What You Can Do

Wow, all this talk about global warming really makes me want to do something to help the Earth – especially for our children’s future.  How about you?   Each person does really make a difference!   Just by taking the time to learn more about the problem and what you can do to help solve it, you are changing your awareness and that’s the first step! 

We’ve included lots of ideas here about the many ways in which you take action.  We are always looking for more ideas, so please pass them along to us so we can add them to our list.  If we all work together, incredible things can happen!

Make your voice heard!  Log on to www.wecansolveit.org and be part of the solution.  There is an incredible amount of information and ways that you really will make a difference here.  Or you can write to your Congressman/Mayor, etc and encourage them to pass tougher pollution restrictions for industries.   There are many other websites that also facilitate your direct communication to government officials on major issues, like the one on National Wildlife’s website www.nwf.org and click on Global Warming and select “Take Action”.

Save Gas!  These suggestions will help you make the most of your mileage:

• Try not to let your car idle in the pickup lane.
• Keep your vehicle tuned-up and get those oil changes on time. 
• Keep the air in your tires at the manufacturer’s recommended guidelines.
• Combine errands and run them in a clockwork direction so you can catch those right turn on reds (that’s what UPS does). 
• Slow down – Every 5 mph over 60 mph reduces your gas mileage by 5 to 10 percent.
• Loose weight – If you are carrying a bunch of extra stuff around in your car, leave it in the garage and get better fuel economy.
• Drive as smoothly as possible – Watch the tachometer (measures rpm) and try to keep it below 3000.  Try to anticipate stopping, gently accelerate and decelerate to maximize your efficiency.
• Consider a hybrid automobile or a more gas efficient vehicle.
• Consider a carpool.  Check out www.1800234ride.com for information on the Palm Beach County School Pool program.  It was created by South Florida Commuter services and is funded by the Fla. Dept. of Trans.
• Ride the bus or use the Amtrak train – Kids think it’s fun!
• Dust off that bicycle!

Save Energy.  Why?  It is important because the energy generated at electrical plants by the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas pump vast amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.  Every time you use electricity, you are increasing your carbon footprint!  Here are some of the many things you can do to reduce it:

·        Take a home energy survey on www.fpl.com.  They will also come to survey your home for free!  They will check for holes or cracks around doors, windows, look at your insulation and help you find other energy drains.  You may be able to help the environment and save money on your electrical bill at the same time! 

·        Did you know you have energy “phantoms” in your home?  These would be all electronic items that are plugged in but aren’t actually on.  Phantom energy accounts for an average of 7 – 10 % of home usage.  If you aren’t using an electronic item, unplug it!

·        A good way to get rid of phantom energy from your computer is to plug all computer gear into a surge protector and flip the surge protector switch to “off” when you aren’t using it.

·        Get rid of those cute computer screen-savers – they are an energy drain.  Just have your computer switch to sleep mode instead.  Try using your laptop more and your desktop less.

·        Turn off your TV when you aren’t watching it and music when you aren’t listening to it.

·        Turn off lights when they aren’t needed and use a dimmer if possible.

·        Change nightlights and holiday lights to LED – they are more energy efficient.

·        Choose the most economical dishwasher setting (some models have air drying or economy settings) and only run it when it’s full.

·        Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees (it still makes the water nice and hot!).  Also, consider a timer.

·        Only run the dishwasher when it’s full and adjust it to the most efficient setting possible (ex:  no heat drying).

·        For your laundry, only run full loads (but don’t overload the machine), use cold water wash if possible, keep the dryer lint filter clean & eliminate dryer sheets.

·        AC - Change your air conditioning filter every month, use ceiling fans (a much more efficient way of cooling).  Draw the curtains if you don’t need the light.  Turn the AC up a few degrees – especially if you aren’t home.

·        If you’re home pre-dates 1980, reinsulate.

·        Think small - Use your toaster oven more and your regular size oven less.  Use the smallest pot possible for cooking.

·        Cook fresh foods.  All those processed foods just drip with energy waste.

·        Purchase energy efficient appliances with the Energy Star seal (see www.energystar.gov for details).

·        Consider installing solar panels.

·        Clean your refrigerator and get rid of the cluttered containers.  The reverse is true for the freezer – a packed one will have more efficiency.

·        Like your mom always said, shut the refrigerator door!

·        Replace old incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (or CFLs).  They use 75% less energy and save $30 or more over each light bulbs lifetime.  If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an Energy Star qualified CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars!  These huge benefits are thought to outweigh the complications of using them, but it is important for consumers to be aware of these complications.  Because CFLs contain mercury, there are two important things to know about them.  First, they should not be placed in the trashcan and should be treated as hazardous waste.  After they burn out, they need to be placed in sealed plastic bags and carried to the nearest Solid Waste Authority site (see www.swa.org for locations near you).  If you are not able to do this, please put them in three sealed Ziplocs before putting them in the trashcan so that the mercury is more likely to be contained. 

o       If a CFL breaks, there are special precautions to be taken.  Complete details can be found at www.energystar.gov.  Here are some main instructions from these governmental guidelines:

§         Open a window, turn off the AC, take pets and leave the room for 15 min. or more.

§         Carefully scoop up the glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed Ziploc.

§         Use sticky tape, such as duct tape to pick up any remaining fragments or powder.

§         Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels and place them in the sealed plastic bag.

§         On hard surfaces, do not use a vacuum or broom to clean it up.  Use the steps above instead

§         On carpeting, only vacuum after the removing all materials with the steps above.  Then remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

§         Immediately place all cleanup materials outdoors in a trash container for trash pickup.

§         Wash your hands.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle!  Massive amounts of methane are released into the air from landfills.  Do your part to keep landfill trash to a minimum.

• Publix provides recycling bins in the front of every store for plastic bags.  Some locations also have bins for styrofoam egg cartons and produce trays.
• Recycle old cell phones.   There is a great program started by two teenagers called “Cell Phones For Soldiers” that helps to purchase phone cards for soldiers so they can call home for free.  Check out the website at www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/about.html.  All you have to do is to drop off your old cell phone at several locations like certain Pak Mails.  For the list of exact drop off locations, please go online for details at www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/locate_florida.html.  Also, SWA facilities accept these as do some stores (like Radio Shack). 
• Recycle electronic items.  If you have qualifying unwanted electronics, Brandsmart will take them back and give you gift card on the spot.  Check out www.bransmartusa.com and click on “Get Green”.
• Recycle your tennis shoes.  The Nike store in the Sawgrass Mills Mall will accept any brand of tennis shoes for recycling.  They ship them to a processing center that makes Nike Grind which is used to build basketball courts, playgrounds, etc.
• Recycle used toner cartridges.  Office supply stores usually accept these & give credits back (like Office Depot).
• The Solid Waste Authority provides blue and yellow bins for home recycling.  If you need bins, call them at 1-866-792-4636 and just ask for one.  SWA will deliver them to you for free!  Here’s what you can recycle in these:
  • Blue Bins:  Aluminum cans, foil and pie plates (you can test the cans to see if they are metal or aluminum by using a magnet.  If the magnet sticks, they are metal – throw those in the trash).  Also recycle glass bottles/jars (green, brown and clear), all plastic containers, drink boxes, milk/juice cartons (no straws).
  • Yellow Bins:  Newspapers and inserts (no plastics), magazines, catalogs, phone books, flattened corrugated cardboard boxes.

Reuse items!

• Shop with cloth bags (one of the easiest things you can do that makes a HUGE impact).

• Don’t drink bottled water!  It costs more per ounce than gasoline!  It creates 1.5 million tons of trash per year as 80% of these are actually thrown away.  Even if you do recycle the bottles (good for you), we are currently using 47 million gallons of oil to make the plastic bottles!  That’s right, oil is used to make plastic.  See www.lighterfootsteps.com for more info about this and other great information.  A much better idea is to just refill a washable water bottle.  My favorite bottles are made by Sigg and can be purchased at Whole Foods, Amazon.com or www.siggstore.com.  Yes they are a little pricy, (about $20) but say goodbye to purchasing hundreds of plastic water bottles per year and hello to a fresh, cold drink of water from a quality aluminum bottle.  Don’t rewash, reuse or freeze a disposable water bottle because harmful contaminates from the plastic will leak out into the water.
• Store food in reusable containers (instead of Ziplocs).
• Use a washable cloth to clean up spills & use cloth napkins.
• Make a waste-free lunch box using all reusable, washable containers.
• Try Freecycle!  It’s a system of free, local exchange of goods between members.  Check it out at http://www.freecycle.org/

Reduce Paper Consumption!

• Purchase recycled paper products (paper towels, tissues, office copy paper, etc).

• If you don’t read a certain catalog, just call the company and ask them to take you off the mailing list.
• Encourage your children to use both sides of a piece of paper.
• Stop unwanted junk mail.  Go to www.obviously.com/junkmail/  for great information about how you can finally get rid of all that pesky junk mail that you don’t want to go through every day!

Less Water is Better!

• Consider installing high efficiency faucets and water saving toilets in your home.  This will save lots of $on your water bill!
• Don’t let the water run when you brush your teeth.
• Showers use less water than baths. 
• Try to take a quicker shower.
• Fix those leaky plumbing problems – all those drips really do add up.

Think Eco-friendly Food:

• Pack Lunch in Reusable Containers – There are so many shapes, sizes and brands of washable, reusable containers.  Make disposable plastic bags a thing of the past.
• Go Meatless – It takes 16 pounds of grain and soy feed for every pound of meat that gets to each plate.
• Buy Local Produce – It doesn’t have to be shipped.
• Plant an Organic Garden – Wow!  This is fun and educational for the kids, excellent for the Earth, economical and nutritious.   Even if you live in the city limits, you probably have a small patch of space somewhere that could be put to good use! 
• Only Cook Amount of Food Needed – If we waste food, we also the energy used to produce, ship and cook it.
• Make Your Own Soda!  - It only takes 30 seconds to make and reduces packaging, uses less fuel used in shipping, and saves energy (uses compressed air rather than electricity or batteries).   Check out www.SodaClubUSA.com for more details.
• Encourage Your Favorite Restaurant to be Green – Ask for a recyclable “to-go” container.  Ask the manager if they recycle and tell them it matters to you!

Be Kind to the Earth!

• Use Natural Cleaning Products – try those that are biodegradable and plant-based.  Here are some great ones to check out:
  • Seventh Generation dish detergent (Publix, Whole Foods)
  • Ecos laundry detergent (Costco, Whole Foods)
  • Ecover Non-Chlorine Bleach (Whole Foods, www.drugstore.com)
  • Kirkland Brand Signature Cleaning Products (new as of the summer of 2008).  They include laundry detergent, liquid dish soap and multipurpose cleaner that are very easy on the pocket book.
  • Many great cleaners can easily be made from lemon, borax, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar.  Google these ingredients with the word “cleaner” and you’ll get lots of ideas. 
• Skip the pesticides and fertilizers.  There are so many natural alternatives available.  Just Google “natural pesticide” or “natural fertilizer” on the internet and find lots of great solutions.
• Use Natural Kitty Litters – You can purchase newspaper or pine litter which disintegrates quickly and eliminates the tons of clay litter that fill our landfills.  I like the Feline Pine Clumping brand at Target.
• Use Biodegradable Cat Pan Liners – You can find them online such as at http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/  and some pet stores carry them as well such as Petco.
• Use a Biodegradable Dog Poop Bag – Help the Earth by using bags that are made of materials that break down naturally in landfills. You can find these at many area pet stores or go online & find many stores that carry these also, such as www.poopbags.com, www.drugstore.com or www.composters.com.
• Try a Compost Pile – You will be doing the Earth a huge favor by not dumping leftover scraps into the landfill.  This is also a terrific way to fertilize that garden!
• Pick Up Litter!  Use “grabbers” at the beach to pick up trash or participate in an area litter clean-up.
• Plant A Tree!  They absorb CO2 naturally!
• Use Zero-VOC Paints – VOCs are volatile organic compounds and they have been linked to lots of unhealthy problems.  Some paints on the market advertise “Low VOC” but it’s much better to opt for VOC Free paints.
• Buy Products Made In the USA – Promotes our economy while using less energy to ship products.
• Sleep on a Chemical-Free Mattress – Mattresses can contain potentially harmful chemicals and flame retardants.  More companies are offering PDBE-free mattresses.  Visit http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/107/bedding for more info.

Think Green $$$

• Ask Your Employer to Be More Green – According to a 2007 Harris Poll, 33% of Americans would be more inclined to work for a green company. 
• Invest in Green Technology – Many investment firms are now saying that green economy is likely to have the highest investment growth in the future.  There are many investment opportunities out there.  Try www.winslowgreen.com/nyt for a host of options.  Also, David Bach’s new book, Go Green, Live Rich  describes how individuals and companies can save money by investing in the huge environmental transformation that is starting to shake the global economy.
• Buy carbon offsets – When you buy a carbon offset, you are funding a project that reverses the presence of carbon in the atmosphere.  Many people now do this to offset their footprints made by air travel or just to make the world a better place.   For example, check out www.nativeenergy.com as recommended by a National Geographic writer.
• Donations are Gifts from the Heart!  Give to your favorite environmental charity.  There are so many good ones out there, for example, National Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense Action Fund.