Here are few eco tips which may not seem like a big deal, but if everyone used them they would save tons of resources. Some are simple things which everyone can practice daily and some are a little more expensive and can require some planning. All the eco tips are a great way to help save the planet.
Eco Tips 1: If you use polystyrene or bubble wrap in your packages, STOP. If you have a home paper shredder, or a paper shredder in you office, you have a great alternative packaging material. Save the shredded paper and the next time you are sending a package, use the paper as packing material. It works great if you pack it densely enough. I hate those plastic peanuts anyway, don't you?
Eco Tips 2: If you're thinking of putting a fence around your yard, think living fence. The old way of fencing is environmentally friendly and contributes resources instead of using them. Plant a hedge. Hedges make great fences and you can chose the right height for privacy or just to border your property. Hedges, like most plants, use carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Save trees and clean the air for double the impact.
Eco Tips 3: If you use hand soap buy it in a refillable pump bottle, or fill a purchased pump bottle and use a product that has an environmentally responsible package for refills. Chose either recycled plastic containers (good), or products with paper containers ( preferably recycled as well). Hand soap in a cake is the best way to go, but it is less convenient and messier than liquid hand soap.
Eco Tips 4: Most of us receive junk mail in our snail mail daily. This uses a lot of paper and a lot of trees. Sign up with your mail service to stop having junk mail delivered to your house. If enough people do this, maybe the advertisers will stop sending it. It's a great way to save the environment and stop the annoyance of unwanted mail solicitations.
Eco Tips 5:Try not to use peat based mulches in your house plants and gardens. The peat bogs are being depleted and they are an important environmental resource. Peat is not a sustainable resource.
Eco Tips 6:Cover your ironing board with aluminum foil. You can put it under the outside cover, but over the padding. Aluminum conducts heat effectively and will heat the item you're ironing from the underside. This reduces the amount of electricity you use and saves you time and human energy as well.
Eco Tips 7:A great way to save money and the environment is to buy as much as possible from swap meets, flea markets, thrift shops and yard sales. Instead of throwing away useable goods, have your own yard sale or contribute them to a local charity. The less we buy new, the less resources we use. This applies to the environment and our finances. Conservation can be a very good thing.
These tips aren't the usual eco tips that you see published in the local paper or e-newsletters, but they work and can save energy. Remember the watch words; reduce, reuse, recycle. Think about the ways you use energy and resources and find ways to use less. You can help make this a better world.
