subject: 7 Tips to Stay Sustainable Every Day [print this page] A couple months ago, we brought you 7 Ways to Save Energy at Home and 7 Energy Saving Tips for Your Office. Saving energy is incredibly important, but there are things we can do everyday to not only save energy, but live a greener lifestyle. Here are 7 things you can do everyday to be a little more sustainable.
Paper or plastic? Absolutely not. According to National Geographic, the world uses between 500 billion & a trillion plastic bags per year. Purchase somereusablegrocery bags. They are relatively cheap and hold more groceries than the standard bag so you only need a few.Additionally, they are not only great for groceries, but can also be used to gather dry-cleaning, bag up kids' toys to take places or act as a beach bag for a day.
Purchase a reusable water bottle. According to the Clean Air Council, Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles everyday! Most retailers including Target & Wal-Mart sell a variety reusable water bottles. Buy one!
Consider reusable lunch boxes instead of plastic bags. You not only save the landfill from one more plastic bag, but over the longterm you can save money by not purchasing sandwich and snack bags every couple of months.
Dish towels, not paper towels. Buy some cotton dish towels and use them until they are dirty. There's no need to use a paper towel to whip up every mess or dry your hands on.
Don't run the faucets unless you need to. If you are shaving, your faucet doesn't need to swirling water down the drain. Just turn it on when you need it.
Open the blinds for light. Close to block heat. Blinds are expensive, but they can be a good energy saving tool. Don't turn on a light if you don't need to. Instead, open the blinds. If you live in a hot, sunny environment, consider keeping them closed during the hottest parts of the day. Blinds can block tremendous amounts of heat.
Turn your thermostat up 2-3 degrees. You would be amazed how much energy you would save (and in turn how much money you would save) by simply turning your thermostat up a few degrees.
Like this tips? Have more sustainable tips people can use in the everyday lives? Visit USA Energy Guide and tell us your story!
