As I read through the aforementioned book, I'll return to this page and edit it with more helpful hints. I added a couple others as well.
Keep in mind, all of these things help but the only way to make real big changes are to make the government act. Businesses and politicians tell us to do these things so they don't have to do anything. What individuals do are drops in a bucket. The government does full buckets. If we make it.
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle - in that Order!
-Recycle. Paper, cans, bottles, plastic, electronics, ex. Even old beds and such can be recycled at certain places.
-Try to keep stuff out of landfills.
-Places like Whole Foods can help you recycle corks, printer cartridges, and toothbrushes.
-Properly dispose of paint. Find a place near you that accepts it.
-Recycle electronics and batteries.
-Fix appliances instead of getting rid of them.
-Donate old glasses. There's lots of people that can't afford their own.
-Donate leftover medicines. People in developing countries die from lack of simple medicine. If you can't donate it, take it somewhere that recycles medicine. Otherwise it can end up in our drinking water.
-Styrofoam packing peanuts can't go in the recycling bin. But a nearby UPS may take them to use.
-Use your yard waste cans. You can arrange for compost pickup if you don't get it already.
-Avoid plastic bags and other disposable wrappers. Use reusable containers for food and drinks.
-Avoid plastic wrap. You can use containers or put a plate over a dish to help keep it fresh.
-When going out to eat, bring your own container for leftovers. Also bring your own cup when you get a drink.
-When printing from your computer, only print what you need. Print double-sided.
-You can recycle the ink cartridges from your printer.
-Find places that refill containers of laundry detergent, etc. so you don't have to keep buying new bottles.
-At stores, don't print out receipts that you don't need. Receipt paper is actually kind of toxic, so you can't even recycle it.
-Do online banking so you don't have as many printed pages.
-Donate magazines to doctor offices so other people can read them in waiting rooms.
-Use both sides of paper. Save partially used paper for notes (like grocery lists).
-Make companies stop sending you junk mail.
-Don't get a telephone book if you're never gonna use it.
-Don't litter. Clean it up when you can. Especially in the wilderness.
-During Christmas, try to find ways of wrapping where boxes and paper don't all end up in landfills. Reuse paper hat's in good shape, or use reusable gift bags and boxes.
Home
-Check out your care products with the
Environmental Working Group, to make sure they're made with ingredients that aren't bad for you.
-For skin care products, you can analyze them with
Skincarisma.
-Buy paper products -like napkins and kleenex-
certified by the FSC. They're made without chopping down forests.
-Don't use antibacterial soap or sanitizer. Just use normal soap. Antibacterial soap can lead to bacteria that resists medicine.
-For cleaners or laundry detergents, don't use more than the recommended amount. More doesn't work better.
-Make household cleaners out of water and baking soda.
-Vinegar and baking soda can be used for cleaning.
-You can find natural remedies for a lot of problems. Even some medicines have simple natural cures (I've found diluted lemongrass essential oil works wonders on athletes foot).
-Moth balls keep moths away for a reason. They're poison. They can cause lung and nervous system damage. Try lavender and cedar chips instead.
-Don't use air fresheners. There's other ways to make your house smell good - candles, incense, plants, ex.
-Do you know how banks invest the money they get from you? Figure out if their investments are environmentally friendly.
-Repair your shoes. If you find a good cobbler, they can fix most shoe problems so you don't have to always buy new ones.
-If you have to remodel your house, go with a green plan.
-Ventilate your house or toxins can build up inside.
-Get double pane windows to help insulate the building-.
Garden
-Watch out for erosion in your yard. Put mulch on open dirt to keep it from blowing or leaking away. Don't let gutters, ex, empty onto bare dirt. Put a buffer there so it doesn't wash the soil away.
-Plant native plants. Since they're adapted to the habitat, they don't need as much water, pesticides, or fertilizers. Plus they support local birds and butterflies. You can use:
-Plant flowers for pollinators.
-Weed by hand. Herbicides are bad.
-To kill weeds, you can pour hot water on them.
-Use biological pest controls. You can plant marigolds to attract good bugs (that eat the bad bugs). You can even use plants that pests like, in order to draw the pests away from the plants you actually care about (called trap crops).
-To keep away slugs, surround plants with ash or crushed eggshell. Also, slugs don't like herbs.
-If you need to use pesticides in your garden, don't use pesticides that kill everything. Some bugs are essential to have around.
-Start a compost bin. Or you can even bury some stuff around your garden if you don't have room for a bin. Non-recyclable paper (like used kleenex) is biodegradable too.
-Water your plants after the sun has left the yard, so less water will evaporate.
-Your grass may die out in the summer. That's OK. It'll come back when the weather gets cooler. Don't waste too much water on it.
-Don't water your plants if it's gonna rain.
-Use mulch. It holds water in and prevents weeds from growing.
-Think about getting a green roof.
-Try growing your own food.
-Use a manual lawn mower. Rake and sweep instead of using leaf blowers. You can get a workout, reduce noise, and reduce energy all at once. I always rake, sweep, and mow by hand.
-You can make organic pest sprays.
-For a Christmas Tree, why not use a live tree in a pot? Even if you don't, make sure your old tree goes to compost, not a landfill.
Food
-Eat less meat.
-Don't waste food. If you think some food is about to go bad, make something. Soup uses lots of ingredients, and you can freeze it for later. A smoothie is good if you have leftover fruit or dairy.
-Discourage disposable cups. Bring reusable cups if you're going to get a drink somewhere. Same with take-out containers.
-Buy seafood products that are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. -Most shrimp is harvested very badly. When fishers catch shrimp, there 4 to 15 times more bycatch than actual shrimp. That means that for each shrimp you eat, as many as 15 other animals needlessly die (there are some sustainably farmed shrimp, so seek those out).
-Don't buy shark fin soup. Wild sharks have their fins hacked off, and then they're thrown back in the water dead or dying. Sharks are steadily disappearing.
-Buy organic food.
-Buy free range meat.
-Buy predator-friendly meat (so they're not shooting wolves).
-Buy fruits that are in season so they don't have to be shipped around the world.
-Buy from local sources and farmers markets.
-Try buying heirloom fruits and vegetables, not just the generic brands. It encourages biodiversity.
-Beware of genetically modified organisms. Most of our food includes them. They're not really labeled, and we have no idea what they're doing to our bodies, or to ecosystems.
-Avoid fast-food. If you value the environment, human rights, and your health, avoid fast food (I don't just mean eating healthy, but fast food places encourage very unsanitary food).
-Don't buy endangered animals for food.
-Try to avoid teabags. Many teabags are made from plastic, even if they look like paper. While it's always good to avoid plastic, when these teabags are steeped in hot water they release microplastics. Microplastics can cause problems in your brain when you drink them.
Purchases
-Buy in bulk, which uses less packaging. But don't buy more than you need.
-Buy better quality products that last longer, or that can be easily repaired.
-Buy eco-friendly products. Biodegradable, non-toxic, made with renewable, organic materials, etc.
-Don't buy products with a lot of packaging.
-Don't buy anything you don't think you'll keep.
-Don't buy people gifts if you think they're just going to throw them away.
-Avoid products that were tested on animals. The Humane Cosmetics Standard approves the good products.
-If you want to get someone flowers, get a live plant. Bouquets are often transported from far away.
-You can buy used instead of new stuff.
-Stay away from single-use plastics. Plastic doesn't biodegrade, and a lot of it can't be recycled.
-By products made of recycled materials.
-Buy Retreaded tires.
-Quit smoking. Tobacco farming is not sustainable, plus there's lots of bad stuff in the smoke. At least don't chuck your cigarette stubs on the ground. Not only do they not biodegrade, but cigarette stubs have been known to start fires under certain circumstances.
-Get biodegradable sunblock. The normal kind is bad for the rivers and lakes you swim in.
-If there's a new baby in the family, their fast growth means you need new clothes all the time. Try not to buy new clothes, since they'll only fit for a short while. You can borrow, buy used, etc.
-Don't buy clothes made of synthetic materials. When you wash them, they shed microfibers, which end up in the oceans and wreak havoc. If you already have some synthetic clothes you can't get rid of, you can buy a special bag to wash them in, which catches those microfibers.
-Hemp is a good sustainable fabric (cotton can be terrible for the environment, and bamboo fabric is often processed with a lot of chemicals)
-Limit dry-cleaning, or find places that use "wet cleaning" or liquid CO2.
-Don't buy plywood, which has lots of chemicals. Buy wood that's certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Buy sustainable, local wood.
-Buy paper products certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council. They're made without cutting down forests.
-An
unsponge is a sponge that's made with biodegradable material - not foam or plastic.
-
Bamboo pencils can be made sustainably with all natural and biodegradable materials.
-
Walnut ink is also all natural and biodegradable.
-Use less makeup. A lot of it contains microplastics.
-If you're only gonna use tools a couple times, you don't need to buy them. You can borrow them (Sometimes libraries have tools you can borrow).
-Use low phosphate or phosphate free soaps.
-Choose paints without harmful ingredients. Get natural paints.
-Use reusable grocery bags.
-Don't buy white sage for smudging. It's almost always collected from the wild. It grows in a very small range, and it's rapidly disappearing from over harvesting.
-If buying gemstones, check where they come from. Some mines, for example in Madagascar, destroy tons of forests.
-Buy fair-trade products. They're more environmentally friendly, and they're better to their employees.
-You can buy carbon offsets.
-When planning a vacation, try to choose environmentally friendly places.
Energy
-Use the sun to light your room during the day.
-Turn off lights and TVs, etc. if you're not in the room. Especially turn off unneeded lights at night, as it can interfere with wildlife.
-Turn your computer off overnight.
-Put your computer on sleep instead of using screen savers, which don't really save energy.
-Unplug electronics you won't be using for a while. Even when turned off, they still drain some energy. You can get one of those strips where you plug in several things at once, and then turn the whole strip off.
-Unplug chargers if they're not charging anything. They'll drain energy whenever they're plugged in.
-Turn down your heater a little bit. Heating takes up a lot of energy, and you can always wear a jacket.
-Heat pumps are better than regular heaters.
-Limit air conditioning. Open windows, use window shades, and plant trees around the house to keep it cool.
-Refrigerators take lots of energy. Let hot food cool before you put it the fridge.
-Don't let ice build up in the freezer.
-Make sure the fridge/freezer doors close and seal properly.
-Check that your appliances are working well and not taking more energy than they should.
-Do you really have to use your treadmill when you can run around the block?
-You can turn your oven off a couple minutes before the food's done. The oven will stay hot enough to finish the job.
-Keep a lid on cooking pots, so it takes less energy to heat the contents.
-You can let frozen food sit out and start to defrost. No need to microwave it if it's still a solid block.
-Digital clocks take more energy than clocks with hands.
-You can always hang-dry some of your laundry.
-Don't leave the fridge/freezer open to long.
-Gas ovens use less energy than electric ovens.
-Use rechargeable batteries.
-Get energy-efficient light bulbs.
-You don't need to have your washing machine on hot for it to be effective. You can tun it on low. And don't use prewash.
-Get efficient dishwashers.
-Clean dust off light bulbs so they give more light.
-Replace Christmas lights with LED's.
-Don't have the oven on too high.
-Don't heat a big pan on a small burner.
-Keep your fridge and freezer at the proper temperatures.
-Wood heating is better than electric or gas. And burning wood only released the CO2 that the plant absorbed while it was alive.
-Don't stay up really late. It takes a lot of energy in lighting.
-When you go on vacation, make sure to turn electronics and everything off.
-When you deal with your energy bills, choose to get some of your electricity from renewable sources.
-Insulate your house to save on heating and cooling.
-You can get a solar thermal collector to heat water.
-If you need to buy a new appliance, get an energy-efficient one. And you can make some simple modifications to older appliances to make them a little better, like radiators.
-Recycle old appliances and anything electronic (Although you should recycle as much as you can). A lot of electronics are built with toxic chemicals and should NOT be put in a landfill. And many of them contain materials that are damaging to the environment when they are mined, so we need to reuse what we already have.
-Recycle batteries.
-It might be inefficient to throw away an older appliance to buy a newer, more efficient product because of the amount of energy that goes into making something new.
-Recycle old oil.
Transportation
-Take public transportation as much as possible.
-Bike and walk to places that are nearby.
-If you live in a city, you may not need to own a car. You can use public transportation, carpool, bike, or rent a car if you need to. Cars are expensive. You have to buy one, pay for gas, parking, and maintenance.
-Try to do virtual meetings instead of driving.
-Don't take the plane for trips that are fairly close by.
-When going by plane, take as little luggage as possible. The heavier the plane, the more fuel it uses.
-Look into an electric scooter or bike.
Carpool.
-If you need a new car, get something gas-efficient, or a hybrid if you an afford it.
-Drive a little slower. The faster you go, the less efficient your car is. You can save a lot of energy by going a 60 mph.
-You don't need to have your car sit still while it warms up. Just drive slowly at first.
-Check the air filters on your car. Dirty filters reduce the efficiency of your car.
-Rent a green car.
-Keep your car in good order.
-Roof racks on your car increase the drag. Trailers make for better gas efficiency.
-Opening the windows on your car increases drag and gas use.
-Keep your car tires filled so they don't wear out as fast.
-Try not to drive on very hot days, because that's when pollution in the cities is the worst.
-Be cautious when driving off-road vehicles so you don't destroy nature.
-Don't accelerate or break too hard when driving.
-Tourists can cause a lot of damage to natural habitat through sheer numbers. Be careful when you visit a natural place, especially if it's already in a bad state.
-If you're going camping, try to go in the slow season so there's less of an impact from human overload.
-When visiting developing countries, bring some of your garbage home, like batteries and plastic so they can be properly recycled/disposed of.
Water
-Turn off the water when you wash dishes or brush your teeth.
-If you're washing dishes by hand, use a basin of water instead of letting the tap run.
-Don't buy bottled water (unless you live in an area with unsafe water). Use a water filter instead.
-Buy a reusable water bottle (but not made out of the bad kind of plastic).
-Collect rainwater for your plants. You can install a collection system.
-When cooking noodles or washing veggies, etc, save the water for your garden.
-When you're letting the water run to heat it up, it in a bucket to use in the garden, etc. -Boil only as much water as you need.
-Baths take more water than showers. As long as you don't take a really long shower.
-If you need a dishwasher, get a water efficient one.
-Only run your dishwasher or washing machine when it's full.
-Get a dual-flush toilet.
-Get an aerator in your sink tap.
-Fix Leaks.
-Get a front-loading washing machine. They use less energy and water than top loading machines.
-Don't dump stuff down storm drains. It usually goes to rivers or other bodies of water.
-It's not good to dump oil down the drain. It messes with the water treatment.
-Use eco-friendly car washes.
When Out in Nature
-Stay on trails so you don't disturb plants or animals.
-Try not to let seeds travel on your pants or shoes to places they don't belong.
Animals
-If you buy any animal product, find out for certain where it comes from.Even a bracelet made with giraffe tail hairs often means that a giraffe was killed.
-Make sure that circuses, water shows, aquariums, and zoos treat their animals well and get them from good sources. Lots of places are HORRIBLE to their animals. And others take them from the wild in awful ways, as usually happens with orcas. If an animal facility is part of the AZA, you know it's good.
-Do research and make sure you're not buying wild-caught pets. 90% of wild caught animals die before they are even posted for sale.
-Don't let your dogs (or any pets) harass wildlife. Resting migratory birds especially have to rest during their long trips. Keep your dog on a leash.
-If a wild animal is reacting to your presence, then you are too close. Move away and let them get on with their survival.
-Don't drive on the beach.
-When it comes to fishing, follow the rules. Don't catch too many fish, don't catch young fish, ex.
-Some people think hunters are good substitutes for predators. But predators go for weak animals. Hunters go for big animals, like the bucks with the biggest horns. If you're hunting, try to think more like a real predator.
-If you're on a tropical vacation, don't trample the coral reefs.
-Never release tame or nonnative animals into the wild.
-And this is a helpful thing for pet owners. There are a couple websites that help you pay vet bills if you're hurting for money, but you love your animals. The
Humane Society has a page for this, and there's another website called
Waggle.
-Do research before going to pet stores. A lot of them don't treat their animals great, and often sell inappropriate pet products.
-Adopt an animal from a shelter, not from a pet store.
-When traveling, don't go places that offer photos with wild animals. Many of them are stolen from the wild, and not cared for properly.
Spreading News
-You can get a job helping the environment. A job in the field, a job at green businesses, ex. But whatever you do, you can encourage sustainable action in your workplace.
-Vote. Seriously.
-Sign petitions.
-Write letters to politicians or businesses or anything.
-If someone's breaking the law, report them. There's often not enough enforcement to catch people and companies that break environmental laws. People try to get away with stuff because it's so much cheaper to break the law than to follow the rules.
-Suggest composting to schools. Schools have a lot of organic waste, and it helps kids learn about composting. (You can arrange for compost pickup if they can't do it at the school).
-Get schools to teach about the environment. Field trips are great too.
-Encourage schools or businesses to go green.
-Ask that they use organic foods at school or work.
-Teach your kids about nature (If you got kids).
-You can loan money to people in developing countries to help them start businesses.
-Donate to conservation groups. Some are better than others, so make sure your choice is legit.
-Get involved in a community garden, or start one if there's not one nearby.
-Make good investments.
-Tell your city to encourage biking and public transportation.
-Tell everyone. This involves the entire planet.
-Take the eco footprint test. It tells you how many planet earths we would need if everyone on the planet lived the way you do.
Here it is.
And here's an older post with a few environmental sites.
Be a citizen scientist:
Support conservation groups
