17.01.2011

In Your Home – Conserve Energy

01. Turn off unneeded lights even when leaving a room for a short time.

02. Unplug seldom used appliances.

03. Turn down or shut off your water heater when you will be away for extended periods.

04. Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 45C.

05. Clean or replace air filters on your air conditioning unit at least once a month.

06. Turn off lights, computers and other appliances when not in use.

07. When using an oven, minimize door opening while it is in use; it reduces oven temperature by 25 to 30 degrees every time you open the door.

						08. Buy home appliances and small household gadgets with Energy Star sign or wiht A, B, C energy class. They are more costly inicially, but they really pay off in the long run, especially with increase in oil, gas and electricity.

09. Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot .

10.Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to save money and energy. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs or even better LED to  energy . Please recycle your CFLs - in Serbia you can go to BIS recycling center that also recycles e-waste.

11.Plant trees to shade your home.

				12. Replace old windows with energy efficient ones.

13. Use cold water instead of warm or hot water when possible.

In Your Home – Reduce Toxicity

14. When no good alternatives exist to a toxic item, find the least amount required for an effective, sanitary result.

15. Use traps instead of rat and mouse poisons and insect killers.

16. Buy the right amount of paint for the job.

In Your Yard

17. Use an electric lawn- mower instead of a gas-powered one.

18. Leave grass clippings on the yard-they decompose and return nutrients to the soil.

19. Use only the required amount of fertilizer.

20. Minimize pesticide use.

21. Create a wildlife habitat in your yard.

2. Water grass early in the morning.

23. Put leaves in a compost heap instead of burning them or throwing them away. Yard debris too large for your compost bin should be taken to a yard-debris recycler.

In Your Office

24. Copy and print on both sides of paper.

25. Reuse items like envelopes, folders and paper clips.

26. Use e-mail instead of paper correspondence. Place a sign 'Save a tree' at the end of your email. Your clients will value your eco-consciousness.

27. Use recycled paper and download paint saving Ecofont

28. Use discarded paper for scrap paper.

29. Encourage your school and/or company to print documents with soy-based inks, which are less toxic.

30. Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of a disposable cup.

Ways To Protect Our Air

31. Recycle printer cartridges.

32. Don't use your wood stove or fireplace when air quality is poor.

33. Shut off electrical equipment in the evening when you leave work.

34. Avoid slow-burning, smoldering fires. They produce the largest amount of pollution.

35. Purchase radial tires and keep them properly inflated for your vehicle.

36. Walk or ride your bike instead of driving, whenever possible.

Ways to Use Less Water

37.Check and fix any water leaks.

38. Replace old toilets with new ones that use a lot less water.

39. 39. Don't wash dishes with the water running continuously.

40. Wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes.

Create Less Trash

41. Buy products that you can reuse.

42. Maintain and repair durable products instead of buying new ones.

43. Reuse items like bags and containers when possible.

44. Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.

45. Use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.

46. Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminum foil and cling wrap.

47. Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.

48. Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.

49. Reuse packaging cartons and shipping materials. Old newspapers make great packaging material.

50. Buy used furniture - there is a surplus of it, and it is much cheaper than new furniture.