How to become more "green" and environmentally friendly?

Question

I have gutters redirected into big wheely bins to collect rainwater and frost water, and I have lowered electricity costs by changing all my lightbulbs to the friendly ones that use much less energy. I turn all electrical appliance off at the wall (except fridge and freezer) and I grow native plants to benefit the wildlife. I have recently remulched the garden using sustainable mulch (They grow the trees for the mulch instages making sure they don't take more land for demand) and I am a recycling freak and do as much as I can to reduce waste and rubbish.

I also take my own cup when I buy coffee and take my own container for take out (so I don't have to throw away the empty cup or container) and always use my own bags when shopping.

Can you give me any other ideas to help the environment that I might not already know about? Thanks.

Answer 1

My family and I do the following:



1 ~ We have trees in our house. My home looks like a jungle. My husband and I grow everything from tiny African violets to huge banana palms. We are fortunate to have a little piece of land attached to our house, so there are birches, lilacs, fruit trees.



2 ~ We try not to use paper towels, paper shopping bags, and other paper products that involve in cutting trees to make them. We are shopping with our cloth totes and use cotton kitchen towels that we simply wash after they get dirty.



3 ~ Every Christmas we use an artificial fur tree. It saves a lot of money and a tree.



4 ~ We keep an eye on new construction sights that involve cutting the trees. We ALWAYS try to dig the trees out before they have to be cut and find a new "home" for them. It actually works pretty well and construction workers always help us.



Everything begins within yourself and your family.

Answer 2

If everyone thought green, we wouldn't be in the situation we are in. A small contribution from everybody would make this earth a much better place to hand on to the next generation.



My contribution consists of:-



Using public transport rather than driving the car to work each day.

Have a recycle box alongside the kitchen bin and now we have one small kitchen tidy bag of rubbish to dispose of each week, the remainder of the wheelie bin contents is recyclables.

Have an insinkerator installed in the kitchen to dispose of kitchen waste,

Turn off all electrical appliances at the power point when at work (except fridge & freezer),

Have all the windows and sliding doors tinted,

Use a front loading washing machine

Only run the dishwasher when it's full

Use energy saving light bulbs

Use natural fibres such as wool & cotton

Say NO to plastic bags

Answer 3

First of all, let me say "Great Job!" I'm glad you have made such important changes in your life. Going green is easy, but it does take tremendous commitment. All of the suggestions so far are excellent, and even if you only implement a few of them, you'll continue to make a huge impact.



I have only two suggestions. Number one: keep doing what you are doing. Like I said, the changes that you have already made go a long way. But your willingness to do more, to investigate other options, and be open to suggestion will grant you the ability to make a much larger impact.



My other suggestion, and this is the key to REALLY making a difference, is to do what these Yahoo Answerers are doing: TELL OTHERS about the changes you have made, and ENCOURAGE THEM to make some changes of their own.

I do a lot in my own life to help the environment, but when I told my mother and grandmother that I saved 45% on my electric bill by switching to CFL's, they switched too! Now my simple act has had a threefold effect on the environment!

Answer 4

A little planning for what impact you have on the environemnt.



Car pooling is not just to get to work. I combine any task (needing a car) into geography. So if I run someone home, I'll usually have a 1/2 dozen other chores in that direction of town.



I keep the Laundry rinse water for the next loads wash cycle. & automatically 1/2 the water usage. The grey water then is used a 3rd time for watering & washing outdoor tools (etc). Not using a Dryer & hanging out unspun clothes cuts electriity & will water the lawn under the clothes line. ALL bathwater is used to flush the loo. In fact the only water only used once is in the kitchen sink. I keep the cooled cooking water to water the vegies (less chemicles than the laundry water)

Answer 5

Have you considered going car free? It all depends on your situation and where you live. It's worth a shot. You get used to it after a while. I don't own a car or even have a license. I live in a city where almost every place I need to get to is accesible by public transportation. I even do my grocery shopping without a car. Everyonce in a while (once every few months) I carpool with a friend and get all my heavy stuff. When I hear how much my friends pay for their cars, gas, insurance, and repairs, it shocks me. It would be harder to do if I had kids, but not impossible. Even if you just took the bus to work or biked to work it makes a difference. I would also say start talking to people about it. I have started doing this. It makes people uncomfortable and defensive, but that's the first step to change.

Answer 6

Wash laundry in cold water(better if you use a wet soap, instead of dry) and hang to dry if possible.



Paint your roof white appearantly. I heard about this, it's being done in places in the USA to lower temps in the houses. It just gets painted the brightest of whites. It's most effective if you're in places that lack winter activity. However as well, if you do still get winter you can just have a lighter colour, but not bright white.



http://eetd.lbl.gov/HeatIsland/PUBS/PAINTING/



For plastic bags, get biodegradable ones, they're made of corn starch I think. Check out this site for examples, but you can buy them at some mainstream stores too.



http://www.biobag.ca



Also you can get biodegradable plastic cutlery and so forth.



http://www.coresales.ca/?page=products



http://economicallysound.com/compostable_or_biodegradable_togo_containers.html



Heck if you want to make a bigger difference you could probably open your own branch to sell this stuff in your town to restaurants, then you won't have to worry about your take-out containers, you can just stick them in the compost.



Anyhow, uhm plant some trees, always important. You can grow your own actually, go into your yard and find the little seedlings, they'll have leaves on them now if you haven't mowed them. Figure out which ones to keep, and just put stakes up beside them. Then avoid the stakes when mowing. It's the easy way to grow your own trees from scratch. It may take a bit more time, but it's no less valid.



Also most importantly, let your government, local and higher levels, know how you feel, that you feel this is important.



Most important of all, and I cannot stress how much this can make or break your environmental friendliness, you have to vote! Vote in the right politicians who will make a difference. Voting is the number 1 way to make a difference. If you live in the USA you have a presidential election next year, make it count, send a message.



But as well vote locally, you have to make it a local matter too. Cities are more able to make a change faster than any higher levels of government.



That's all I can think of.



Oh I just thought of one more, dual flush toilets. They have a 3L tank and a 6L tank. One for pee and one for poop. You can save water without the hassle associated with most low-flows of having to flush several times. If you can't do that put something in your toilet tank to make it use less water. Government recommends a brick, we use old shampoo bottles with gravel or sand or something inside.



http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/publications/en/rh-pr/tech/02-124-e.html

Answer 7

More simple things that make a difference:



-'green' cleaners (baking soda, vinegar, etc rather than chemicals)

-eco-friendly personal products (shampoo, deodorant, tampons without an applicator, etc)

-shorter showers at a slightly lower temp. (every little bit helps!)

-turn off your water when you brush your teeth (duh, but some people still don't) and in your shower while you shave.

-wash clothes in cold water only, less soap actually cleans better, air dry when you can.

-shop local (farmers market, goodwill/salvation army, not chain stores)

-carpools, public transportation, bicycle, walk whenever you can

-laptops use less than 1/2 the energy of a regular PC.

-start a compost bin, donate extra veggies and such to local soup kitchen

-One of the MOST important things you can do: tell your friends about it. What you do, why, and how easy it is for them to do it too! Who knows? Maybe you can start a neighborhood movement where everyone pitches in!

Answer 8

Do a home energy audit, see if you're losing a lot of heat in the winter.



Here's a gadget to check for inefficient appliances

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009MDBU/ref=wolfharper-20



Learn all about taking a home off-grid and running entirely from your own wind/solar. Even if you don't do it, you'll learn a lot about making heat and appliances more efficient.



Check out prices of solar panels, then talk with your accountant to see if depreciation, other tax benefits and folding the cost into your mortgage could be cash-flow-positive for you. (maybe not if you're in the snow belt, but maybe.)



If you're mechanically inclined, do some research into converting an automobile to electric. Then do some more research into adding an onboard generator, to make it a "plug-in strong hybrid". If you can, build it, and show it to everyone to prove it works. Electrics and plug-in hybrids are the wave of the future, and public education is really important right now.

Answer 9

I subscribe to this daily newsletter called Ideal Bite that gives green tips five days a week. You can search the website for tips on how to greenify all kinds of aspects of your life fron your home improvement materials, your travel arrangements, and even what kinds of food you buy at the store. It's really helpful and down to earth, and if you have some spare money to spend on being green (most green alternative products cost more than the originals), it's a great resource.



http://www.idealbite.com

Answer 10

Do you bring cloth bags with you when you go grocery shopping so that you don't have bags to throw away?



I use natural cleaners to do all my house cleaning like vinegar, salts, baking soda and lemons. Also, i use natural herbs to get rid of bugs, i prevent ant invasions using Cinnamon.



Also use natural soaps and think more about the things you use that will get washed away and mixed in with the water supply like cleaners and bleaches. And even look into laundry detergents that are better for the environment.



But either way, you are off to a great start!

Answer 11

"A Meateater on a Bicycle leaves a bigger carbon footprint than a Vegan in a Hummer!"



If you are a meteater, the most immediate & effective way to become more "green" is to eat less meat and other animal products. Of course, the best option is to become vegan (by following a well planned, diversified plant-based diet as approved by the ADA. A wealth of easy-to-follow info is on veganhealth.org).



The production of meat & other animal products, including eggs,dairy & fish, is scientifically proven to be detrimental to the environment.



Animal agriculture contributes to global warming as the main source to methane emissions plus other greenhouse gases during production. Methane is the worst greenhouse gas as it is 21x more potent than CO2 and causes more harm than all the other non-CO2 greenhouse gases combined.



Besides global warming, animal agriculture induces deforestation, land erosion, toxic runoff, habitat loss, etc. by taking up 10-20x more land than plant agriculture. It's effect includes the loss of land to production of feed for the future meat.



It may be hard for those on a traditional diet to fully eliminate animal products from their diet, but just the small step of cutting back on animal products several times a week is an effective start at reducing your impact on the environment. Not to mention the positive impact, on animals that share our planet, when you reduce the suffering of many animals from the inhumane slaughter & caging practices.

Answer 12

depends on how much renovating you want to do. you can try simple things like changing the lamps to flourescent or dimmable incandescents (better looking than harsh flourescent) try using recycling trash cans (and make them the only kind of trash bins in the store) it's good that you are using canvas bags, maybe incourage repeat costomers to bring them back when they shop. if you are planning on changing furnishing or finishes in the store, select only materials from companies that produce sustainable materials (there are many out there now) it's also great to find local stores that carry green products /bc then there is less immission from transportation from an area far away. use as many green labeled products as possible, even down to your cleaning supplies.

Answer 13

Join NRDC/use our resources. You can help secure the changes that will stop global warming by joining NRDC, one of the most effective environmental groups in the country. And we can help you be more effective in your own environmental efforts by giving you information and action tools, and by combining your voice with hundreds of thousands of others. So take your pick, or pick them all: become a member of NRDC, join our Earth Activist Network to receive email action alerts, visit our online action center, read our green living pages.

Answer 14

Penny stocks are loosely categorized companies with share prices of below $5 and with market caps of under $200 million. They are sometimes referred to as "the slot machines of the equity market" because of the money involved. There may be a good place for penny stocks in the portfolio of an experienced, advanced investor, however, if you follow this guide you will learn the most efficient strategies https://tr.im/ed075

Answer 15

I must admit that I am not the most energy efficient, tree hugging guy around, but after seeing my electric bill, I have recently decided to do whatever I can to lower it.

After reading about compact flourescent lights here on Yahoo! I decided to try them. When I was a kid, flourescent lamps were around, expensive, and did not emit a comparable amount of light to a standard bulb, so I never cared to use them.



But now, after some research, I have found that they use up to 1/3 less energy, and last up to 5-7 times longer than standard bulbs. They do cost a little more but considering that I can run three CFL's for every one 60 watt incandescent bulb, this is a no brainer! Last week I bought one bulb to be left on outside all the time as a security light, just to see how much light it put out and how it looked (some lights emit different spectrums of light). That night I went out to see just how my little experiment was working. It was as bright as the replaced bulb and it was cool to the touch! SOLD!

I went and bought a few boxes of them. I have a two story house. Lots of lights! And the kids and wife seem to "forget" to turn them off more often than they remember, so I figured that spending about 50 Dollars on bulbs that use a third less electricity than the old ones, and last longer, the investment will pay off in less than two months. I have replaced 18 bulbs so far in my house. I need to get a dozen more to be able replace ALL of them. (Yeah, I got a lot of light bulbs!)



I never thought much about how much energy we use just by turning on the lights. I did try to use the minimum wattage bulbs when I could but after comparing the CFL's to regular bulbs, I could realistically reduce my energy consumption by a third!

Check it out. CFL's do contain mercury, and they need to be disposed of correctly.



We have also replaced a 22 year old central A/C system that meets modern SEER 13 energy efficiency requirements. The installer said that the new A/C is three times more efficient than the one they removed! WOW!

(My electric bill is a minimum of 225 a month. When it's real hot out, it has gotten up to almost $400 and over $400 a few times and I am keeping the thermostats set to minimum tolerable temps.

In the winter I tell the family to go get some warm clothes on, or a blanket if they complain about being cold. In the summer, get some shorts on and "CLOSE THE DAMN DOOR!" all the time when they are entering or leaving the house.



All of our laundry is washed in cold water and only if the washer is full. Same for the dryer. It only gets run when it is full.

Water is run only when needed (ie. brushing your teeth, turn it off until you need it), and shower times are closely monitored by me. If you have been in there too long, I will not hesitate to let you know, and make you get out!

Shave in the shower.

Buy aluminum canned drinks, not plastic bottles. We also use numerous organic food products.



The next thing to go is the water heater which was installed in 1985. I wonder just how much that's costing me every month!



One step at a time. Every little but helps. In the long run it helps to save the enviroment, and your wallet, as well.

Answer 16

Become vegetarian. The waste by meat processing plants is horrendous and the added hormones also are damaging the Earth. Vegetarianism isn't for everyone but it is an awesome start! Also cut down on processed foods and buy organic and from farmers markets. Hope this gives a little bit of help. Have a great day!

Answer 17

A few things I've done:

*switch to cloth napkins, cleaning rags, diapers and hankies

*purchase recycled paper when possible (toilet paper, computer paper)

*use cloth grocery bags

*use programable thermostat to keep the central air to a minimum

*purchase less (if any) prepackaged convience foods and fast foods

*Reusable plates and napkins for parties instead of paper goods

*Buy local/organic produce

*Eat less meat

Answer 18

You can go for a small biogas plants where the food waste & vegetable waste generated in your house can be used as the feed stock to generate biogas. This biogas can be used for cooking & really you can save the LPG and money.



You can also think about Solar power for your home. You can install Photo Voltaic modules in roof and generate electricity from sun. For hot water you can go for solar water heater.

Answer 19

Great Work Puss IN Boots!

I'd advise you to quit using plastic bags, even for disposal. It is not biodegradeable and I have personally seen fish choke to death on pieces of plastic that finds its way into waterways.

Use paper or canvas bags for shopping and paper for trash.



I found a great site for planting winter plants that feed our birds and wildlife.

Answer 20

I save old clothes and make quilts out of them. I give the quilts to homeless shelters or as gifts. They are simple to make, just sewing squares together for the quilt-top and when you put the backing on (an old blanket), you just secure the squares with a knot of yarn. Then secure the edges by folding over strips of old clothes and sewing together. Functional and colorful.

Answer 21

i think that make my environment Green is very important,i have experience with my habit to saving wild herbal in my around back yard.I know from my parent that every wild plant and flora in around have function for cure many illness.So we must get literature and divide the herbal throughout function

Answer 22

I bought stock in Guiness atkinson alternative energy fund. It has opened my eyes to all the ways to save our planet.

Answer 23

I've started printing all of my targets in green ink, but mostly to conserve. To conserve black ink, that is.

You, on the other hand, need help. Your over-attention is a phobia like obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Answer 24

all that you are doing is great. one more thing you can do that will have a huge impact on saving the environmment.

Over 80% of the dry tropical forests from northern Costa Rica to Mexico have been cut down. Areas of this size and larger have been cut down throughout the world including the Amazon, Indonesia, the Congo and other rain forests. The temperature after removing the rain forest has risen dramatically in these large tracts of land. The weather pattern also changes from this deforestation in each locality and they become drier. When these huge

areas have their trees removed, erosion dumps millions of tons of sediment into the rivers that flow into the oceans. This sediment slowly suffocates the polyps of the precious coral reefs in the tropics. What is the main reason for cutting these rain forests down? The main reason is to make room to raise cattle, not logging as many people think. With logging they generally cut down large hardwoods. To raise cow meat they cut down everything. In Central America

much of the beef is exported to the United States. The cattle industry, over all, causes more global warming than car emissions do. What can the average person do? eat soy, legumes and nuts as a protein source. This is a better way to practice sustainability. If the beef is grown in the United States sorry that isn't sustainable either. A person who eats cow meat (beef) as their main protein source requires about 20 acres of land each year and over 2000 gallons of precious water to raise that steer for protein. That is not sustainability. A person eating soy for their main source of protein only requires one acre of land and about 40 gallons of water each year to grow it. Also, soy doesn't add millions of tons of methane gas each year to our atmosphere. it actually absorbs co2. cows do produce over 100 million tons of this global warming methane gas in the U.S. alone. Cattle excrement also is adding to major pollution problems in our water systems today. Stop eating beef! Or if you absolutely can't stop eating beef, cut back to once a week or once a month. if you must eat a meat chicken is much less destructive to the environment than beef, here in the tropics. Besides, refraining from eating beef is healthier in the long run.

Here is another important environmental disaster, 90% percent of the shrimp served in the U.S. and in other countries comes from the tropics. It is harvested in non-sustainable ways. I have witnessed in one month over 190 sea turtles wash up on shore with their fins cut off, dead from drowning by shrimpers in the osa penninsula. Along with that, for every pound of shrimp harvested, about ten pounds of other creatures are killed and thrown overboard. Yes, much shrimp is farmed. The farms are generally constructed where mangrove swamps, another very important and fragile ecosystem, have been cut down for this purpose and ponds are made to raise the shrimp. After the shrimp are harvested from these ponds the water in them is released into the mangroves. Unfortunately the nitrate level is so high that many of the mangrove fish and other underwater creatures die. So eating shrimp is not sustainable either for our planet. If you want to take responsibility in helping save our planet from global warming, deforestation of the rain forests, dying coral reefs there are many other eating alternatives. please, eat to live, don't live to eat.

For future generations and the sake of the rain forests, coral reefs and the entire planet we need to step up and do something other than practice over indulgence. Cavemen had to hunt to get their protein and that was ok. Then we started raising animals to get our protein and that was needed. Now we know how to get all of the protein we need from plants. So it is time to evolve another step and stop the senseless cruelty to raising animals for food and also help control global warming and its effects at the same time.

henry

jungle guide and conservationist .

Answer 25

buy a energy star approved washing machine, refrigerator, computer, HDTV, etc. insulate you home with new windows.

Answer 26

hang out laundry if you can

compost food scraps