Some Suggestions for Earth-Friendly Living  To save water:  Fix all leaks.  Leaks waste so much water -- you should check for leaks. Take short showers.  With water flowing up to five gallons per minute from a nonconserving showerhead, showers consume about one-fifth of water used indoors. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.  Running the water continuously for just two minutes can waste three gallons of water! Instead of running water while cleaning, fill a bucket with water and a general-purpose cleaner and scrub down sinks and showers completely before rinsing. To conserve resources in the home: If you are planning to build a new home, think smaller.  Smaller homes are more efficient. Use water-based paints instead of oil-based paints.  Water-based paint is less hazardous, dries faster, saves time and eliminates the need for chemical solvents for cleanup. Before discarding empty latex paint cans, leave the top off and allow the remaining paint to dry completely.  Latex paint is not hazardous once it is solidified. Save old, tattered towels and T-shirts for cleaning.  Cut them into squares and they become useful rags that can replace store-bought rags and paper towels. Use oxygen- or hydrogen-based bleaches instead of chlorine bleach, which is very harmful when released into the environment. Use reusable and durable cleaning tools such as cotton washrags and natural-bristle brushes instead of one-use wipes and cheap supermarket sponges. Buy products in concentrate when available.  You’ll use less, making your cost per use much lower, and you’ll be consuming less packaging. Only wash full loads of laundry. Switch to an earth-friendly brand of laundry soap.  Most green, environmental cleaners are concentrated to deliver the same results with less packaging. To conserve energy: Keep your refrigerator full.  Food retains cold better than air does, so a near-empty fridge is working much harder to cool its contents. Use your microwave.  Cooking and reheating with a microwave is faster and more efficient than using the stovetop or oven, thus reducing up to 70% of energy use. Turn off the oven 10 to 15 minutes before cooking time runs out; food will continue to cook without using the extra electricity. Install dimmer switches where dimmed lighting makes sense, like the dining room and hallways.  Dimming a light by 25% saves an equal percentage of energy. Turn off all lights when not in use. Install a motion sensor on lights in stairwells or on dark landing where light is needed only when passing through. Use an outdoor compact fluorescent light (CFL) that is between 9 and 18 watts if you are lighting outdoor areas for security.  A CFL, which does not shine as bright as an incandescent flood spot, will save energy and actually permit better visibility into dark areas. Run heat-producing appliances such as washers, dryers, dishwashers and ovens during the cooler hours of the day in the summer months. Don’t place lamps with incandescent bulbs near your air-conditioning thermostat.  The heat given off by them will register on the thermostat, causing the air conditioner to run longer than necessary. Keep windows and drapes closed on hot days to reduce radiant solar gain. If you are heating an outdoor pool, cover your pool at night to conserve 40 to 70% of energy that would otherwise go up in steam. Set your thermostat no higher than 68 degrees in winter.  This is a very comfortable temperature if you are dressed properly. Holidays: Limit the number of gifts you exchange with people.  Each family member could pick a name out of a hat and give a gift only to that person. Give gifts that don’t come with a lot of packaging or require wrapping.  Examples include event tickets, gift certificates, money and memberships. Give your holiday a different meaning and focus:  start traditions that don’t center around gift giving, like annual game tournaments, cook-offs, book discussions, craft sessions, etc.  These activities can still center around family and a traditional feast, while providing more joy and fulfillment than a material gift. Buy gift wrap made from recycled paper. Save used wrapping paper for next year.  Save boxes that collapse, bows, ribbons and gift bags too.  When it’s time to recycle wrapping paper, make sure the paper is recyclable. Meals: Buy organic foods.  Ask your grocer’s produce manager to stock organic products. Seek out local farmers’ markets and buy locally grown, seasonal produce. Eat less meat.  Reducing your meat consumption would reduce food-related land use and water pollution problems. Buy fish that are not caught or farmed in ways that harm the environment. Reuse glass jars for food storage. Store a pitcher or bottle with water in the refrigerator instead of running the kitchen faucet until the water runs cold enough for you to drink. Cut back on or stop using single-serving and single-use products that consume needless extra paper and plastic for packaging. Buy in bulk whenever possible, thus avoiding the excess packaging of smaller quantities. Always cover pots when cooking.  It speeds up cooking and uses less energy. Travel: Drive slower.  It saves gas. If you have more than one car, always drive the most fuel-efficient car when it is available to you. Try public transportation. If your home will be vacant while you’re traveling, turn down your thermostat in winter and up in summer to the minimum heat or cooling necessary to protect houseplants. “I am only one, but I am still one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.”  Helen Keller  (Thanks to Kathy Solecki for these tips)