Small Green Actions EVERYONE can take to lower your carbon footprint and clean up your personal environment

After watching this video, I decided to start a list of small things most people can do to make our world a bit better. Though this video focuses on CO2, the list will not, as it grows over time.

1. Turn off the light when you leave a room. Turn off the computer when you will be away from it for awhile.
2. Swap out your incandescent bulbs and replace them with Compact Fluorescent bulbs.
3. Hang your clothes out to dry when the weather permits, or buy a drying rack or two for indoor use.
4. Do you really need an electric toothbrush? An electric can opener? Get rid of unnecessary electrical appliances.
5. Use your bicycle or your feet to run local errands, instead of your car.You and the planet will be healthier for it.
6. When you do have to use the car, consolidate your trips into one and plan your trip for the least gas consumption.
7. Carpool when and where possible.
8. Do you really need to heat/air condition the house to your comfort zone when you're not home, or asleep? Adjust your thermostats before you walk out the door or go to bed.
9. Plant a tree or two. Or three. Or more.
10. Follow the practice of Zero Population Growth.
11. Clean or replace your furnace and AC filters regularly.
12. Service your furnace yearly. Consider replacing it for an energy efficient model if it's an old model, or, even better, an alternative fuel or combination model.
13. Is your chimney clean and clear? Clean, well drawing chimneys allow a furnace or wood burning stove to function at higher efficiency.
14. Weatherstrip windows in older homes to tighten them up and stop heat loss.
15. Retractable window awnings will allow sun in in the winter, and keep it out in the summer, saving on utilities.
16. Drink filtered tap water from a washable glass. Bottled water comes from someplace half a continent away, and is packaged in a plastic bottle, the manufacturing of which uses energy and oil, not to mention the transporting of the bottles to the water bottling plant!
17. Purchase your fruits and veggies, in season, from local farmers. This will keep local farmers in business and won't cost nearly as much CO2 to get the fruits and veggies to you. They taste better too!
18. When shopping for a car or appliances, consider the energy rating and/or fuel or water usage carefully, and buy the vehicle/appliance that will do the job while being kindest to our earth.
19. Consider planting a garden, if you have the place to do so. Not only will the food not have to travel to you, but you won't have to travel to the store to buy it. And your food will be fresher and healthier.
20. Buy carbon offsets if you need to do something energy squandering, such as a trip by plane.
21. When purchasing paper, buy paper made from recycled paper pulp.
22. Buy and use reusable grocery bags.
23. Use a cloth, washable dishtowel instead of paper towels where and when possible.
24. Recycle!
25. Compost organic waste, instead of dumping it in the landfill. If you don't have a garden, don't you know someone who does?
26. Find out where in your area there's Electronics Recycling and/or Pickup. Keep Computers, TVs, Radios, Cellphones, and other electronics out of our dumps. They leech mercury, cadmium and other heavy metals into our water supply.
27. Buy Bulk. It wastes less packaging that way.
28. Given the choice between purchasing two otherwise identical grocery items, choose the one packaged in sustainable packaging.
29. Most laundry can be washed in cold water, which saves on energy.
30. Kick that thermostat UP a few degrees in summer and DOWN a couple degrees in winter. Better yet, see if you can go without AC, if you live in an area where it doesn't go much over 90F.
31. If you own a car, makes sure to check your tire air pressure weekly and air up tires that are under the recommended air pressure. This simple action will cut your gas usage.
32. Keep your car tuned up, and have regular maintenance done when it's called for. A well running car uses less gas.
33. When re-roofing the house, consider using metal instead of asphalt shingles. Asphalt is made of oil and is not the best for energy savings. Metal roofs save money and energy.
34. Where possible, consider purchasing USED or obtaining what you need from a freecycle group near you. Not only will you be saving something useful from the landfill, but you'll also be spending less money, and the energy and resources needed to produce and transport that item new will not be used.
35. Use public transportation whenever and wherever possible.
36. Find a dry cleaner in your town who uses Green Cleaning Solutions instead of the carcinogenic and highly polluting perchlorethylene. If you can't find one, talk to your local cleaners and suggest a switch, and get your green friends to make the same request. You might be surprised and your town might end up a bit cleaner!
37. Use simple green cleaning supplies instead of polluting chemicals.
38. Recycle old bath and dish towels, and other cotton terry and jersey items, into the rag bag. Use rags for cleaning. instead of paper towels. and save trees.
39. Get off junk mail lists and save trees.
40. Use cloth diapers instead of disposables.
41. Pay attention to the congressional voting records of your incumbent members of Congress, both Federal and State. Register to vote, if you haven't, and vote against those incumbents who allow corporations to rape our environment.
42. Read your newspaper online, and cancel your subscription. Save trees.

Remember that every effort made, however small, is cumulative. Make the effort!