R E U S E O L D C L O T H E S How many bags of clothes do you throw away every year? Is your child growing out of their clothes every couple of months? Try hosting a clothing swap with friends or family. Whether you find items for your children or yourself, it's a great way to build community, and you will have a blast sharing and reusing. P L A N T A T R E E Put a tree to work to remove carbon dioxicie from the air. If you are able, start digging. Plant trees to stay cool in the summer and keep warm in the winter. Remember summer air temperatures can be 3 to 6° cooler in tree-shaded neighborhoods. Strategically plant trees and it may be possible to save up to 25% of the energy a typical household uses for heating and cooling. B E T T E R F O O D , L O W E R C A R B O N P R I N T Buying organic matters. Did you know that organically farmed soil is high in carbon based organic matter, so more carbon is held in the soil and not released into the air? Organic farming practices also promote biodiversity and improve soil quality, making for stronger crops that can better handle the stress of extreme weather So, look for the organic seal on your food, and help do your part. U S E L E S S W A T E R If the world's water supply were held in a 25gallon container, our usable fresh water would be only about one-hall of a teaspoon. Each person can contribute to conserving our usable water supply by using water wisely. For example, turn on the top for drinking water. Make a rain barel. Wash your car on the grass, and take a quicker shower instead of a bath. F O O D W A S T E Buy what you eat and eat what you buy. Look in your refrigerator before a trip to the grocery store and consider what you haven't used. In the United States more than 25 percent of the prepared food is thrown away. When food is tossed, the cost of forming processing and transportation is wasted. Make a plan to make a difference. D O N ' T B E A D R A G Everyone wants to save money on gas, right? Stow items inside your car rather than on top of your vehicle. Storing cargo on top creates an aerodynamic "drag", which uses extra energy and reduces fuel economy. U N P L U G Ever wonder why your electricity bill has gone up so much? Sure, energy costs are higher, but something else has increased, as well: Electronics plugged into the wall all day and night. From TV's to cell phones, unplugging electronics when you aren't using them can really affect your pocket book. This unused energy could account for as much as 10% of your electric bill. B A K I N G S O D A T O T H E R E S C U E Baking soda is one of the most versatile and nontoxic items in your kitchen. Use it in your garden to deter caterpillars: sprinkle it in sidewalk cracks to keep weeds at bay, and mix it with water to make a safe and effective bug bite soother. Ditch the ingredients you can't pronounce and high price tag of other household items, and let baking soda do the rest. W I N T E R I Z E & S U M M E R I Z E Y O U R H O M E Making sure you have adequate insulation and weather stripping not only guarantees reduced energy costs and usage in the winter, but the summer too Another way to cut costs and energy use is to take care of air leaks. Air leaks can occur through fireplace flues and badly insulated windows and doon. In addition to installing proper insulation and fixing air leaks, you con leave winter storm windows on in the summer to keep in more cool air G O N A T I V E Did you know that in the United States the average suburban lawn consumes 10,000 gallons of water above and beyond rainwater each year? Save money and water by planting native plants and grasses. Plants with dark leaves and larger leaf surface areas require more water. To save water, stick with hairy, smaller, and lightercolored or silvery leaved plants that retain water and diffuse light, such as lambs ear, rosemary, or lavender.
