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We are always looking for easy ways to be more eco-friendly. With these simple changes you can start being kind to the environment right away.
1.Think about the heat
NOT FRIENDLY:
Running appliances like the dishwasher and clothes dryer during the day produces heat and humidity, so your air conditioning has to work harder. You also get charged peak electricity rates.
BE KIND:
To your wallet and the environment. Use these appliances at off peak hours, which generally begin between 8p.m. and midnight and end around sunrise. You can check with your provider. Also, use low dryer settings as much as possible.
2.Overdoing the aluminum
NOT FRIENDLY:
All the aluminum discarded in the US—about 2.8 million tons in 2013 according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This includes cans, containers and foil. Remember, soiled cans cannot be recycled and aluminum takes centuries to biodegrade.
BE KIND:
Always clean out cans and containers, and cut back on the aluminum foil—eliminate it if you can. Unbleached parchment paper is good for baking, roasting as well as for wrapping sandwiches and snacks. Reusable, washable pouches are perfect for packed lunches and there is a brand of fabric infused with beeswax, jojoba oil and tree resin—Bee’s Wax that is a perfect sustainable wrapping for food. It can be cleaned and reused for up to a year.
3.Nix the Body Wash
NOT FRIENDLY:
It might be time to go back to bars of soap! Liquid soaps need five times more energy for raw-material production and nearly 20 times more energy for packaging production than soap bars.
BE KIND:
Bring back the bars! Soap bars have a much lower impact on the environment, and you’ll use less too.
4.Check the electrics
NOT FRIENDLY:
With an average of 24 energy-sucking devices per household, in 2013 they consumed about $20 billion worth of electricity. TV’s, computers, cable boxes and game consoles being the worst.
BE KIND:
Check out ways to cut energy consumption. For instance if there’s an automatic brightness control on your TV, turn it on. It measures the amount of light in a room and adjusts the screen—this can cut energy up to 50%.
5.Toss out the K-cup
NOT FRIENDLY:
In 2014 around 2.8 billion K-cups were sold. Most are made with number 7 plastic, which isn’t accepted at many recycling plants. Also plants wont accept them if they are filled with coffee, so they end up in landfills.
BE KIND:
One option is to switch to refillable pods, but better yet, give them up altogether. Pods contain 3 grams of waste for every 6 grams of coffee. Is the convenience really worth the waste?
