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Go GREEN: Here are ten simple steps you can take
Here are 10 things you can do to do your part for the environment,
including some "Go Green" tips from Laurie David,
producer of the Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth"
Go to her website, www.StopGlobalWarming.org, for more information.
- Use compact fluorescent bulbs.
Relace three frequently used lights with compact fluorescent bulbs save 300 pounds of carbon dioxide and about $60 a year.
- Save the water bottle.
Sick of watch-your recycling bin fill up with water bottles?
Time to buy a reusable water bottle. REI, the outdoor equip-at store, carries a 16-ounce Nal-gene bottle, $7.95,
in five colors, made from polycarbonate plastic; it has a wide mouth and is easily washed.
Eastern Mountain Sports carries SIGG bottles from Switzerland, including a 0.6-liter lightweight
stainless-steel model that is a replica of a 1941 Swiss Army Knife
- Pull the plug on electronics and chargers.
Mobile phones, BlackBerry devices, iPods, digital cameras and other electronics use energy, even if they are turned off, if the charger is still going.
- Take shorter showers.
Water for bathing accounts for two-thirds of all water-heating costs.
5 Buy a hybrid car.
Hollywood actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz have glamorized them;
David even convinced her husband's HBO comedy series to have his character drive one.
- Create idle-free zones.
Schools, churches, synagogues, libraries, shopping malls and any place that
accommodates large numbers of vehicles are prime spots for signs requiring vehicle
engines to be turned off to help cut fuel emissions and improve air quality.
David helped institute a no-idle rule in the parking lot of her children's
school in Southern California to cut down on the "carbon dioxide haze" created by parents' idling vehicles.
- Buy local food products.
You may pay a bit more in the grocery store,
but buying locally grown products helps the Earth because less fuel is required to transport your products to market.
Additionally, buying goods
- Bring cloth bags to the market.
Tote your own loth bags to the stogy instead of plastic and paper bags,
reducing waste and requiring no additional energy.
David also suggest carrying your own garment bag to dry cleaners to avoid bringing home plastic bags and wire hangers.
- Put on a sweater instead of tuning up the heat.
- Use recycled paper.
Switch you home and business paper product 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper,
saving countless trees and five pounds of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.
Credit: Della DeLafuente, AP
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