Sustainability is everywhere. Last year alone a plethora of large consumer magazines came out with “green” issues—May 2007 Vanity Fair, Issue 27 Ready Made, May 2007 Elle and March 2007 Domino magazine, to name a few. Trade publications are hammering the idea into their respective readers; I should know from my concrete editorial job. Movies such as An Inconvenient Truth have shocked the public back to reality and living a more healthy, eco-friendly world has become even more important.
When Earth Day came along, I began thinking. I remember a report I wrote on landfills in fifth grade—obviously before my time. I was so appalled by evidence of 15-year-old hot dogs still intact and the millions of tons of paper products poured into our limited land resources. But some where along the line I got lazy. Actually, down right ignorant. I’d tell myself I was doing my part, but obviously, I could have done more.
So in 2007, I came up with the idea of pledging to do one green thing a day. It doesn’t have to be big. It can be quite small really, but that I would try to make a small change on my lifetime impression on the Earth. Although I tried to maintain a blog dedicated to that progress, I was unable to maintain the separate blog. So I decided to import it into this one.
Everyone needs an eco-wishlist—a collection of small steps one can strive to make toward a Mother Earth sustaining existence. Here are a few of mine that I want to cross off my list during the course of this project.
- Purge/recycle old bills.
- Use reusable cup when buying Starbucks beverages.
- Use less toilet paper per use.
- Make the fridge run more efficiently. And the freezer too.
- Start a compost pile or refrigerate it.
- Switch to a biodegradable litter.
- Reduce my total plastic consumption.
- Reduce the number of plastic bags consumed in my household.
- Recycle prescription bottles.
- Urge my office to change from disposable plastic utensils to donated reusable silverware.
- Download music and computer programs whenever possible, thus reducing packaging and shipping resources used.
- Turn off the computer when not in use, or use energy-saving settings.
- Use the dishwasher.
- Donate old and unwanted clothes.
- Switch to rechargeable batteries.
- Buy organic food.
- Buy local.
- Switch from paper bags to a reusable insulated lunch bag.
- Use my PDA for all lists; scrap the paper”to do” lists.
- Start an organic garden.
- Recycle old gym shoes with the Nike program.
- Reduce accumulated waste each week by half.
- Use a reusable mug at work.
- Choose a all-natural variety lip balm instead of petroleum-based.
- Replace liquid shampoo with a shampoo bar.
- Buy recyclable pens.
- Buy eco-friendly, biodegradable garbage bags.
- Reduce my water usage during showers.
- Find a pump hairspray alternative over aerosol.
- Purchase more recycled products.
- Reduce my total junk mail intake.
- Choose ethanol over pure gasoline options.
- Use nontoxic household cleaners. Or make my own.
- Use my Whole Foods reusable bag as my primary shopping bag.
- Recycle old motor oil.
- Skip the dryer sheets.
- Adjust the household temperature.
- Switch from paper towels to rags.
- Give up dry cleaning.
- Abandon nail polishes with phthalate.
- Switch to loose leaf tea.
- Make reusable fabric produce bags.
- Reduce the number of one-time disposable products in the house.
- Lower the water heater temperature.
- Bring reusable containers for take out food.
- Green my pet.
- Ask for no receipt.
- Add a “think before you print icon” to emails.
- Recycle old gadgets.
- Lower my cooling costs in the warmer months. And try some of these suggestions too.
- Green up my lawn (if I have a lawn).
- Keep a green and healthy home.
- Save wine corks; do something crafty.
- Take the 10-mile pledge and reduce my CO2.
- Cut the energy used from the dryer.
- Read more online instead of printing or receiving paper-printed items.
- Fight retail overpackaging.
- Calculate and reduce my home’s environmental impact.
- Save my stamps for a good cause.
- Trim my computer’s energy use.
- Reduce my personal carbon emissions by 90%.
- Spruce up the air conditioner.
- Wash my hair every other day.
- Replace surge protectors with eco-friendly model.
- Recycle old eyeglasses.
- Recycle old cellphones.
- Reuse printer ink cartridges.
- Use strainers on drains.
- Use the cold setting when washing clothes.
- Dry delicates on a drying rack.
- Let dishes air dry in my dishwasher.
- Keep your thermostat at 68 in the winter.
- Install a programmable thermostat.
- Use a Brita for cold water.
- Use a reusable cup when at Starbucks.
- Take short showers.
- Turn the faucet off while shaving and brushing your teeth.
- Toss trash in the wastebasket, not the toilet.
- Take care of your vinyl shower curtain.
- Use water-based paints.
- Properly dispose of latex paint cans.
- Use rags instead of paper towels.
- Choose hydrogen- or oxygen-based bleaches.
- Buy concentrated products.
- Don’t wash clothes after every wear unless they’re really dirty.
- Buy phosphate-free, earth-friendly detergent.
- Keep my refrigerator full to cut down on energy.
- Keep the fridge at 37 F and the freezer at 3 F.
- Maintain my fridge twice a year.
- Use the toaster oven for smaller portion cooking.
- Switch to CFLs.
- Turn off the lights when not in use.
- Use ceiling fans to better circulate the air.
- Manage radiant solar gain.
- Buy gift wrap made of recycled paper.
- Reuse gift wrapping decorations.
- Get creative with gift wrapping.
- Recycle my Christmas tree.
- Choose energy-saving Christmas lights.
- Make my own gift tags.
- Participate in St. Jude’s Ranch for Children greeting cards program.
- Shop at my local farmer’s market.
- Eat less meat.
- Switch to cloth napkins.
- Decline silverware, napkins and condiments when ordering out.
- Wash fruit and veggies in a bowl of cold water.
- Turn the faucet using half the volume.
- Buy in bulk instead of single-servings.
- Collect grey water for watering plants.
- Buy quality products.
- Use rechargeable batteries.
- Buy a paper shredder.
- Recycle plastic peanuts with loosefillpackaging.com.
- Download software instead of buying the CDs, when possible.
- Buy only plastic bottles labeled with 1 or 2.
- Create notepads out of scrap paper.
- Ride my bike when running errands three miles away.
- Once a week, use public transportation instead of driving.
- Buy eco-friendly antifreeze.
- Decline housekeeping when staying at a hotel.
- Don’t take the complementary bottles.
- Use biodegradable pet bags.
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