Easy Ways to Conserve

I am not holier-than-thou on issues of environmentalism. I do not have a stance on Global Warming, nor have I seen “An Inconvenient Truth.” HOWEVER, what I do know is that there is far too much waste in our culture. If you take the Ecological Footprint Quiz, you will probably find that there aren’t enough resources on the planet for everyone to live like we do. We buy too much, we use too much water & energy, we throw too much in the landfill. Did you know that 5% of the world’s population lives in the US, yet we produce 50% of the world’s waste? And that’s just for starters.

Here’s my favorite Super-Duper-Easy ways to conserve:
1) Recycle. Recycling a 6-ft stack of newspapers saves the life of a 35 ft tall tree.
2) Share/Swap/Reuse Gift Bags. Or cut them into notecards & gift tags. Read this month’s gift bag tyrade.
3) Wrap Gifts in Newspaper. Or cut up a paper bag & tie with raffia or cute ribbon.
4) Swap Magazines with friends.
5) Take your own cloth grocery bags to the store. Read my tyrade.
6) Use less paper towels. Use more dishtowels & table linens.
7) Use cold water instead of warm or hot water when possible
8) Reuse Plastic Bags for dirty diapers, trash cans, etc. Throw your items into your gigantic diaper bag instead of taking another plastic bag from the store!
9) Use the backs of paper as scrap for grocery lists, etc
10) Eat less meat (water/resource conservation), eat more local fruits/veggies (less fuel used in transportation).

What’s your favorite easy way to reduce waste?

Here are some random articles & statistics about consumption. Tons more are available online. Visit Green Learning, EcolivingCenter Conscious Consuming, and Grassroots Recycling