Tips to Help Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

My family has been trained to turn off lights when leaving a room. Now I'm working on training them to use natural light instead of electric light whenever possible. Slowly, I'm getting them to come around to the bright side. *insert evil laughter here* :-)

Make your favorite coffee at home, use a travel mug instead of common styrofoam cups. It's easy, saves lots of money, and you can add your own flavors and get creative. Less waste in the landfill.

Recycle your cans and bottles. Keep a bag or separate container for recyclables in your kitchen or other central place in your home. Grow your own veggies and fruit. Take shorter showers and shave in the sink. Use natural light.

I do several things. I use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. They really are nicer to use and they just go in the laundry. I always have clothes and towels to wash. I also use cloths instead of paper towels. My family does not run the water when brushing their teeth. We use reusable grocery bags. Washable containers for lunches instead of baggies. I use the rinse cycle on the dishwasher instead of running water to rinse the dishes. The rinse cycle only uses a gallon of water, I hate to think what running the sink uses.

I use reusable bags when I shop. I buy local produce from the Farmers Market when in season. I use CFL light bulbs and turn off lights when I leave the room. I also recycle everything I can and compost the organic items.

One trip a week for shopping. I recycle all I can, even joined recycle bank. Use scraps of paper for my shopping list, flush only when needed. I don't shower every day, nor wash my hair every time I shower. In and out as long as I get clean. Floss and brush everyday but not with the water running. And I use a clothes rack to dry almost all our clothes. I keep the lights off as long as I can, till it gets too dark. Will try to learn more as I go along.

The biggest thing we've done to lower our carbon footprint is that we moved very close to my husband's work. It has been such a positive thing for our quality of life! He rides his bike to work (just a 5 minute commute!). He gets a little exercise each day, and now we are a one car family. It's a nuisance about twice a year, and other than that, we don't miss it at all! And hubby is less stressed because of his daily bike ride and his super short commute. It's a win-win situation, and I highly recommend it!

There are so many things my family and I do like use reusable bags for shopping, compost, recycle, have a garden, buy locally, use least toxic cleaning products (homemade or store bought), use reusable containers in kid's lunches and the list goes on and on. I think the most important thing is to show and explain to my children why I do these things. Most of it is second nature for them already. In our house Earth Day is everyday!

We recycle, always get paper bags at the grocery store. Changed our furnace to a newer more effiecent one. Always wash in cold. turn off lights when not in the room keep, small apliances unplugged if not in use. Walk to the store for the few items trip and anywhere else that is within a couple miles. Take magazines to work so that others can look at them before recycling. Even recycle at work. We use the foam from the ice cream cones to help with shipping instead of bubbles:)

I use a junk mail envelope to write my shopping list on, check all the sale flyers before I go, then put my coupons inside the envelope. I make a route based on the stores I am going to to save gas and time. I use only cloth shopping bags and save the brown paper bags for recycling and the plastic bags for garbage bags. I keep a full bottle of water and a snack in the car so I don't have to waste money stopping for lunch. I use dinner leftovers for my lunch the next day. I recycle bottles and cans and newspapers.

I take the hard plastic containers that recordable CDs come in ( 50 & 100 count) and re-use the containers for many different things. My absolute favorite way of using these containers, is to take the short stack, 50 count container, carefully cut off the spindle from the lid, that usually holds the CDs in place, and then put paper coffee filters in the container, replace the lid and place a cute sticker over the whole where the spindle was removed. Cute and so very functionable. Ideal for in the camper too. For the taller 100 count CD plastic package containers, I use the lid with it's spindle that usually holds the CDs as paper towel holder (earth friendly paper towels of course. Earth Friendly Products Paper Towels are made from 100% recycled paper with a minimum of 80% post consumer content per roll. Paper towels without the guilt. The tall plastic container that the 100 count CD's can be used for so many things: pensils, pens, sissors. Recycle, Renew, Redo.

I take the hard plastic containers that recordable CDs come in ( 50 & 100 count) and re-use the containers for many different things. My absolute favorite way of using these containers, is to take the short stack, 50 count container, carefully cut off the spindle from the lid, that usually holds the CDs in place, and then put paper coffee filters in the container, replace the lid and place a cute sticker over the whole where the spindle was removed. Cute and so very functionable. Ideal for in the camper too. For the taller 100 count CD plastic package containers, I use the lid with it's spindle that usually holds the CDs as paper towel holder (earth friendly paper towels of course. Earth Friendly Products Paper Towels are made from 100% recycled paper with a minimum of 80% post consumer content per roll. Paper towels without the guilt. The tall plastic container that the 100 count CD's can be used for so many things: pensils, pens, sissors. Recycle, Renew, Redo.

I walk to my errands if it is less than 2 miles away

We do so many things and try to learn more. We have started planting some of our own veggies and buy organic and local whenever we can. SO much fuel is wasted transporting products that are grown locally. Also, by buying organic, chemicals aren't used so Mother Earth LOVES that : )

I brush my teeth in the shower, and use dry shampoo in between showers, so as not to waste water or take unnecessary showers. I also try to eat as much local produce as possible, and eat organically as often as I can.