Easy Eco-Living

Tips Your Body and Bank Account Will Love…

1. Give up the (water) bottle
   Not only can buried water bottles take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade, studies show that bottled water is not guaranteed to be any healthier than tap water. Save hundreds of dollars annually and reduce landfill waste: buy a Britta or other water filter for home/office/cave and a stainless steel, reusable water bottle that you take with you.

2. Get out and move
   Turn off the TV or computer and grab your walking shoes, bike, dog, kids… anything but your car keys. Create at least one “earth hour” for yourself per day. This does three important things. It…

   • Reduces energy costs when you’re moving and not sitting.
   • Improves your physical and mental health through exercise. The data is irrefutable.
   • Accesses the healing power of the sun, used for healing since the time of ancient Egypt.

   Vitamin D deficiency is now epidemic across all age groups, affecting 40% of the U.S. population; nearly twice that for pregnant mothers. Natural sunlight provides the most efficient source of vitamin D and is one of the most powerful healing therapies in the world; no drug comes even close. It boosts the metabolism, bone health and is believed to reduce breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer. People with darker skin need even more sun exposure. The good news? It’s free of charge.(Source: The Healing Power of Sunlight & Vitamin D by Dr. Michael Holick

3. You’ll really dig this
   Plant something new. Whether you’re honoring a special memory with a sapling that will last hundreds of years or simply sowing the seeds for some dynamite salsa, a little gardening will do wonders for your health and the planet’s. All the air we breathe comes from photosynthesis, so green is good.

   Plant one (or more) indoors. More than just brighten up a room, living plants provide real health benefits. Plants give a feeling of well-being, so are beneficial for a positive mood and help to overcome stress. This has been proven in multiple studies. According to Dr. Leona Rogler in "The comprehensive office series,' in offices with plants, complaints about headaches, stress, heart/circulation-symptoms as well as colds are reduced. Not only do complaints about headaches, stress, heart/circulation-symptoms and colds decrease when indoor plants are present, but also richly decorating a room with plants can help keep the air clean. Summary: The influence of plants on air quality and our general wellbeing has been proven. Just importantly however, is the positive psychological effect they have on us. On a side note, they’ll also give you someone to talk to (who won’t talk back).

   Interesting fact: the lowly spider plant is tops when it comes to removing formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air indoors. Source: NASA study.

   Go native outdoors. Trust us, the world doesn’t need any more English ivy. Instead of filling your community’s landscape with exotic or invasive plant species, use native ones. Because native plants evolved with your area’s particular conditions in mind, they use less water, resist pests better and require less attention than their pushy, high-strung cousins.

   Besides cutting down on the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and air- (and noise-) polluting mowers, native plants benefit the environment in other ways: they stabilize soil and reduce erosion; they more effectively filter storm water (thus improving water quality); and they promote biodiversity, offering the food, nectar, cover, and nesting areas that local birds, butterflies, and mammals need.

   Go to www.arborday.org for great information on what to plant where.

4. Buy local, cook fresh
   Not everything has to be organic, but it’s a good idea for meat, vegetables and most fruits. Plus you support your local community. Go to www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarket/map.html to find markets in your area. For easy cooking ideas, we love www.epicurious.com for ideas that are easy, creative and made to suit any wallet.

5. Reduce, recycle, reuse. (Listen to Grandma.)
   ‘Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.’ And turn off/unplug. Previous generations knew a lot about maximizing resources. Before you buy something new, clear out the old. If you don’t need it, donate it to someone who does. Our 'Tribal Gatherings' tab can give you some ideas.

   Recycle everything you can. If you don’t have curb-side pick up or want to recycle a specialty item go to www.earth911.org to find out where you can go. Whenever possible, avoid disposable items. For example, buy re-chargeable batteries. And look around your house at the electronics in sleep mode. Phone chargers, DVRs, coffee makers… these little energy vampires with their telltale red lights drain power even when they’re not in use. Put your gadgets on a diet by pulling the plug (or tripping the power strip) whenever they’re off duty.

   Other smart tips…
   • If every household in the US replaced 1 roll of 1000 sheet bathroom tissues with 100% recyclable rolls, we could save 373,000 trees, 1.48 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 155 million gallons of water.
   • Only run full loads in the dishwasher and the laundry machine. You use the same amount of energy to power these machines if you have a 1/2 load or a full one- so wait a couple of days to make sure you have a full load.
   • Don’t leave the water running when you brush your teeth or wash the dishes.
   • Bring a reusable insulated mug when you go out for coffee.

6. Buy thoughtfully.
   Where possible, opt for renewable materials, local craftsmanship and/or low-VOC compounds for your furniture and furnishings. Or instead of buying new at all, work the flea markets, classifieds and thrift stores. You’ll keep a lot of stuff out of the landfill, reduce demand for new materials and give your space the kind of character that doesn’t come from a catalog.

   Buy locally produced items, including produce and other goods. It reduces the amount of fossil fuels required to transport the things you buy from other parts of the country or the world. It also reduces the amount of plastic and paper products consumed in the packaging of such far-traveling products.

   Instead of using grocery stores' disposable plastic or paper bags, bring your own reusable tote bags, which are available for sale at many grocers and other retailers. The bags are sturdier than disposable bags, making the trip home easier, and they don't waste resources or end up in landfills. You alone could keep up to 1,500 bags per year out of landfills! If you must use disposable bags, ask your bagger to avoid double-bagging whenever possible.

7. Turn down the lights (at least the bill).
   Replace standard incandescent lights with energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs (also called 'CFL’s). If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars. IMPORTANT: CFLs contain mercury, so you will need to be careful how you dispose of them; Home Depot and Lowes will recycle. Source: U.S. Department of Energy

8. Get with the program.
   A programmable thermostat frees you from using energy when you’re not at home (or awake) to enjoy it. Turn down your thermostat by two degrees in the winter (and up two degrees in the summer). You'll save 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide this year! Turn down your thermostat by two degrees in the winter (and up two degrees in the summer). You'll save 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide this year! The U.S. Department of Energy says that a 10- to 15-degree setback for only eight hours will save from 5 to 15 percent of total heating costs. The National Association of Homebuilders says programmable thermostats typically offer savings of 10 to 15 percent without compromising comfort.

   Finally! A way to stop burning the midnight oil.

9. Be a green cleaner.
   There are great alternatives to the toxic bombs we buy at the drug store every day. Seventh Generation, Clorox brands and others offer a range of super toxin-free cleaning products—available at many mainstream stores. Just read the labels carefully. Also, switch to cold-water washing and save 80% on laundry energy.

   If you dry clean your clothes with traditional cleaners, air out your clothes outside for as long as possible before bringing them inside. Most dry cleaners use a harmful chemical called PERC in the cleaning process. Even better, use a green dry cleaner in your area. If you are doing any painting, use no or low-VOC paints. VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds are not anything you would want in your body. Fortunately there are now several great brands of healthy paints.

   Vinegar and water—better than chemicals in cleaning hardwood floors?

   Many experts say “yes.” For a safe, cheap solution to keep your wood surfaces looking good, mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar to 1 gallon of warm water.

   If you decide to use chemicals, do your homework and make sure they will not harm the floor—or you, your family, or your pets. Be cautious what you put on your wood surface as oils and furniture polish can make a floor very slippery. Note: with a weekly dusting, hardwood floors will not require consistent cleaning with vinegar or other cleaning agents.

10. Junk the Junk Mail.
    100 million trees' worth are sent out each year. Visit www.dmachoice.org/MPS/ to opt out of the Direct Marketing Association's member mailings.

11. "Green" your landlord.
    Share the knowledge with your landlord and fellow tenants, and everybody saves! If 10,000 landlords of high-rise apartment buildings make Energy Star-suggested changes, the energy saved could power their each of their TVs for 1,640,625 years. And if your apartment building doesn't provide recycling options, it's time to enlighten the landlord.

    Shared spaces mean shared opportunities to go greener. A quick pat on the back: your shared walls are helping keep your energy bills in check. The fewer exterior walls your unit has, the lower your home’s exposure to the elements and the less your heating and cooling system has to work. There’s more good news: in addition to the changes you can make inside your home, think about how you can work with your neighbors to give your common areas an earth-friendly makeover.

    • End the parking wars. Lobby for a convenient and secure area for bicycles, or even a dedicated parking space for a car-share service like Zipcar. In addition to taking a few cars off the road, it may reduce the number of disputes over spaces, stickers and the like.

    • Cool down. Reduce the heat-island effect with strategic landscaping and hardscaping. Use light-colored paving materials, mulch flowerbeds, and plant trees to shade the building(s) and parking lot. You can even investigate installing a green roof to insulate your building from extremes of hot and cold.

12. Protect clean water and healthy streams in your community
    Issue: A typical 10-acre surface parking lot will create 270,000 gallons of storm water after a one-inch rainstorm. The polluted runoff generally contains high levels of oil and grease, sediment, salt, heavy metals and bacteria.

    Good news: A mature urban forested area can reduce a drainage basin's peak storm-water runoff by 10 - 20%. Source: www.AmericanRivers.org.

13. Cheap, green transportation.
    Let’s face it, we can’t all afford (or we may not want) the latest energy-efficient car. You may already take the best forms of transportation to work - your feet, your bike, or public transit. Whenever possible, navigate the neighborhood without your car. Do you live on a convenient bus or rail line? Do you have access to a car-sharing service, carpool or other flexible transportation option? If you’re in the market for a car, check the U.S. Department of Energy's list of most fuel-efficient cars to find the one that's right for you.

    Interesting fact: More than 82% of trips five miles or less are made by personal motor vehicle. The problem is, 60% of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively. Since "cold starts" create high levels of emissions, shorter car trips are more polluting on a per-mile basis than longer trips. Source: Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey