Solutions:
1. Reduce consumption wherever possible.
2. Use mugs instead of paper cups, rags instead of paper towels, cloth instead of paper napkins. Cloth diapers, old bath towels, and cotton bed sheets can make wonderful lint free rags. Buy 1 yard of 36” wide fabric and cut into 9-9”squares or 1 ¼ yard of 45” wide fabric and cut into 9-15” squares to make cloth napkins. 100% cotton or cotton/linen or 100% linen fabric are the most absorbent, and are sustainable resources.
3. Double-side photocopies, use both sides of the paper when printing drafts.
4. Buy products in bulk or with the least amount of packaging. Share bulk products with friends, families, and/or neighbors if you do not have the room to store large quantities of stuff.
5. Bring your own shopping bags to the market. Reuse bags, make your own, or buy ready made bags with sturdy handles out of heavy cotton.
6. Buy products that are recycled, recyclable, reliable, repairable, refillable, and reusable: avoid disposables.
7. Mend and repair rather than discard and replace. How-to books are available in libraries, and there is more information on do-it-yourself on the internet. Or trade/barter for mending and repair services with someone who needs your skills/abilities.
8. Buy beverages in returnable containers: avoid non-recyclable containers.
9. Ask for recycled paper at stationers and printers.
10. Recycle/reuse, motor oil, tires, and scrap metal.
11. For infants, use cloth or biodegradable diapers.
12. Pressure local fast food chains and other businesses to end wasteful packaging procedures.
13. Buy products that will last.
14. Avoid impulse buying. Read labels and research the products you plan to buy. Don’t carry credit cards with you. This will reduce impulse buying and save the hassle of returning an item you may decide you really don’t need.
15. Borrow or rent items you use infrequently, and maintain and repair the items you own to insure longer product life. Form a co-op in your neighborhood for high ticket items like lawnmowers, seldom used tools and other items.
16. Remove excess packaging and leave it in the store: make it their problem. I just love to give Wal-mart the opportunity to take care of the excess packaging they require on some of the products they sell.
17. Do not use plastic bags; request paper bags at stores.
18. Separate you recyclable garbage (newspaper, glass, paper, aluminum, and organic waste if you have a garden): only send to the landfill what you can’t reuse.
19. Study your communities waste disposal system, and oppose any plans to build more landfills or garbage incinerators.
20. If you don’t have a recycling center, lobby your city council to establish one.
21. When purchasing a home, check for its energy efficiency.
22. Get a low-cost home energy audit from your utility company.
23. Invest in ample insulation, weather stripping, and caulking.
24. Use natural gas rather than electricity for heat and appliances.
25. In winter, turn down your thermostat a few degrees, especially at night and when the house is empty. Our grandparents would put on a sweater if they were a bit cool, instead of turning up the thermostat.
26. Wear warm clothing in cooler temperatures. Hot beverages can help keep you warm in cool weather.
27. If there are windows near the thermostat, keep them tightly closed.
28. Keep fireplace dampers closed unless you have a fire going. Fire place inserts are a very efficient and economical use for a fireplace.
29. Avoid air-conditioning as much as possible. Transitioning from warm humid air to cool or cold dry air can cause sinus problems/headaches, and in general is just not good for your body. Use the highest temperature setting you find comfortable: 75°F to78°F is a good range to start with, then increase 1 or 2 degrees and try that.
30. Close off and do not heat or cool unused rooms: use insulating shades and curtains on cold winter nights and hot summer days.
31. Avoid keeping your refrigerator or freezer too cold. About 35°F to 40° for your refrigerator and 25°F to 30°F for your freezer are in the safety range for food preservation.
32. Add an insulation blanket to your water heater: turn it down to 120°F. 120° for your hot water heater is a safe temperature to help prevent burns in children and elderly folks who may have a decreased sensitivity to hot temperatures.
33. Use a clothesline rather than a dryer whenever possible, if you don’t have access to one; get a folding clothes dryer rack. Drying things on a rack in the house can add humidity to your home during the winter when the air is usually too dry, especially if you heat with wood.
34. Keep the lint screen in the dryer clean. Your dryer won’t have to work so hard, and you reduce the fire hazard potential.
35. Instead of ironing, hang clothes in the bathroom while you bathe or shower. Using the cool-down cycle in the dryer and removing the clothes from the dryer promptly can drastically reduce the amount of ironing necessary.
36. Don’t buy motorized or electric tools or appliances when hand-operated ones are available: this includes lawn mowers. Hand mixers, screwdrivers, can openers, cheese graters, and coffee mills come human powered. Besides, you get a bit of exercise when using hand-operated equipment.
37. Buy high-efficiency electrical appliances.
38. Use outdoor lights only when necessary.
39. Use low-watt light bulbs. Or the new low watt high output fluorescent bulbs.
40. Install plastic storm windows or new “superwindows.”
41. Plant deciduous shade trees that protect west windows from summer sun but allow it in during the winter.
42. Buy local and recycled products to cut indirect energy use. Thrift stores and flea markets can be gold mines when it comes to clothing and other household needs, including books, games, etc.
43. Monitor the environmental and pricing policies of your local energy utility.
44. Explore whether municipally owned power might be an option in your city.
45. Install sink faucet aerators and water-efficient showerheads: these use two to five times less water with no noticeable decrease in performance.
46. Take showers of less than five minutes, not baths, to cut water consumption.
47. Do not let water run when it’s not actively in use for showering, shaving, brushing teeth, or hand washing clothes or dishes.
48. Consider installing ultra-low flush toilets, which use 60 to 90 percent less water than conventional models.
49. Use water-efficient washing machines and dish-washers, and run them only when full. Remember that some articles of clothing don’t have to be washed after every wearing. Jeans, outer garments, most wool items can be worn 2 or 3 or more times before washing, if there is not a great amount of dirt. Try brushing or vigorously shaking the garment to loosen and remove surface dust and dirt.
50. Use grey water from wash for plants and gardens. Some washing machine drain hoses can be diverted outdoors for those water thirsty plants like watermelons and cantaloupes. Use a minimum amount of bleach. The bleach will dissipate almost as soon as the grey water hits the air.
51. Collect rainwater and set houseplants outside during rainstorms. Collect rain water to shampoo and rinse your hair with. You will wonder why you bothered to buy conditioner!
52. Diligently repair all leaks and drips as soon as they occur.
53. Consult your nursery about plants native to your environment or from similar climates that require little or no watering. Not only do you save on watering, but fertilizing and weeding. Native plants are very hardy and self-maintaining. Native means they belong there. Some imported plants are choking out native species, and can harbor nasty parasites and be susceptible to diseases that can infect other plants.
54. Buy phosphate-free, biodegradable soaps and detergents; ask your supermarket to carry them if it doesn’t already.
55. Find out where your water comes from, what is in it, and what is being done to test or treat it. If your water is contaminated: demand that elected officials enforce law on water safety and get the institution responsible for it to pay for cleaning it up.
56. Consider how production of your food affects the environment.
57. Eat lower on the food chain: vegetables, fruits, and grains; decrease consumption of meat and animal products. Find a local producer of “organic” or “natural” meats such as beef, fish, poultry and pork. Even wild game.
58. Learn vegetarian recipes and encourage restaurants to serve vegetarian foods.
59. Organize potluck dinners. This can be loads of fun, save money, introduce you to new foods and friends. You can include a recipe exchange. Besides, aren’t we always looking for a reason to party?
60. Be creative with leftovers.
61. Read the labels of food; buy foods that nave not been heavily processed. The less processed a food is (including additives like salt, sugar, and preservatives) the more nutrition (food value) stays in the food.
62. Support laws that ban harmful pesticides, drugs, and other chemicals used in food production; support markets that offer contaminant-free food.
63. Buy organic food, locally grown if possible.
64. Don’t buy foods out of season. These items have the extra expense of transportation figured into the price you pay at the register, and do nothing to help the local agricultural community.
65. Shop at local farmers markets or cooperatives.
66. Encourage your markets to stock locally grown produce.
67. Grow a garden rather that a lawn, saving water and energy.
68. Grow sprouts and herbs in a kitchen window. Container gardening with tomatoes, peppers, some squash and cucumbers, and beans can make a patio or large window a fresh food source.
69. Plant fruit and nut trees.
70. Be aware that many consumer groups question the health and environmental safety of food irradiation.
71. Draw local attention to hunger issues at home and in the Third World.
72. Support genetic diversity by planting rare and heirloom species of fruits and vegetables.
73. Inform yourself about the increasing corporatization of American agriculture; support family farming however possible.
74. Inform schools, hospitals, airlines and media of your food concerns.
75. Donate healthy food to local food shelves. Contact these organizations to see if they can handle fresh/frozen foods. Folks that need food need nutritious food. Fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables, frozen 100% juices, and healthy low fat/low sugar treats and snacks.
76. Live within walking distance of your job and shopping areas.
77. Arrange or join a car pool for commuting.
78. Use public transportation whenever possible.
79. Bike or walk.
80. Buy the most fuel-efficient car you can. Aim for 35 MPG and don’t buy a bigger car than you need.
81. Plan to properly maintain your vehicles and getting a tune-up every 5000 to 10,000 miles.
82. Use radial tires.
83. Check tire pressure at least once a week. Tire pressure gauges are cheap. This can add thousands of miles to your tire life, and increase your fuel efficiency by up to 10% or more.
84. Buy a light-colored car with tinted glass; it will need less air-conditioning.
85. Remove unnecessary articles from your car. Added weight means more fuel consumed. Don’t sacrifice emergency kits for roadside emergencies.
86. Don’t speed. Drive a moderate pace.
87. Drive smoothly, slow down gradually, and accelerate gradually.
88. Plan your trips carefully. Choosing the shortest, least congested route will save fuel.
89. Avoid city driving.
90. Combine shopping trips. Keep a list of what needs to be purchased. Carpool with a neighbor or friend, or an elderly person who doesn’t drive anymore.
91. Use Amtrak rather than airplanes; let Congress know you support Amtrak.
92. Lobby local and national leaders for building light rail lines or improving bus or subway service in your community.
93. Read labels of household products; buy the least toxic products available or use non-harmful substitutes.
94. Avoid aerosols and other products containing CFCs.
95. Avoid purchasing clothes that require dry cleaning, because it uses toxic chlorinated solvents; dry clean only when necessary.
96. Request your local government to set up a system for collecting and recycling the CFCs in old refrigerators and air conditioners.
97. For insects, use natural pest control products.
98. Be aware that synthetic fibers may produce hazardous gases, especially when brought in contact with household chemicals.
99. Test your home for formaldehyde gas; beware of products that may contain it: chipboard, plywood, insulation, carpet, and upholstery.
100. Contact your elected representatives to mandate household collection of hazardous waste.
101. Support legislative initiatives that encourage industry to modify manufacturing processes to eliminate the production of hazardous wastes, and reduce, reuse, recycle what is produced.
102. Be aware of and support boycotts of environmentally destructive companies.
103. Join with neighbors to ask local companies to reduce their use and production of toxic chemicals and waste.
104. Check the side effects of prescription drugs. Talk to your prescribing physician and pharmacist about alternatives.
105. Be aware that overpopulation stresses the environment; an average of two children per family achieves zero population growth.
106. Don’t buy endangered plants, animals or products made form overexploited species (furs, ivory, reptile skin, or tortoise shell).
107. Avoid buying wood from the tropical rain forests unless you are sure it was propagated by sustainable tree farming methods.
108. Plant and maintain trees.
109. Encourage environmentally sound practices at your workplace.
110. Buy products from companies that don’t pollute or damage the environment and don’t test products on animals.
111. Join, support, and volunteer your time to organizations and alternative publications working on causes that are important to you.
112. Contact your elected representatives through letters, telegrams, calls or visits, clearly communicating your concerns.
113. Use your local newspaper; write letters to the editor, contact a staff writer about a news story, take out an ad.
114. Notify program directors of radio and television stations of newsworthy stores with environmental impact.
115. Use simple means in your daily tasks and avoid unnecessarily complicated instruments.
116. Avoid “novophillia”- love of what is new merely because it is new.
117. Appreciate ethnic and cultural differences among people.
118. Be concerned about the situation of Third and Fourth World people and attempt to avoid a standard of living too much higher than them.
119. Pursue depth and richness of experience rather than intensity.
120. Appreciate and choose, whenever possible, meaningful work rather than just making a living.
121. Cultivate life in your community.
122. Breathe deep.
123. Satisfy vital needs rather than desires.
124. Appreciate all life-forms rather than merely those considered beautiful, remarkable, or narrowly useful. Even garden slugs perform a needed function in the wheel of life.
125. Never use the life-forms merely as means. Remain conscious of their intrinsic value and dignity even when using them as resources.
126. Don’t insulate yourself from nature or the weather; go barefoot, make a snow castle. Wash your hair in the rain. Take a shower in the rain, if you have the privacy. There is nothing like the feeling of being naked out doors in the warm rain. Try it, you will LOVE it.
127. When there is a conflict between interest of pet animals and wild species protect the latter.
128. Celebrate seasonal changes, solstices, and equinoxes with special observances. If you are in tune with the world around you, you are more apt to choose ways healthier for the Earth.
129. Partake in or support non-violent direct action when other ways of action fail.
130. Reduce stress in your life. Don’t watch too much TV. Especially news.
131. Do physical work; you will sleep better.
132. Have fun and be joyful.
133. Sing and dance.
Excerpted with permission from two pamphlets: 101 Ways to Save the Earth and Personal Action Guide for the Earth, plus the bimonthly publication of the Sun Mountain Center (March/April 1989).
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