10 Tips to Live Sustainably
1. RECYCLE: Recycling beverage containers is one of the easiest things people can do to live sustainably. Recycling conserves resources and saves energy. Think about this: A California family of four, on average, will consume more than 2,000 CRV beverage containers in one year, worth more than $100 in CRV.
2. REUSE AND BUY RECYCLED: Californians can help reduce their carbon footprint by reusing a water bottle to eliminate waste. If residents purchased a water filtration system for their tap water instead of buying bottled water, they would reduce substantial energy and environmental costs. “Close the loop” on recycling by purchasing goods made from or packaged in recycled material. Products manufactured from recycled material often require less energy than using virgin resources, and lower consumption results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Today, there are thousands of manufacturers and retailers offering affordable products made from recycled bottles and cans and other materials.
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3. LEAVE YOUR CAR BEHIND: Leave your car at home at least one day a week. If you can cut your vehicle miles traveled by just 5% through combining trips, walking, biking, or taking public transportation, you can save up to $100 per year on gasoline costs. You can also reduce one pound of greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating just one mile of driving.
4. CONSERVE ENERGY AT HOME: Get a jumpstart on those energy-efficient home improvements you've been putting off all year. Cut your monthly energy bills 30% by replacing old equipment in your home with state-of-the-art “Energy Star” products. Turn off lights when you leave a room and keep the thermostat at 70 degrees or lower in cold weather months, 78 degrees or higher in the warm weather months. You can save about 3% on heating costs for every degree you reduce your thermostat setting. Turn down your water heater or purchase an Energy Star water heater. Water heating accounts for about 13% of home energy costs. Contact your local energy company to receive an energy audit; most companies provide this service free of charge.
5. CONSERVE AT WORK: Enable your monitor’s energy saving features when in use. Turn off your computer equipment at night and at other times when it doesn’t have to be left on. An LCD monitor consumes only 20-50% of the energy of a conventional CRT monitor. Want to do more? Be conservative about what documents you decide to print and change your printer settings to 2-sided printing to reduce the amount of paper you consume at the office.
6. USE LESS WATER: Take shorter showers and install a showerhead adapter or low-flow showerhead. After heating and cooling, water heating is typically the largest energy user in the home because it is necessary for many activities. About 90% of the energy use in a clothes washer goes to water heating. Wash clothes in cold water and make an effort to reduce hot water usage and you will see the savings.
7. GREEN YOUR CLEAN: Use non-VOC and non-toxic cleaning products, soaps, detergents and paints in the home. You will prevent harsh chemicals from entering the water supply and will improve your home’s air quality.
8. UNPLUG IT: Unplug your cell phone charger, hair dryer, TV, lamps and other household electronics from the wall when you are not using them. Even if they are turned off, they still use Phantom Power, small amounts of energy that is used just by being plugged into the outlet. Invest in a “smart” power strip that automatically turns off your electronics when you are not using them.
9. PLANT A TREE: A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can reduce your air conditioning bill by 10-15%. Consider growing fruit trees or plant a garden so that you can eat what you grow and avoid trips to the grocery store. Compost your table scraps to reduce landfill waste and help your garden thrive.
10. REMEMBER TO RECYCLE YOUR BOTTLES AND CANS AT HOME, AT WORK, AND AT PLAY: Use your curbside bin or redeem your California Refund Value beverage containers for cash at a nearby recycling center. Enter your zip code in the DOC’s recycling center locator at www.bottlesandcans.com or call 1-800-RECYCLE to find a recycling center near you.