How You Can Save The Earth!

1. Recycle paper, cardboard, wood, glass and bottles! If your town has a curbside pick up prgram for recyclables, it's really easy for you to recucle your trash! if they don't there are usually industrial places or recycling centers where you can drop off different recyclables. Be sure to check with your municipality to see what is accepted in their programs or find out if your town could start a program.

2. Compost yard waste and organic materials like kitchen scraps. Composts are inexpensive to buy and use. You dump your kitchen and yard waste in and in a about a year it will have broken down and you can use it in your garden!

3. Use Public Transit. Instead of driving your car everywhere, you can take public transit like buses trains or carpooling. Better yet, you could ride a bike, scooter or walk.

4. Cut the loops on the plastic holders for pop can packages. If you live near a lake, river or ocean then the rings may end up in the water and kill marine wildlife. If the loops are cut wildlife can escape.

5. Use low-flow showerheads, water efficient toilets and tap aerators. Many municipalities have programs that distribute these items at a very low cost. They conserve tons of water, plus it will save you money!

6. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth, wash your hands or shave. This will save more water than you think.

7. Use brooms and sweep dirt off your driveway instead of spraying it with the hose. Hoses expend tremendous amounts of water that is wasted.

8. Fix leaky faucets in sinks and tubs. A dripping faucet wastes gallons of water a day. It may look small but it is consistently dripping so the water is always running. Leaking toilets also waste water.

9. Only turn on your air conditioner when it's really hot and when you do set it for higher than 22 degrees Celsius. It still cools the house but uses much less electricity. During the summer, air conditioner use puts electricity in peak demands and may cause blackouts. Electricity production is also a major contributor to smog which is always worse in the summer.

10. In the winter, set your furnace for a few degrees cooler than usual and wear extra clothing. This will conserve fuel or electricity (whatever your furnace runs on).

11. Place more windows on the southern side of your house than on the northern side. Also plant evergreens around your yard, especially on the north side, to reduce winds blowing against the house. Make sure your house is fully weatherproofed by insulating your roof, doubleglazing your windows and weatherstripping your doors.

12. Use fluorescent lighting to save up to 40% of the energy used in normal light bulbs which emit heat as wasted energy.

13. Buy products that use less packaging. Buying in bulk is a good deal for you and it has less packaging. Try not to buy small individually wrapped portions of food.

14. Use tupperware containers and reuse Ziplock bags instead of throwing out plastic wrap and wax paper after every lunch. Try not to use paper plates and paper napkins. Use dishes and cloth napkins instead.

15. Use reusable cloth diapers inhstead of the disposable kind. It may be more work, but you'll save yourself money and do the earth a good deed.

16. Don't buy rainforest hardwoods like mahogany, rosewood, teak and ebony. Try to buy softwoods like pine.

17. When you're driving try not to accelerate, then stop quickly. This wastes valuable momentum and in effect uses more gas. In these days of high gas prices you'll save yourself a lot of money by making sure your vehicle is in good shape, and by buying gas efficient cars that get the most MPG (miles per gallon) or KPL (kilometers per litre). The most energy efficient speed to drive at is 90 to 100 kilometers per hour.

18. Eat organic produce. By buying organic foods you're helping their producers. If enough people buy organic instead of chemically treated farmers will realize that what's good for the environment is also what the public wants.