lil'panda blog: April 2010

Monday, April 26, 2010

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Happy Earth Day

We all make a difference in the world and taking care of our home is something we can do everyday.

Ten Simple things you can do to improve your world

1. Dim it or Turn it off
Use florescent bulbs in place of regular lights--They use 1/4 the amount of energy. Turn off light when you are not in a room.

2. Stop Running Water
Don't leave the water running while you are brushing your teeth, in just two minutes you will save nearly 10 gallons of water.
Washing machines use about 50 gallons per load, avoid those small loads

3. Chill Out
Turn down the heat of the furnace or turn it off when your family is away on vacation

4. Its in the Frig
Set the temperature around 40 degrees for the refrigerator and 0-5 degrees for the freezer--anything else and you are wasting energy

5. Snip it
Those innocent six pack rings are really really bad for wild life--make sure you cut all the ring before you put them in the recycle bin.

6. Batteries
Never throw old batteries directly in the trash because they contain mercury--a hazardous substance that can leak into the groundwater--really bad for you and me. Instead save them up and take them to a recycling facility.

7. Just say NO to Styrofoam
This stuff is a recycling nightmare. It take nearly 500 years for it to be recycled in a landfill. Avoid using it and you will be doing your great great great grand kids a favor.

8. Recycle it
Its easy--just recycle. The simplest thing to do is make sure your family is recycling all the paper, junk mail, newspapers, tin cans and plastic bottles in your home.

9. Its in the Bag
Instead of paper or plastic, use a cloth shopping bags. If you purchase something small that you can carry don't take a bag at all.

10. Cup a Joe
Get rid of the paper filters and switch to metal ones. They last for years and will save you from throwing out all those paper filters.