Helping Mother Earth and conserving resources and energy doesn't have to make a huge impact on your lifestyle. There are many small things that you can do that can make a big difference especially if we share things with our friends, family, and anyone who will listen lol. Here's a list of 20 small, easy things you can do to make a difference and 5 bigger things that are a little harder to accomplish but make an even bigger change.
1. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. (It takes a little while to get into the habit of it if you don't already do this one but once you get used to it you'll naturally turn it off)
2. I saw this idea on Pinterest and really liked it. A reusable To-Do List. If your like me and make a new one everyday that's a lot of paper wasted but this one just takes 1 piece and lasts forever.
What you'll need: Picture frame, 1 piece of lined paper, dry erase markers. Ta-Dah You now have a reusable to do list that can be set on your desk or hung on the wall.
3. Those plastic bags you get at the grocery store can be reused for many different things. I use them as trash bags for my smaller trash cans, I clean up after my dog using these, and I even use them in place of saran wrap to store food in the fridge. If you don't like any of those ideas, most grocery stores have a spot where you can drop them off to be recycled.
4. Don't ALWAYS take the bag. Obviously if you've done a big grocery shopping then you'll need a way to carry everything but if you go into any store and only get 1 or 2 items that can be thrown in your person or easily carried then don't take the bag. If you have the receipt as you walk out the door no one will question it if that's what your worried about.
5. Even better than using or not taking the bag... bring your own reusable totes!!. Many stores have them for sale but if you're like me and like to have cute, girly things Forever21 has some adorable ones that are quite inexpensive.
Forever 21 Tote Bags
6. Sell, trade, or donate used clothes. In my area we have a few consignment stores that will purchase lightly used clothing which even gives you some cash in your pocket or you could try to sell them on ebay. Sites like swapstyle.com allow you to trade what your not wearing for something you would love, and if you can't find anyone to buy or trade your pieces then you can always donate them.
7. Before going to the mall to buy brand new clothes check your local clothing consignment stores or even thrift stores for the pieces your looking for. A lot of the things are still in great, like new condition it just takes some searching to find those great items.
8. Unplug those cords you aren't using. When cell phone or computer chargers, small kitchen appliances or other things are plugged into the wall they are using energy even if the item is not on or the cell phone or computer is not connected. Just unplug them from the wall and save energy and money =].
9. Those knick knacks, old toys, or just random items laying around your house don't need to be trashed. They can be sold on ebay or at garage sales to put a little extra cash in your pockets or donated to your local thrift store.
10. Before you donate or sell those clothes you don't wear anymore figure out if they can be crafted into something better that you would enjoy wearing. There are many websites and pins on Pinterest that have fun ways of reusing old clothes to make something new and fun.
11. This ones pretty obvious but recycle your cans, plastic, and bottles. You'll get some extra money and save the Earth. But save the pop tops off your cans!! If you donate them to your local Ronald Mcdonald House Charity they will recycle them and put the money towards savings lives.
Ronald Mcdonald Pop Tab Collections
12. Have an old shower curtain that your ready to throw out? Recycle it and turn it into a fun apron. Perfect for those messy arts and crafts projects with the kids. The plastic ones are awesome too because you can just wipe them down to clean up.
13. Recycle those packing peanuts and other styrofoam materials used for shipping products to your local shipping company (UPS, FedEx, etc.) They will gladly take them =]
14. If you have used blankets, pillows, or other bedding that you're ready to get rid of take them over to your local animal shelter and give some critters a nice, warm, comfy, place to sleep.
15. Have old books that you no longer have use for? Try and sell them on amazon or ebay to put a little bit of extra cash in your pocket and if that doesn't work donate them to your local library, schools, or hospitals.
16. If you have a big research project and need information head to the library. Buying brand new books that you know you'll only use once is a waste of resources and your money. If the library doesn't have what you need then go straight to the internet =].
17. Sell those old DVDs, games, CDs, or even VHS to stores like dimple that will give you money for them and whatever they don't take donate to thrift stores.
18. Used up toilet paper and paper towel rolls make a great, clutter free storage place for all those plastic bags you have saved up to reuse.
19. Toilet paper and paper towel rolls also make great bird feeders. Just punch two holes in the top, put a string through it, cover it in peanut butter and dip it in bird seed. Now you've reused the cardboard to lessen the impact you leave on the earth and gave the birds a tasty treat.
20. There are tons of different ways on Pinterest, and I'm sure all over the internet, on how to reuse used up food cans. You can make fun decorations for your house ( I love the fourth of July ones shown below) or repaint them to make really fun storage containers for pens, pencils, or other things on your desk.
Now for those big changes you can make. Some are expensive at first but in the long run will save you money and I've even heard of people who have made such significant energy saving changes to their home that their local electric company actually gave them a check every month instead of a bill.
1. Add solar panels to your home to accumulate your own energy source.
2. After recycles your old ones, purchase energy efficient appliances.
3. Easiest of the "Big Changes", as light bulbs in your house burn out replace them with the energy efficient ones.
4. Make sure you have good insulation in your home. It could greatly reduce the amount of time you run either the A/C or heater if the heat or coolness is being kept in better.
5. Along with having good insulation you also want to make sure all your windows and doorways are sealed as best as possible to reduce the amount of cold/hot air that is escaping and causing you to create more.
Remember there are easy changes we can make to our daily lives that can greatly help the Earth especially if we share this information and get more and more people to make the same changes. Just always be thinking of the resources you are using and if there is a better way to do things. If everyone did just one of these things a day it would make a HUGE impact on the planet.
Hope you all are having a wonderful day and are all as excited for Earth Day as I am. Its the best day to share all these facts you know about conserving, recycling, and reusing, and to get other people thinking about small changes they can make to help the planet. Happy Earth Day everyone =]
Peace <3
