What not to do list for Earth Day
Happy Earth Day!
Here’s a list of what NOT to do on Earth Day:
1. Don’t drive like a maniac. Aggressive driving can lower fuel efficiency by 33%.
2. Don’t use cleaning and personal hygiene products containing triclosan and other antibacterial agents. These products might be causing our bodies to be resistant to antibiotics. Instead, use body soaps and lotions that doesn’t say ‘antibacterial’ or ‘fight germs’ on the label and use simple soaps for cleaning.
3. Don’t buy groceries you won’t end up using. Bring a list of items you need to decrease the chance of buying items that you will waste and eventually expire. Put a list of items you bought on your refrigerator door so you won’t forget what’s inside.
4. Don’t leave the lights on when you leave a room. It will save you about $100 for each 100 watt light bulb by the end of the year if you keep this habit.
5. Don’t leave your computer on while you’re away for more than 2 hours and your monitor for more than 20 minutes. Also, using an energy-saving power strip will reduce energy use by 40%.
6. Don’t leave the water running while you brush your teeth. By turning your faucet off while brushing, you can save about 8 gallons of water a day, or 240 gallons a month, saving you hundreds of money per year.
7. Don’t buy small food packages wrapped in plastic or cardboard. These individual items use more energy and resources to manufacture, and they are usually twice as expensive as those sold in large packages.
8. Don’t use excessive personal care products like lotions, perfume, shampoo, gel, make-up, soap. By reducing to just 3 products a day, you can decrease hundreds of chemicals exposed to people everyday.
9. Don’t buy new items. Try shopping on eBay, Freecycle.org or maybe at vintage/thrift stores for a change. Remember the 3 R’s to a eco-friendly lifestyle: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
10. Don’t sit at your computer all day. Get outside for at least an hour and let Mother Nature remind you that she really is worth saving. Plus, if you do all the don’ts on this list, you deserve a little break!