Eco Tip

There is something you can do to be eco-friendly in your daily life:

• Lower your thermostat's temperature in winter and raise it in summer – In winter, set your thermostat to 68 degrees or less during the day and 55 degrees or less at night. When you must use air-conditioning, set your thermostat to 78 degrees or more.
• Sign up for paperless statements - Most utility, bank, credit card, and phone companies now offer this alternative to paper bills arriving in the mail. It uses much less paper and energy to produce and deliver.
• Bring Your Own Bag when you shop – Non-woven shopping bags are a cheap, strong, washable, and eco-friendly alternative to taking plastic bags from a store clerk.

• Support the recycling program at your workplace – If there isn’t one, you can start one. If there is one, you can make it better or more far reaching and see that employees are encouraged to participate.
• Use LED or Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs instead of incandescent ones – LED or CFLs last much longer than regular bulbs, and it can save big percentage of electricity.
• Switch your home and office to 100% recycled paper - Going with recycled will save plenty of trees and energy.
• Bottle your own water –Run tap water through a filter and fill your own reusable, metal bottle. It is good for energy and pollution.
• Buy and eat organic – Organic farming helps ensure sustainable agriculture. It’s healthier as it doesn’t introduce those same dangerous contaminants into your body.
• Use cloth napkins, handkerchiefs, and dishcloths (or sponges) instead of paper – Cloth napkins and handkerchiefs look nicer, save paper, and save energy.
• Have an annual energy audit done for your house, apartment, and business - Many utilities offer energy audits for free. With this audit you can know where you can improve to be better.
• Weatherize your house or apartment - If you can see daylight around a door or window frame, then your door or window is leaking air. Save energy by caulking or weather stripping those leaks.
• Telecommute as often as possible – Working from home is fun, economical, and environmentally friendly. More and more businesses have come to accept the practice now that studies have shown it results in both happier and more productive employees.
• For extreme distances, go by train when possible - Trains are the greenest transportation.
• Use a laptop instead of a desktop computer – Laptops use about 80% less energy. Also, try to stay plugged in since energy is lost in the process of charging and recharging a battery.
• Unplug appliances when it is not in use - Your appliances use energy even when they're turned off. Stand-by power can account for as much as 20% of home energy use. Save both energy and money by unplugging your devices, or put them on a power strip that you can turn off when your devices are not in use, or you can buy a standby socket.
• Buy or Make Green Gifts –Making your own gift from recycled materials or giving the most valuable gifts of all—your time and caring.
• Compost instead of disposing of organic materials – Keep a sealed compost container in your kitchen and haul the scraps regularly to a compost pile in your backyard or buy a worm composter for your kitchen.
• Get a library card from your local library - Then borrow books, CDs and DVDs from there rather than buying them. It saves trees, reduces CO² emissions and pollution, and saves you money.