Red Honey Magazine 2013 Archive Edition | Page 10

FEATURES Green Living: 10 Easy Things You Can Do 1. Change your type of light bulb. Make the switch to more energy efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs. 2. Leave the car at home once or twice a week. If you have the option for carpooling, public transportation, walking, or biking to work or school, try it out once or twice a week (if not more). Cutting back on your car use by 1 or 2 days a week can make a nice dent in greenhouse gas emissions over time. 3. Fix leaky faucets, toilets, air conditions, etc. It’ll save gallons of wasted water each year. 4. Take a shower rather than a bath and save water. Showers use approximately 50% less water than a tub of bath water. 5. Leave grass clippings on the lawn when you mow. It’ll serve to fertilize as it decomposes naturally. 6. Unplug electronics when not in use. Some electronics still use energy when they are turned off. Unplug the VCR or TV when not in use. You can use a power surge protector to make this process even more convenient. 7. Bring reusable bags when you shop. This will prevent waste from unneeded plastic bags. Keep a washable tote bag (or two) in your car to help make it easy to remember and handy to use. 8. Reduce your garbage quantity. You can do this by buying reusable products and items with recyclable containers on your next shopping trip. 9. Use less water. Shorter showers, turning the faucet off when brushing your teeth, catching and reusing rain water to water the lawn and plants, and washing only full loads of laundry help to reduce wasted water in day-to-day use. 10. Recycle and reuse items. You can recycle a lot of things from used motor oil to aluminum cans to plastic and glass containers, from scrap metal to electronics, cardboard, paper, and rechargeable batteries. Containers and boxes can be reused, so can your clothing (through a donation or yard sale). Recycling and reusing items can prolong the use or give new life an item. 10 redhoneymag.net Archive Edition 2013 Green Resources For You Honor the Earth is a national Native environmental initiative and grant making organization created to meet and support the Native environmental movement. www.honorearth.com The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a wealth of information just a click away. We especially like the Earth Day Take-home Kit section with a lot of greaat ideas for your kids to be involved. www.epa.gov/ earthday EnergyHog.org is a great place for tips and ideas for both adults and kids. The adult site offers strategies on lower energy costs, while the kids site features and interactive game where the little ones can learn and play at the same time. www.EnergyHog.org Earth Day Canada is a neatly organized site with Canadians in mind. You can get your fix of eco-trivia and volunteer. www.earthday.ca American Indian Environmental Office: www.epa.gov/indian Indigenous Environmental Network: www.ienearth.org