Want to know quick and easy ways to lower your emissions? Want to know how to make huge changes that will greatly lower your emissions? They're all on this page. Enjoy doing them and comment the guestbook about which ones you plan to do or are already doing!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Avoid buying fast food. Fast food is overpackaged and very unhealthy for you and the environment. Make meals at home from now on.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Make scratch paper with paper that you want to throw away. If you only used one side of the paper, cut it up and make smaller size paper so it can be used for notes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Find out what companies are going green and support them. This will get many more companies to start going green.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Don't ever buy aerosols. They are probably the biggest contributor to the hole in the ozone. You can paint objects with the old method of a paintbrush.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Give up disposable razors and buy a permanent one. Disposable razors harm many animals and the environment. You will also save money over time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Try going without the turkey this Thanksgiving. 45 million genetically modified turkeys are raised in unsanitary factory farms just for Thanksgiving. There are many other safer options.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Reuse the towels when you go on vacation to a hotel. You are saving the hotel money and they may even give you a small discount. Make sure to check with the hotel about doing this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Pack light when you go on vacation. All the extra weight on cars and planes means more gas is being used. Think smart and do the world a favor.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Insulate your attic to prevent heat and air conditioning from escaping through your roof. You would be amazed at the difference in your energy bill.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Only heat the rooms that you will use. Most of us rarely ever use at least one of the rooms in our houses. Try closing the door and vents to that room so your system does not have to work harder.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Make sure your air filters are clean, especially during the winter months. You should be checking them monthly for buildup and then replacing them once it starts to get too filled up.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Last year's massive pet food recall scared many pet owners. However, they are still using diseased livestock in your pet's food. From now on, try buying certified organic food for them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Try to get your kids out as much as possible. Hey, you should join them! Instead of using electronics, play games outside or even go environmentally friendly things like planting a tree.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Try growing your own fruits and vegetables instead of buying them at the store. You will save money and also help take some CO2 out of the atmosphere.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Try making your own ice with the freezer instead of using the fridge. This will help save the fridge some energy and you some money!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Try sharing cars with friends or family. If you don't trust them, you can also share with many companies such as Flexcar which gives you hybrids.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~At least give your car a break every once in a while. If you are going someplace close, try walking or riding your bike. If you are in the city, try a bus. There are many public transportation options.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Try to get your kids estimating their emissions. They may not want to hear it from you but once they see it on a site, it's official. This will get them more involved.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~If your car needs to shift, make sure you do it at the right time. A vehicle traveling 37 mph in third gear uses 25% more fuel than if it was in fifth gear.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Only use electrical devices such as air conditioning when needed. There is no need for air conditioning and the windows to be down.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Do a teleconference instead of flying. You can use the telephone of a video camera. Planes pump CO2 high into the atmosphere creating 12% of all transportation emissions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Plant shrubs, bushes, and vines near your house. They help insulate your home in the winter and summer. Also, they take in a lot of CO2 so you are really lowering emissions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~If you must buy water bottles, at least recycle them. It is very easy and you are helping save the environment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Get with the new style by buying an Ipod or listening to music online. CDs require a lot of energy to make when there is youtube or other sites.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~If you need wood, consider buying it from ecofriendly wood providers. The Forest Stewardship Council. have approved many acres in which they regulate to make sure trees can survive.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Lose some weight! Americans weight about 24 more pounds on average than they did in the 1970's. All that extra weight has to be carried around in your car.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Altering traffic lights to ensure maximum flow can reduce gas consumption for cities by 10-20%. You should go to your local government and let them know about this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Find CDs, DVDs, and books at your local library for entertainment because generally they are reused material.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~The Playstation 3 and XBOX 360 use a lot more energy than the Nintendo Wii. If you don't have a Wii, you should think about getting one.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Always turn the game console off when you are done playing the game. The TV may be off but that console is still using energy and raising your electric bill.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Limit the movie-watching on game consoles. It is much cheaper and more efficient to run movies on standard devices instead.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Pay attention to packaging when you give presents for Christmas. If you receive a bag, reuse it for another gift instead of throwing it out. Each American sends 300 pounds of packaging to the landfill each year.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~There are multiple retailers that will recycle your stuff like Wal-mart, Best Buy, and Home Depot.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Look for disposable plates and garbage bags that have the biodegradable symbol on them so the Earth can actually break them down.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Get rid of the antibacterial soap. First, it may cause bacteria that is antibiotic resistant. It also does not clean your hands any better than normal soap and water.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Wrap your water heater wit insulation. That can keep as many as 1,000 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Install a programmable thermostat that lets you automatically lower the temperature when no one is home or the family is asleep. This can save a family, $150 per year and lower emissions greatly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~When looking for a home, make sure it is close to work and stores. This will save you a lot of money and emissions in the long run.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Many people always wonder what to do with their old toothbrushes and throw them out. They can be used as great cleaners or even eyebrow brushes. Save the landfill and environment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Plants seeds, not flowers in a bouquet. First of all, it costs way less and will only take a little more effort. Also, planter flowers take in more CO2 so you are helping the environment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Try making your own ornaments this Christmas instead of buying. Regular ornaments cost money and have an effect on the world. This will be a fun activity with the kids when you see who can make the best ornaments.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Buy some green shoes instead of leather. These shoes have very little effect on the environment compared to other shoes. Nike and Payless have both made lines of green shoes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~If you decide to go to the movie theatres, don't buy those ridiculously large bags of popcorn. Maybe try a medium or even a small. A small fleet of cars could drive on the corn (ethanol) that is used in movie theatres.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~We need weeds in the garden to help regulate the ecosystem. If you absolutely hate weeds, then maybe put them somewhere else but definitely not the neighbor's house. ;)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Americans are by far, the biggest consumers in the world. China and Japan are next but America blows them out of the water so this year, try to lower how much you buy. Think about what you need.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Remove excess items in your trunk. More weight in the back means more mileage. Every pound counts so make sure to lower the weight.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Don't drive your kids to school. There are some kids who just can't bear to ride the bus. Organize a car pool with other families so you can still lower gas emissions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Use a digital camera for pictures instead of a regular camera. Regular cameras use many resources while digital cameras can hold a lot of pictures on memory sticks and you just keep the ones you like.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Many of the fish in our oceans are on the verge of extinction. Be informed about what kind of fish you should buy. Go here for more information.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Join a community supported agriculture (CSA) program. You pay yearly fees for locally grown food and milk. This also makes sure your local farmers can keep their land.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Did you know chargers for cell phones and MP3s still suck power even when they're not in use? The best way to prevent this is to just take out the plug.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Take the shower instead of the bath. A bath can waste up to 50 gallons of water. Showers take a fraction of that especially if they are short.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Put dry towels into the dryer with your wet clothes. The towels will pull moisture from the clothes so you spend less time with the dryer on.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Decorate your house with organically grown flowers instead of the flowers from other countries. This helps the environment and economy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~If you have kids or just like to color, try buying eco-friendly crayons. These are made from renewable resources. One brand is Prang soybean crayons.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Get a solar-powered water heater if possible. This will especially work if you live in a sunny area. It is cheaper and helps save the environment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Dispose of disposables and buy actual dishes and glasses. Paper plates and cups account for a lot of space in landfills. Save them some space and buy reusable.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Bring your own bags at the store. There are even some stores who offer bags that can be reused over and over again. They really help the environment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Eat less meat. You don't have to become a vegetarian but try eating less meat this week. Meat factories make a lot of pollution so eating veggies and fruits help lower emissions and your weight.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Plan meals ahead of time so you only have to go to the store once. You won't believe the money you will save especially if the store is not really close.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------