plastic water bottles put chemicals into your water that are harmful to you)
16 Instead of using an air conditioner install/use a ceiling fan. Instead of turning the heater up/on just wrap up in a blanket or put on extra layers of clothing.
17 Switch incandescent lightbulbs to CFLs.
18 If possible, set your computers so that they go into sleep mode (low energy use) whenever you’re away for a while.
19 If you’re going to drive to your recycling center - take the maximum amount of recyclables you can take and see if your neighbors have any recyclables you can take to the center for them(If you have the room for it that is)
20 In a public bathroom either carry your own cloth to wipe your hands or wait for a bit with your hands over the sink and then go out(Your hands will still be damp/moist but most likely by the time you get back to where you were your hands will be dry &) that way you’re not using papers or the energy for the hand blower.
21 Avoid vinyl as much as you possibly can. Vinyls produce dioxins during manufacturing,use, and disposal. So if you can - trade those vinyl shower curtains for cotton or polyester curtains.(Both aren’t perfectly good for the environment but they are better then the vinyl.)
There are so many more things I’m sure but I can’t think of anything else!
live in a cave
The best we can do as individuals is be more responsible ,in our own neck of the woods
Organize well publicized clean up parties ,talk on the radio
Have citizen meetings
Get the schools involved to plant trees and listen to environmental awareness talks,
If you do any cleaning up leave signs behind saying who cleaned,why and ask people not to start dumping rubbish again ,leave a hole or bins ,in case people come with trash ,
POSITIVE ACTIONS)
Classify trash take out all the organic waste and make compost with it ,the worst you can do is throw it with the trash
70% of contamination is due to organic waste that is mixed in with the garbage .
And it is just as bad in the sewer where it helps to breed rats and in the landfill it poisons the ground
And it is the easiest to take care of
o first of all we have to classify trash at least keep the organic to one side ,like in a plastic bin with a lid
If you got a few meters of ground ,you only need 1 or 2 square meters in a shallow hole ,in the shade ,that you can wet now and again ,where you dump everything that is organic ,from toilet paper,bones vegetable cuttings ,eggshells,,,excrement ,and cover regularly with leaves to keep humid and to hide any smell
the worms will come and decompose the wastes turning it into beautiful black soil for the garden of flower pots .
If you are in a apartment ,if you have a balcony get a big plastic bin drill some holes in the side and lid ,
Add a few buckets of sand now and again to put over the trash ,you should really stir or move the stuff at times to aerate it and ensure that the decomposition is overall ,keep moist
This rubbish does not get big very fast and the thing works for a long time with out getting full
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If you want to help the planet ,plant a tree every week ,if everyone on the planet did we we would be able to slowdown the destructive processes
Reduce carbon emissions,and they are already working on that by alternative forms of energy and regulations on carbon producing materials,aerosol cans,burning rubbish,industrial chimneys,power plants etc.
Water harvesting projects ,such as millions of small dams.to redirect over ground water flows from the rains into the ground to supply subterranean water supplies.
The protection of existing forests.
Stop building more highways,urban planning to include vegetation stop building cities encourage people to return to the land to conduct their business from there which now has become possible thanks to the internet.
Education to motivate people to auto sufficiency by building more home food gardens.
Education on environmental awareness
education on family planning to curb over´population
Agricultural education and improvements to follow the principals or sustainability and soil management.
More environmental or land ,design to prevent bush fires,such as–fire breaks
More dams.regulations and control for public behavior
Alternative efficient public transport to discourage the use of the internal combustion engine
walk when you can. donate old magazines or better yet, read online. donate clothes and household things to the needy. ask for paper at the grocery store instead of plastic bags, better yet buy some really cool reuseable shopping bags and roll them up and keep them in your purse.
thinks you can do is turn off lights when u leave the room. wash ur car on the grass. don’t litter. don’t use make up tested on animals. make a compost pile in your back yard (don’t forget to put worms in it) or if u don’t want the smell get chickens they eat your scraps not turn them into mulch. turn off appliances that arent in use at the switch or unplug them and that’s all the tips i can give
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