Tips for Sustainable Living
Business
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Start an office recycling program for office and computer paper, cardboard, etc. If
the collection service won't pick up certain items from a business that they will
from homeowners (such as plastic milk jugs), take them home or directly to the
recycling site.
Use scrap paper for informal notes to yourself and others.
Print things on recycled paper.
Print or copy on both sides of the paper.
Use smaller paper for smaller memos.
Re-use manila envelopes and file folders.
Hide the throw-away cups and train people to bring their mugs to meetings.
Route things around the office or post non-urgent communications rather than
making multiple copies.
Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
Office building landscape doesn't have to be sterile lawns and bedding plants.
Plant trees and shrubs the birds will like – or even that have fruits people can eat.
Put a bird feeder outside your office window. It's a great conversation piece.
Garden/Yard
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Is there another way to landscape besides grass? Can you find non-toxic ways to
improve your yard without chemical fertilizers and pesticides?
Start a compost pile. One can even dig a one-foot hole, fill it with compost and
cover with dirt.
Plant shrubs and trees in your backyard that provide food and shelter for birds and
other creatures and edible fruit for humans.
Feed the birds.
Put up bird houses and bird baths.
Pull weeds instead of using herbicides.
Learn about natural insect controls as alternatives to pesticides.
Landscape with plants that aren't prone to insect and fungus problems.
Landscape with xeric (drought-tolerant) plants. There are many that are attractive
and easy to care for.
Ignore caterpillars and most native leaf chewing insects. Let birds and insect
predators take care of them.
Use beer traps for slugs instead of baiting with poisons.
Use organic fertilizers... good ol' manure or zoo doo helps condition your soil and
fertilizes at the same time.
If you use pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, don't throw leftovers in trash,
down your drain or into a storm sewer, dispose of them on a hazardous waste
collection day.
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Compost your leaves and yard debris or take them to a yard debris recycler.
Burning them creates air pollution and putting them out with the trash is a waste
of landfill space.
Use mulch to conserve water in your garden.
Plant things that don't require so much water.
Take extra plastic and rubber pots back to the nursery.
Large expanses of lawn are not good habitat for other creatures, plus they usually
must be maintained with chemicals and extensive watering. Dig up some of your
grass and plant native shrubs or trees, or xeric plants, instead.
Plant short, dense shrubs close to your home's foundation to help insulate against
cold.
Home
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Before you throw something away, ask yourself: "Could someone else use this?
Should I take it to a thrift shop? Put it in a yard sale? Can I recycle it?
With winter coming, ask yourself, "Do I want to spend my money on electricity
and gas every year or invest in insulation and weather-proofing for my home,
lowering my heat bills every year? Is it time to replace my windows with ‘low-E’
glass?
Are you using fluorescent bulbs wherever possible? Is your thermostat set to save
energy? Do you run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are
full?
Do you recycle the paper in your junk mail? Do you print on both sides of the
paper you use in your computer? Do you re-use mailing envelopes? Are you using
cloth instead of paper napkins and paper towels?
Do you turn water on and off while brushing your teeth and showering? Do you
have a low flow device on your shower and on your sink faucet? Do you have a
water efficient yard? How often do you wash your car?
Do you want to save money on your electric bill? Wash clothes in cool, not warm
or hot water. Don’t use heat to dry in your dishwasher. Turn down your water
heater to 120 degrees. Clean or replace furnace filters and use the lowest possible
setting in the winter.
Recycle everything you can: newspapers, cans, glass, aluminum foil and pans,
motor oil, scrap metal, etc. If you have garbage service in Klamath Falls, your
recyclables get picked up at your curb (for free!).
Investigate local recycling centers that take items your garbage hauler doesn't
(appliances, etc.)
Save your kitchen scraps for the compost pile.
Try to use phosphate-free laundry and dish soaps.
Avoid the use of household pesticides. Flyswatters work very well.
Clean your windows with vinegar and water instead of chemical products.
Use cold water in the washer unless it's necessary to use warm or hot.
Use washable rags, not paper towels, for cleaning up spills and other household
chores.
Crumpled-up newspapers work even better than cloth for washing windows.
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Use cloth diapers. The plastic in disposable diapers doesn't break down in
landfills.
Use cloth, not paper, napkins.
Don't put hazardous substances down your drain or in your trash (paint thinner,
furniture polish, etc.). Dispose of them on designated hazardous waste collection
days.
Don't use electrical appliances for things you can easily do by hand.
Re-use brown paper bags to line your trash can instead of plastic liners. Re-use
butter tubs, bread bags, etc. (Just be sure the printed side isn't touching your
food.)
Use re-useable containers to store foods... not plastic wraps and foil.
Write to companies that send unwanted junk mail... ask them to take you off their
list. There’s also a “mail preference service” that you can contact, which will stop
the great majority of junk mail.
Save your coat hangers and return them to the cleaners.
Take unwanted, re-useable items to a charitable organization or thrift shop.
Don't leave water running needlessly, especially during tooth brushing,
showering, etc. It’s usually unnecessary to pre-rinse dishes that will go into a
dishwasher.
Install a water saving shower head.
Set your water heater at 120 degrees.
Insulate your water heater.
Turn the heat down and wear a sweater.
Lower your house temperature by one degree per hour for every hour you'll be
away or asleep.
Turn the lights off when you're out of the room. Ditto with the TV.
The TV, and many electronic appliances including computers, consume power
even when they’re supposedly turned off. Plug TV, video-tape and –disc players,
etc, into a power strip with a shutoff switch, and shut them off entirely when not
using them.
Get a free energy audit from your utility company.
Burn only seasoned wood in your woodstove or fireplace.
Personal Efforts
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How much time do you spend with your kids? Children know who they are as a
result of what they learn from us. What are we teaching them about themselves
and their value in our lives?
How important is your use of alcohol? Kids learn about alcohol use from their
parents, and mimic them as teenagers. What do you want your child to learn from
you? They learn what they see, not what you say.
Convert by example . . . encourage other people to save resources, too.
Join a conservation organization (Audubon, Sierra Club, WingWatchers, etc.)
Tease, cajole, persuade or shame your family, friends and neighbors for not
recycling, not being energy conscious, etc.
Volunteer your time to conservation projects.
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Complain to merchants about excess packaging, use of plastics, etc. Write letters
to companies. Patronize merchants who are environmentally conscious.
Complain about the lack of household hazardous waste stations in Oregon. These
should be manned at least one day per week. (Other states can afford to do this!)
Give money to worthy conservation/environmental causes.
Write your legislators when you have an opinion about pending legislation on
environmental, land use and other issues.
Check your lifestyle... think about the effects of your daily actions on the
environment.
Teach children to respect nature and the environment. Take them on a hike, help
them plant a tree or build a bird house, buy them a nature book or subscription to
a wildlife magazine.
Take advantage of the non-game Wildlife check-off on your state tax form.
Vote for candidates that share your beliefs.
Read books and articles on wildlife and environmental issues.
Watch nature programs on TV. Even better, turn the TV off, go out-doors and
watch nature there!
Subscribe to conservation or environmental publications. Purchase them as gifts
for others.
Join Klamath Sustainable Communities. Call 1-541-850-5800 (Leslie.)
Join League of Women Voters to learn more about our legislative processes and
upcoming bills.
Shopping
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Before you buy, ask yourself, "Is this really something I must have? Can I borrow
it or rent it rather than buy it? Do I already own something that could serve the
same purpose? What will it cost to maintain it? Does it come with a lot of unrecyclable packaging?"
When you buy new, make sure you can recycle the packaging. In Klamath, glass,
cardboard, paper, and metal packaging for food and other products can all be
recycled through Waste Management facilities. Plastic bags can be recycled at
your local grocery store.
Before spending your dollars, ask yourself, “Can I wait a month or more for this
item? How much energy will it use to run it, clean it, etc.? Where did it come
from? Is it made of renewable materials?
Every dollar you spend is a statement about the kind of world you want and the
quality of life you value. And it teaches our children what is really important to
you.
Do you buy locally produced food whenever possible? Do you eat vegetarian
instead of meat at least one or more meals each week? Can you reduce the
number of processed and packaged foods you buy?
Don't buy food or household products in plastic or styrofoam containers if there's
an alternative (milk and egg cartons, vegetable oils, butter tubs, etc.) They can't be
recycled and they don't break down in the environment.
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Don't buy "disposable" anything. Paper plates and towels, styrofoam cups, etc. are
extravagant wastes of the world's resources.
If you must buy disposables... buy paper products rather than plastics, rather than
styrofoam. The manufacture of styrofoam depletes the ozone layer, and the endproduct cannot be used for anything, or recycled.
Buy durable products and keep them a little longer. Cheap furniture, clothes and
appliances often have short life spans and thus add more to landfills.
Check the energy rating on major appliances you buy. Look especially for
“Energy Star” ratings on appliances and other products.
Read labels and buy the least toxic product available for cleaning, pest control and
other jobs.
Put your parcels into one big sack instead of collecting several small ones.
Don't buy things with excess packaging (individually wrapped cheese slices,
apples on a paper tray wrapped with cellophane, etc.).
Buy in bulk: reduce pollution that comes from the manufacture and disposal of
many small packages.
Ask questions... don't buy products that are hazardous to the environment or that
were manufactured at the expense of important animal habitat.
Buy locally grown food and locally made products when possible.
Don't buy products that come from endangered animals.
Don't keep exotic pets.
Travel/Transportation
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Does your car get 30 miles or better to the gallon? Do you group your errands to
save the number of miles you drive? Do you walk instead of drive? Can you skip
one car trip a week?
Turn down the heat and turn off the water heater before you go on vacation.
Drive sensibly . . . don't waste gas, plan your errands to conserve gas.
On vacation, carry re-useable cups, dishes and flatware; make sure your plastic
trash doesn't end up in the ocean.
Keep your car tuned up, and the tires inflated to the value recommended by the
manufacturer. (These actions will save you money, as well.)
When on vacation, don't pick flowers or collect wild creatures for pets... leave
animals and plants where you find them.
Carpool. Take mass transit.
When on vacation, don't buy souvenirs made from wild animals.
Use public transit. For greater distances, try AmTrak Rail, Greyhound and Golden
State bus.
When on vacation, watch out for wildlife... give consideration to all living things
you see crossing the road.
When on vacation, build smaller camp fires.
When hiking, stay on marked trails.
Ride your bike or walk instead.
Buy a more gas efficient car.
Recycle your engine oil.
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Keep your tires properly inflated to save gas.
Recycle your old tires.
Keep your wheels in alignment to save your tires.
Don't litter.