Tip #2: Avoid Products with a Lot of Packaging
You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide a year if you cut down your garbage by 10 percent.
Tip #3: Drive Smart
Try walking, riding a bike or combining trips in your car to cut back on the miles that you drive each day. If you stopped driving just 20 extra miles per week for one year, you could save about 900 pounds of CO2 per year.
Tip #4: Office Overhaul
At home or on the job, switch to “green” office supplies, such as recycled paper clips, tree-free note pads and 100 percent recycled paper. Producing recycled paper requires about 60 percent of the energy used to make paper from virgin wood pulp.
Tip #5: Turn Out the Lights
Before leaving your home or office, make sure all of the lights are turned off. This simple task will save energy and save you money.
Tip #6: Buy Recycled Products
Buying new products made from recycled materials allows you to “close the loop,” creating a market for the recycled material items recycled curbside or in other recycling programs.
Tip #7: Quench with Respect
Eighty percent of the 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles Americans use each year end up in landfills. Recycle your bottles, or better yet, choose to reuse with a refillable water bottle made of a refill-safe material.
Tip #8: Cut Back on Water Use
In the United States, 27 percent of our water is used for bathing. Instead of taking a bath, take a quick shower and use a water-conserving showerhead, which can save 350 pounds of CO2 a year. Repair leaky faucets, too, as they could leak up to 100 gallons of water per day!
Tip #9: Stop the Junk Mail Overload
The public landfill is approximately 36 percent waste paper products. Unwanted junk mail contributes to that, while also wasting energy and trees. Sign up for a “mail preference service” that can decrease the amount of mail you receive by up to 75 percent.
courtesy of Whole Foods Market