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Green Tips for Everyday Living from Greenpeace |
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Green Tips for Everyday Living from Greenpeace
(see original article)
- Do not throw out your toxic household wastes,
such as paint, paint thinner and car fluids, in the garbage or down the drain.
Check with your local facilities for proper disposal and avoid these products
in the future.
- Take
your own bags to the grocery store. If you
take plastic bags, use them until they are worn out.
- Compost your food
waste and use as nutrient rich soil for your lawn.
- Avoid excess packaging.
- Always use reusables: mugs, lunch containers,
batteries, pens, razors, etc.
- Replace paper products with reusable ones (use
recycled, non-chlorine bleached paper when you do have to use paper).
Water
- Fix any leaky faucets,
toilets or water pipes. Even a small drip can add up to a lot of water over
time.
- Wash your car the natural
way - wait until it rains.
- Install water saving
faucets.
- Conserve fuel by turning
down the heat at night and while you are away from your home — or install a
programmable thermostat.
- Use compact fluorescent
light bulbs.
- Insulate your home against
heat loss and periodically check insulation.
- Fix air leakage with
weather-stripping and caulking.
- In the winter, change your
furnace air filters once a month. The heater uses more energy when it is full
of dust.
- Insulate your electric hot
water heater and pipes. Do not, however, insulate gas heaters and only start
insulating gas heater pipes about six inches away from the heater.
- Avoid using cars — walk,
cycle or use public transportation whenever possible.
- Avoid anything battery
operated (or use rechargables or solar rechargables if batteries are
unavoidable).
- Buy locally — not only is
it good for the local economy, it will save energy because products haven’t
traveled across the globe to get to you.
Toxics
- Use non-toxic cleaning
alternatives in your home, such as the ones listed here.
- Furnish your home with
furniture made out of natural fibres, wood, metal and glass.
- Avoid the use of polyvinyl
chloride (also known as PVC or vinyl) in your home. The entire life-cycle of
products made from PVC pollutes the environment and your home. PVC items
include shower curtains, flooring and even some children’s toys.
- Avoid the use of
aerosols.
- Use castor or mineral oils
to lubricate switches and hinges instead of lubricants containing
solvents.
- Choose water based latex
paints over solvent based paints when painting your home. Never use lead-based
paints.
- If you have a furnace,
fireplace or gas heater, have them serviced regularly to prevent deadly fumes
and install a carbon monoxide detector.
- Ensure you have good
ventilation and balanced humidity in your home to prevent the growth of mold
and mildew which can be harmful to your health.
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Green Tips for Everyday Living
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