Environmental Wellness
A healthy planet affects everyone’s health. Using these tips can help you be more sustainable and reduce your carbon footprint:
* Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce waste by sticking to the three Rs. Too hard, you say? Here are some small things you can do to start.
o Having separate bins for waste and recycling makes it easier to separate your trash.
o Use a Nalgene bottle instead of disposable plastic bottles.
o Bring a stylish cloth bag to the supermarket instead of using plastic bags.
o Tired of getting mail from banks? Switch to paperless statements and pay your bills online.
* Use CFLs
Ditch your old incandescent light bulbs for some Compact Fluorescent Lights. Not only do they use 25% of the energy, but they last ten times longer.
* Turn off the AC when you leave
Air conditioners are one of the most power-consuming appliances. Instead of cooling your home when no one is there, leave the blinds down and turn on the AC when you get home, or set the timer to turn on no more than a half-hour before you arrive. Leaving the AC on when you’re not home also puts extra stress on the power grid. This could cause brownouts and blackouts, which means no AC for anyone!
* Unplug chargers and appliances
40% of an electric bill comes from power used by sleeping home electronics (think DVD player or hibernating laptop). Unplug them, or run them through a surge protector with a switch.
* Walk or take public transportation
Forget that cab. More car travel means more emissions, which means more pollution and more asthma. No car travel, no emissions. It’s that simple.