Sustainable Tips

50 WAYS TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE

Tip 1: Turn off the tap.

If you remember to turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, you can save up to 200 gallons of water per month! You can also take it a step further and limit your water usage when washing your hands or the dishes.

Tip 2: Limit your time in the shower.

The average American spends about 8 minutes per shower, consuming about 20 gallons of water. Consider limiting your time in the shower to 5-6 minutes and installing a
low-flow shower head to conserve water.

Tip 3: Resell or Donate Items you no longer need.

Next time you are looking to get rid of something, consider donating or re-selling it. This extends the usefulness of the item and keeps it out of the landfill for a longer period of time.

Tip 4: Dispose of unused medication at a licensed drop-off site.

If you are looking to get rid of unwanted or expired prescriptions, opt for a licensed drop off site. Throwing away or flushing medication harms the environment. Wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove drugs from water. Contaminated water will flow into local waterways
and negatively affect wildlife.

The Mower County Sheriff's office has a free drop-off station available to the public.

Tip 5: When doing laundry, use a drying rack or line-dry.

For small loads of laundry, consider using a drying rack instead of the dryer. Not only will this conserve energy, but it may end up lowering your energy costs over time.

Tip 6: Save paper by opting out of junk mail.

It is estimated that the average American receives 41 pounds of junk mail a year. To produce this much paper, roughly 80-100 million trees have to be cut down annually. To conserve paper, opt out of receiving junk mail through websites like 'Catalog Choice' or by calling the number listed on the mail.

Tip 7: Consider using reusable bags when out shopping.

Reusable bags are durable and last for many uses. When you opt for a reusable bag instead of a plastic bag, you save resources and keep excess plastic out of the environment.

Tip 8: Avoid polystyrene foam plastics (Styrofoam) whenever possible.

Not only do toxins from Styrofoam leach into food and drink, but they also harm the environment as well. Styrofoam breaks down into microscopic plastics and other harmful chemicals which linger in soil and water for centuries.

Tip 9: Save energy on the road whenever you can.

Consider carpooling with friends or coworkers, using alternate transportation, and eliminating unnecessary trips.

Tip 10: Consider composting.

Composting returns nutrients to the soil. When you compost your organic waste, you reduce the amount of waste going into landfills and incinerators. This is nature's way of recycling and it reduces the production of greenhouse gases.

Tip 11: Try using reusable containers to store food.

A decent set of Tupperware goes a long way for storing leftovers and making lunches. You can take this a step further by bringing your own reusable containers when going out to eat. The key is to get away from disposable materials like plastic bags.

Tip 12: Try using beeswax wrap as a sustainable option to cover food.

Beeswax wrap is a good alternative to products like aluminum foil and plastic wrap. Both aluminum foil and plastic wrap are single use items that go straight to the landfill. Beeswax wrap can be washed and reused for multiple uses, as well as being compostable!

Tip 13: Nix the plastic produce bags when shopping.

Invest in your own reusable produce bag to store your fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. The plastic bags are wasteful and non-recyclable since they are so thin.

Tip 14: Try and rely less on paper towels and more on rags.

Invest in a good set of wash rags to clean up household spills and messes. Paper towels are a single use item, where as wash rags are good for multiple uses.

Tip 15: Don't wash clothes if you don't need to.

Some clothing items can be worn more than once, depending on the day. Jeans can sometimes be worn upwards of 10 times before needing to be washed. Your clothes will also last longer if you wait more time in between wash cycles.

Tip 16: Consider planting native plants near your home.

By putting native plants near your home, you are helping local pollinators like the bees. Native plants require very little maintenance and they also help keep the air around you cleaner!

Tip 17: Buy local whenever possible.

By supporting local businesses, you are boosting the local economy. Buying local also reduces the distance items have to travel and the overall amount of pollution.

Tip 18: Try and go meatless at least once a week.

Limiting meat consumption can reduce your carbon footprint and lead to a more healthy lifestyle. Meat production uses a lot of precious natural resources like water, land and energy. One 1/4 pound beef burger uses 425 gallons of water. That is enough water to fill 10 bathtubs!

Tip 19: Consider putting up a bird feeder to support native birds.

Many birds rely on feeders as a supplementary source of food. In the winter, try putting out fattening foods like black oil sunflower seeds and suet. When spring arrives, you can put out nectar feeders as well. Remember to clean out your feeders regularly, so that mold and disease don't spread.

Tip 20: Try and save gift bags, boxes, and bows, to reuse them.

Many gift boxes and bags we use are not recyclable due to the chemicals applied during manufacturing. If a gift bag or box is coated, laminated or dyed, it usually not recyclable. Instead of throwing out gift decorations, why not reuse them for another gift?

Tip 21: Consider starting your own garden.

Not only can you save money by growing your own fruits and veggies, but you can help the environment as well. A garden helps reduce your carbon footprint and can help local wildlife by providing food and shelter. Gardening is also a good stress reliever and can bring you closer to nature.

Tip 22: Buy food with less packaging and avoid single wrapped items.

Given the choices at the grocery store, try and buy food without excess plastic packaging. Not only is food more fresh when you cut and package it yourself, but you are also reducing your environmental impact.

Tip 23: Avoid buying bottled water and invest in a good water filter.

Bottled water is mostly filtered municipal tap water that is sold off with a fancy label. Most water bottles are not recycled and often end up rotting in landfills. You can cut down on your plastic usage by investing in a water filter and a reusable water bottle.

Tip 24: Consider investing in better quality clothing items that last longer.

Slow fashion is better than fast fashion.
Fast fashion is a way for manufacturers to imitate popular styles quickly and cheaply. Clothes made through fast fashion are often of poor quality and made unethically. Slow fashion decreases the speed of production and consumption, ensuring that the clothing purchase holds value to the consumer.

Tip 25: Try and reduce the amount of paper you use.

Going paperless whenever possible will have a big impact on the environment. Instead of using paper, use an electronic screen. It can take the form of paying bills online, taking notes on a laptop, or getting receipts via email. Whatever the action, every little bit of paper saved helps the environment!

Tip 26: Try portioning out your food to avoid excessive food waste.

It is critical to meal plan when you are going to use all of the food you buy. Knowing the shelf life of produce, meat, dairy and other goods, helps you save money and the environment. When food rots in a landfill, it releases a large amount of the greenhouse gas, methane.

Tip 27: Spend some time outside!

Has life got you stressed out? Consider taking a break and retreating to the great outdoors. Being outside in nature is a good stress reliever for many people. Getting outside is also linked to better health, improved memory and concentration, and more creativity. The more time people spend outside, the more respect they tend to have for nature.

Tip 28: Try buying goods in bulk when you go to the store!

Not only does buying in help you save time going to the store, but it cuts down on future trips as well. Bulk goods have less plastic packaging than single items, so they have less of an environmental impact. Buying in bulk is better for your wallet over a long period of time.

Tip 29: Consider practicing a more minimalist lifestyle.

Buying items you truly value, helps clear your mind and cultivate an environment that makes you happier. Accumulating goods that you don't need, eventually leads to more waste in the landfill.

Tip 30: Try and unplug devices when not in use.

Watch out for electronic vampires! These are common electronic devices that continue to use energy even when they are turned off. These devices can account for as much as 20% of your energy bill. Some examples are laptop computers, microwaves, coffee makers, video game consoles, etc. Since it is difficult to unplug these devices after every use, consider buying a power strip to save energy. You can also put a device in 'sleep' mode when not in use.

Tip 31: Try and pick up trash whenever you see it outside.

You may not have left the litter, but it is still polluting the environment. Not only does this help keep your neighborhood beautiful, but it helps protect wildlife as well. A lot of animals confuse human trash for food or nesting materials, which hurts them in the long run. No amount of pick up is too large or small, any amount makes a difference.

Tip 32: Try and avoid plastic cutlery whenever possible.

Plastic cutlery is an item that can not be recycled due to the size and type of plastic. It is estimated that 40 billion plastic utensils are thrown out per year in the United States.
Next time you order takeout, considering using the utensils you have at home instead.

Tip 33: Consider buying a plant for the inside of your home.

House plants look nice, help remove toxins from the air, increase humidity, and improve mental health. Succulents, spider plants, and cacti are popular choices of indoor plants.

Tip 34: Use natural lighting when possible.

Try and rely on natural lighting instead of artificial light. Natural light boosts vitamin D levels and can increase productivity. Using natural light can also improve the energy efficiency of your home over time.

Tip 35: Control the efficiency of your thermostat.

Heating and cooling efforts combined take up about half of household energy consumption. Every degree you raise or lower your thermostat saves 1% in energy costs over an 8 hour period. If you adjust your thermostat slowly, you will hardly feel a difference.

Tip 36: Repurpose old glass jars.

Next time you finish a jar of salsa or jelly, consider saving the jar for future use. You can repurpose glass jars for a variety of uses. Many people store leftovers, shop in bulk, and use them for craft projects at home. Glass jars are also a popular travel container for coffee or tea.

Tip 37: Avoid plastic straws whenever possible.

Next time you order a drink, try and avoid grabbing a plastic straw. These straws either go straight to the landfill or end up harming wildlife in the oceans. People have been experimenting with all sorts of alternatives to plastic straws. Some choices are glass, paper, metal, bamboo, seaweed and even pasta! If none of those options work for you, consider ditching the straw altogether.

Tip 38: Try and upcycle things you no longer use.

Upcycling is when you create something new from discarded objects and materials. A lot of companies upcycle by making clothing or shoes from recycled goods like plastic. Many people create crafts and DIY projects from things they have in their home. By participating in sustainable practices like upcycling, you are reducing the amount of waste that ends up in a landfill.

Tip 39: Invest in a good reusable coffee cup.

Consider making the switch from disposable coffee cups to reusable cups. Coffee cups are single use products that are often sent to a landfill instead of being recycled. These paper cups are lined with plastic, which makes them almost impossible to recycle or compost. Experts recommend a sturdy and lightweight cup made from stainless steel, as a long lasting reusable alternative.

Tip 40: Learn the proper way to recycle.

Every county has a different way of recycling. A list of acceptable recycling materials can be found on the Mower County Public Works website. As a general rule, always rinse out recyclables to rid them of food and grease. If an item cannot be recycled, throw it away or compost.

Tip 41: Use your phone as an organizational tool.

Most of us now carry smartphones included with a multitude of apps. Many of these apps are organizational in nature. You can plan out your schedule on a calendar, write notes and set reminders. By relying more on phone apps instead of paper, you are reducing your impact on the environment.

Tip 42: Avoid using glitter.

Scientists have recently discovered the impact that micro-plastics have on the environment. Most glitter is made from PET plastic. Glitter and other micro-plastics are consumed by plankton, fish and birds and accumulate up the food chain. Many animals die after micro plastics build up in their body. Micro-plastics cannot be filtered out in the water filtration system due to their size, so it is best to avoid using them.

Tip 43: Remember to recycle aluminum.

Aluminum is a sustainable metal, which means that there is no limit to the amount of times it can be recycled. By recycling aluminum, you are saving energy and avoiding the mining of Bauxite ore. A used aluminum can is recycled and processed back on the shelf as a new product in as little as 60 days. It is estimated that around 50% of aluminum cans are recycled currently. We should work to make that number 100%.

Tip 44: Remember to only flush toilet paper.

It is important that only toilet paper and waste be flushed down the toilet. Other materials accumulate in the sewer system and form masses called "fatbergs". These fatbergs can back up sewers, clog drains and overflow at sewage treatment plants.

Tip 45: If shaving is part of your routine, consider investing in a sustainable razor.

For many people, buying disposable razors is a routine task. However, these plastic razors end up in a landfill after only a couple uses. It is estimated that 159 million Americans used plastic razors in 2019. That is a large amount of landfill waste! Do your part by making the switch to a more permanent razor like an electric or double-edged safety razor.

Tip 46: Limit how much produce you buy.

Throwing out small amounts of produce each week can add up. Fresh produce is one of the first things to go bad in our fridge. The USDA estimates that 1/3 of all produce from farmers goes uneaten. You can do your part by carefully budgeting how much produce you actually eat in a week. If something is about to spoil, consider canning or freezing it instead of tossing it in the trash. If the food cannot be saved, use the produce for compost.

Tip 47: Stop smoking not only for yourself, but for the environment.

Not only is smoking bad for your health, but it also has environmental consequences. The Who reports that cigarette butts are the most frequent item of litter picked up on beaches and water edges worldwide. Harmful chemicals like arsenic, lead and nicotine leach from cigarette filters and make their way into the environment. In large quantities, these chemicals may greatly alter water quality in the long run. Animals also mistake cigarette butts for food, leading to possible chemical poisoning.

Tip 48: If you have a dishwasher, use it!

The average dishwasher in the U.S. uses around 8.7 gallons of water per load of dishes. Washing by hand for around 10 minutes with the water running, can waste up to 20 gallons of water. Only run your dishwasher when you have close to a full load. Scrape away excess food and grease before putting dishes in the dishwasher. Dishes do not need to be pre-cleaned before they enter a decent dishwasher.

Tip 49: Try and buy items in person instead of online.

Depending on the distance needed to travel, delivery can release a lot of emissions into the atmosphere. Online products require excess packaging, which ultimately ends up in a landfill. You can still buy items online in moderation, but try and limit the number of orders you make. Support local businesses when you can!

Tip 50: Cut back on the chewing gum.

Chewing gum contains a "gum base" that gives it an elastic property. In the past, the base was made out of natural ingredients from trees. The gum base now contains synthetic plastics, rubbers and waxes. Manufacturers don't have to disclose what products they use, so there is no way of knowing how much plastic you could be chewing on. When chewing
gum degrades, it becomes micro-plastics that build up in the environment.