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Jan. 2nd
Include some green initiatives in your New Years resolutions.
Jan. 1st
If travelling, book an eco friendly vacation.
Dec. 31st
Buy gifts that are environemntally friendly
Dec. 30th
Instead of wrapping paper use gift boxes and baskets that can be reused.
Dec. 29th
Consider using Ecards to cut back on paper.
Dec. 28th
To cut back on waste buy holiday cards that are made out of recycled materials.
Dec. 27th
Bring your own tote bags when you go shopping
Dec. 26th
Great environmental gifts include movie tickets, online memberships, a refillable thermos, and rechargeable batteries.
Dec. 25th
To demonstrate that you're in the no-waste spirit, make sure Santa and the reindeers eat the cookies, milk and carrots the kids leave out for them :).
dec. 24th
Call 800 number of companies that send you mail order catalogs and ask that you be removed from their mailing list.
Dec. 23rd
To demonstrate that you're in the no-waste spirit, make sure Santa and the reindeers eat the cookies, milk and carrots the kids leave out for them.
Dec. 22nd
Reuse long-necked wine bottles as containers for homemade herbal oil and vinegar.
Dec. 21st
If possible, avoid cards with glossy, shiny or gold foil coatings since these cannot be recycled.
Dec. 20th
When a toy or other gift requires batteries, buy rechargeable ones.
Dec. 19th
Add leftover fruits, vegetables and their peels, pits and seeds to the compost heap.
Dec. 18th
When making a New years resolution to clean out the house, look at what you can donate/recycle first.
Dec. 17th
Break down gift boxes and store flat for use next year.
Dec. 16th
Avoid foil and plastic-embossed paper because it uses more resources in its manufacturing process.
Dec. 15th
Get a tree that can be planted or mulched afterward.
Dec. 14th
Make tree ornaments out of things you already have around the house, or from materials in the backyard (Pine cones, etc.)
Dec. 13th
Donate older gifts that the children have outgrown to charity.
Dec. 12th
Give a book about making crafts from reusable items or a cookbook for leftovers.
Dec. 11th
Plan your shopping, you could possibly reduce the amount of trips needed to the malls.
Dec. 10th
When using lights for the holiday season, look for LED's as much as possible.
Dec. 9th
Pesticides contain toxic chemicals that can damage human health. However much care you take - with garden pesticides, but also products designed to get rid of ants, fleas, moths, nits etc - the residues can linger in the home.
Dec. 8th
Used engine oil can be recycled at most civic amenity sites.
Dec. 7th
DO NOT pour chemicals and oil down drains. They can pollute rivers.
Dec. 6th
Crisp wrappers (metallised plastic film) cannot be recycled. Metallised plastic springs back when scrunched.
Dec. 5th
Separate aluminium (drinks cans) - non-magnetic, from steel (food tins) - magnetic. Aerosols can be made from either, so test by using a magnet. Write to recycle-more@valpak.co.uk to request a free magnet. Never pierce or crush aerosols even when empty. Only put empty aerosols in recycling schemes i.e. when you cannot get any more out by pressing the button.
Dec. 4th
Recycle Aluminum Cans - it saves 95% of the Energy required to make the same amount of Aluminum from its virgin source. One ton of recycled Aluminum saves 14,000 KWH of Energy, 40 barrels of oil, 238 million BTUs of Energy and 10 cubic yards of landfill space. Wash and squash cans before recycling. Only recycle clean aluminium foil.
Dec. 3rd
Homeowners should consider planting trees to save on energy bills. Aside from
aesthetics trees provide several benefits, they store carbon, offsetting green house
gasses and reduce the heat island affect associated with too much concrete. Strategically planted leaf-bearing trees cool homes by as much as ten to 15 degrees during the hot Summer months. When their leaves drop, trees allow sunlight to penetrate warming homes during Winter.
There’s a tree for all seasons on the Friends of Trees database.
Dec. 2nd
The adage “slow and steady wins the race” is also true for saving gasoline while driving. Jackrabbits that stomp on the break and rapidly accelerate make for poor drivers. Adding wear and tear to the car and wasting gasoline. Cars driven at excessive speeds burn gas at levels of 20 to 30% higher than slower drivers. Slowing down is safer for you and better for the planet.
Dec. 1st
Flip a switch. All major modern appliances – washer- dryer combos, washing
machines, fridges- have energy- saving settings. Use them and you can expect to
experience significant savings on your energy bills and still get essential services
on the cheap.
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