7 eco-friendly ways to help the planet

Spring has officially sprung! And when that happens, we can begin to enjoy the outdoors again (FINALLY!). Being out in nature a bit more always reminds me of its beauty and all the things we can do to preserve it.

Here are some helpful tips that you can do to reduce your waste from consumables and offset some of your carbon footprint:

1. Go to your local library. Instead of buying new books, music or movies, check them out for free and return them when you are finished – no mess to store or throw away.
2. Participate in Earth Hour and/or Arbor Day. Earth Hour 2009 is Saturday, March 28 at 8:30pm local time. Arbor Day 2009 takes place on Friday, April 24th. Take part in one or both of these events and lessen the impact you have on the environment.
3. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. If you don’t have any reusable bags, request paper shopping bags, over plastic ones.
4. Buy eco-friendly versions of the products you already use, such as clothing made with organic cotton, bamboo and hemp, cloth diapers, no-toxic “green” cleaning products, biodegradable sheet protectors and other environmentally friendly office supplies.
5. Seek out products that are packaged using SFI packaging. Sometimes buying the eco-friendly version of your favorite products is not in the budget, but look for products that are packaged in a “green” way. Manufacturers are starting to incorporate this option into their packaging plans without increasing the product cost, which can happen with the eco-friendly version of the actual product itself.
6. Recycle your technology. Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, IBM, and many others all offer recycling programs for your old equipment.
7. Get rid of your car. If you live in an urban area, where public transportation is readily available, consider selling your car. Not only will you save money from a car payment, insurance, gas, etc., but you’ll help the environment too! When you do need a car, look into a car sharing service, like Zipcar.

Being eco-friendly is simple, and everyone can help out in their own way.

There are many easy ways we can all help the environment – from purchasing eco-friendly products to participating in no-cost activities like Arbor Day. When you think about it, it should be easy… Earth Hour 2009 is only 3 days away, many libraries are open 7 days a week and most people do grocery shopping at least once a week, allowing you to help the environment on an annual, monthly and weekly basis. Make a choice on the way you are going to help the environment and begin to do something that is good for the earth!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at 2:19 pm and is filed under Biodegradable and Recycled, Name Badges and Holders, Organization, Report Covers and Project Folders, Sheet Protectors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.