50 Ways to help

Mother Nature

Please note; this is strictly based on American useage facts (and we are one the worst countries in the world for wasting and trying to be the best at conserving). If the rest of the world is the same and you add the other countries in, what happens to the savings and/or loss totals?

SIMPLE THINGS

Stop Junk Mail

BACKGROUND:

The "junk mail" Americans recieve daily could produce enough energy to heat 250,000 homes for a day.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Americans recieve 4 million tons of junk mail every year.

• About 44% of junk mail is never opened or read.

• According to resent research, the average American spends 8 months of his or her life just opening "junk mail".

• If only 100,000 families stopped their "junk mail", we could save up to 150,000 trees every year. If a million people did, we could save up to 1.5 miliion trees.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Write to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, 6 East 43rd St., New York, NY 10017 = this service is provided by the mail order industry to let firms know you want your name removed from their mailing lists. They send out names every 6 months so please be patient.

• Write the non-profit groups you contribute to and ask them not to rent or exchange your name with other organizations.

• Recycle the junk mail you already get.

Snip Six-pack Rings

BACKGROUND:

During a beach clean-up along 300 miles of Texas shoreline in 1988, 15,600 plastic six-pack rings were found in 3 hours.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Six pack holders are virtually invisible underwater so marine animals can't avoid them.

• Small ocean birds sometimes catch one loop around their necks while fishing and then snag another loop on a stationary object resulting in their strangulation or drowning. And larger ocean birds that dive for fish tend to get their beaks stuck in a loop and die from starvation because it can't open it's mouth.

• Young seals and sea lions get the rings caught around their necks and as they grow, the ring tightens and suffocates the animal.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Before you toss a six-pack holder, snip or break each loop.

• When in a recreational area, pick up any six-pack rings you find and snip or snap them before tossing them away.

Use a Clean Detergent

BACKGROUND:

Over half the phosphates in our lakes and streams come from detergents. There are several ecological side-effects: as phosphates empty into streams and lakes, they cause "algae bloom" i.e., fertilizing algea to the point of out of control and when the algea dies (in it's natural cycle), the bacteria that cause it to decay uses up huge amounts of oxygen resuting in lakes and streams dying.

DETERGENT DATA:

• Look on the side of the box or bottle and check the phosphate listing. You'll find the amount of phosphorus "in the form of phosphates". To get the actual amount, multiply the percentage of phosphorus by 3.

• Phosphates aren't necessary.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Use a little less detergent since most manufactures reccomend more detergent than necessary.

• Use a low-phosphate or phosphate-free detergent.

Aerate Your Faucet

BACKGROUND:

According to stats in Home Energy magazine, we would save over 250 millions gallons of water every day if every American home installed faucet aerators.

FAUCET FACTS:

• The normal faucet flow is as much as 3 to 5 gallons per minute. Adding an aerator can reduce the rate by 50%.

• Installing low-flow aerators on kitchen and sink faucets will cut water use by as much as 280 gallons per month for a typical family of four.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Installing a low-flow aerator faucet is easy: The ends of most modern faucets unscrew and that's where the aerator attaches.

• Portable dishwasher alert: If you use a portable dishwasher, don't install a low-flow aerator on the kitchen sink faucet as this will affect the dishwasher's performance.

• Use a low-phosphate or phosphate-free detergent.

New Ingredients

BACKGROUND:

If just 25% of American homes use 10 fewer plastic bags a month, we'd save over 2.5 billion bags a year.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Coffee filters, paper towels, etc. are white because they're bleached. This isn't a benign aesthetic; the process of bleaching paper is often responsable for creating dioxin, a deadly toxic which has been dumped into American waterways.

• In many cases, paper is bleached despite the fact we rarely look at it.

• To make plastic wrap cling, manufacturers add "plasticizers", potenially harmful chemicals that can work their way into your food.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Use resealable containers.

• Use unbleached coffee filters.

• Use biodegradable wax paper instead of plastic bags for sandwiches.

• Keep rags in the kitchen instead of paper towels.

Tanks, But No Tanks

BACKGROUND:

Water heaters account for about 20% of all the energy we use in our homes.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Many people keep their water heaters at 140 degrees which wastes energy, causes heat loss, and shortens the water heater's life.

• For every 10 degrees you turn the heater down, you'll save 6% on your energy bill.

• For health reasons, it's recommended you keep your water heater set at no less than 130 degrees since Legionnaire's Disease can live in 120 degree water.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Turn your water heater down to 130 degrees. If you have a dishwasher without a backup heater, you may have to stay at 140 degrees.

• Insulate your water heater and you can save 7 to 8% on your bill.

• Every 2 months, drain 2 quarts from the valve faucet on your water heater located near the bottom of the tank to prevent accumulation of sediment and to improve efficiency and the life of the heater.

Make a Phone Call

BACKGROUND:

Let your fingers do the walking.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Call your local electric, gas, and water utility and ask them for tips on conserving.

• Call your local recycling center. If you can't find them, call 1-800-CALL-EDF and ask the Envirnomental Defense Fund for assistance.

• Check out the yellow pages; see what's listed under; Recycling, Environmental agencies (or groups), Car Pool (or Van Pool), Diaper Services, Heating Services, Plumbing / Electrical Supplies, etc..

Brush Up on Paint

BACKGROUND:

Americans use 3 million gallons of paint every day. That's over a billion gallons a year...enough to fill a lake 5 feet deep, 1 mile long, and 1 mile wide.

DID YOU KNOW:

• According to the San Francisco Household Hazardous Waste Facility, paint and paint products account for 60% of the hazardous waste dumped by individuals. This includes oil-based paint, thinners, solvents, stains, and finishes. Pigment in oil-based paint is often made with heavy metals like cadmium.

• Not only is oil-based paint toxic, but the by-products of manufacturing it are also nasty pollutants.

• Keep the lid tightly on all paint cans as they can pollute the atmosphere as well as contaminate groundwater supply if spilled on the ground.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Use latex paint instead of oil-based.

• Dispose of excess paint properly.

• Clean paint brushes properly.

• Participate in community paint exchange or donate it to a school or youth foundation.

Time to Re-Tire?

BACKGROUND:

Every 2 weeks, Americans wear almost 50 million pounds of rubber off their tires. That's enough to make 3-1/4 million new tires from scratch.

TIRE TRIVIA:

• Some 240 to 260 million tires are discarded annually in the United States.

• Some landfill operators don't accept tires (or they charge more) because tires often don't stay buried (they trap gas and float to the top of landfills).

• In New York State alone, tires take up an estimated half-million cubic yards of landfill space each year.

• It takes half a barrel of crude oil to produce the rubber in one truck tire.

THE COST OF INFLATION:

• Properly inflate tires. Underinflation can waste up to 5% of a car's fuel by incresing "rolling resistance", this mean that more than 65 million car owners could substantially boost their car's fuel efficiency by simply putting more air in the tires. How much gas could we save with this simple step? Up to 2 billion gallons a year.

• Radial tires really do improve gas milage and if all cars in the United States were equipped with the most efficient tire possible, the fuel savings would equal 400,000 barrels of oil per day.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Buy the longest-lasting, most fuel-efficient tires possible.

• Make sure your tires are properly inflated, balanced, and rotated.

Home on the Range

BACKGROUND:

America's refridgerators consume 7% of the nation's total electricity...the equivalent of more than 50% of the power generated by all of our nuclear power plants.

DID YOU KNOW:

• If all consumers raised the settings on their air conditioners by 6 degrees, we could save the energy equivalent of 190,000 barrels of oil every day.

• More than 25% of the average city apartment dweller's electrical costs can go for refidgerators.

• Washing machines use about 14% of water consumed at home.

• Microwave ovens use only 1/3 to 1/2 as much energy as conventional ovens and toaster ovens are more energy efficient, too.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• A gas stove's electronic ingnition system will use about 40% less gas than a pilot light. Pilot lights should be blue...if they are yellow, burned and ports are clogged or need adjustment.

• Clean or replace AC filters every month

• Refridgerators should be set between 38 and 42 degrees and freezers should be set between 0 and 5 degrees and clean the condensor coils (on the back or bottom) at least once a year.

• Washing machines use 32 to 59 gallons of water each cycle so make sure you have a full load. Use the warm wash/cold rinse feature on the washing machine. Clean the dryer's lint trap after every load.

Don't Go with the Flow

BACKGROUND:

You could take a shower every day with the water you might waste by letting the tap water run while you shave and brush your teeth.

DID YOU KNOW:

• A running faucet uses more water than you think...as much as 3 to 5 gallons every minute.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Turn off the water when not in immediate use.

Gas Station Ecology

BACKGROUND:

According to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, one gallon of gasoline can contaminate 750,000 gallons of drinking water.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Leaded gasoline is a hazard to all life and causes liver, kidney, and brain damage to humans.

• Pre-1976 cars do not need leaded gasoline. The octane rating is what counts with the exception of carring heavy loads or traveling at high speeds.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Butane, a component of gasoline, helps create smog when it evaporates.

• The plastic hood you see on the pump handle is a vapor control...don't pull it back.

The Twilight Ozone

BACKGROUND:

According to the NRDA, "Leaky auto air conditioners are the single largest source of CFC emissions to the atmosphere in the United States."

DID YOU KNOW:

• The ozone layer is being depleted by manmade gases (chlorofluorocarbons AKA CFCs and halons) that are found in homes all oer the world.

• Freon, used as a coolant in auto and residental ACs and refridgerators, is a CFC.

• Some types of polystyrene foam (styrofoam) are still made with CFCs. Contrary to belief, the CFCs are released constantly...not just during the manfacturing process.

• Canned confetti uses CFC as a propellant.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Don't buy halon fire extinguishers.

• Make sure there are no CFCs in your hard foam insulation.

• Be careful with air conditioners.

• Don't buy aerosol cans containing CFCs or halons listed as:

  • CFC-11 (Trichlorofluromethane)

  • CFC-12 (Dichlorodifluromethane)

  • CFC-113 (Trichlorotrifluoromethane)

  • CFC-114 (Dichlorotetrafluoroethane)

  • CFC-115 (Monochloropentafluoroethane)

Your Gas Is as Good as Mine

BACKGROUND:

There are over 140 millions cars in the United States. According to the DOT, each is driven an average of 10,000 miles annually which means that Americans drive more than a trillion miles every year.

DID YOU KNOW:

• The amount of CO2 a car emits is directly related to the amount of gas it uses. Cars give off 20 pounds of CO2 for every gallon of gas consumed.

• Cars also add to the acid rain by emitting 34% of the nitrogen oxide spewed out in the United States.

• Cars emit 27% of the hydrocarbons that cause tree-killing, lung-damaging ozone smog.

• The above figures are directly related to the amount of fuel consumed. The lower the MPG rating, the higher those numbers climb and the higher the MPG rating the lower those numbers go.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Keep fuel efficiency in mind.

Recharge Your Batteries

BACKGROUND:

Americans use 2 billion batteries every year.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Prolonged exposure to mercury (a key element in batteries) cannot only make people extremely sick, but can affect their behavior.

• About 50% of the mercury and 25% of the cadmium used in the United States goes into batteries.

• An estimated 75% of all batteries used in the United States are the alkaline type (which are 1% mercury).

• The average annual use of mercury in batteries exceeds the federal limits on mercury allowed in garbage by 4 times.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Use rechargable batteries. Although they contain cadmium, they last longer and thus add less to the environment.
• If possible in your area, recycle alkaline batteries.

Attention Shoppers

BACKGROUND:

According to Save A Tree, it takes one 15-to-20-year-old tree to make enough paper for only 700 grocery bags.

PAPER OR PLASTIC:

• Plastic is more convenient than paper, but they're not degradable (even the "biodegradable" plastic bags never completely disappear, they just break into little pieces).
• Plastic bags often wind up in the ocean and kill marine animals that get tangled up in them or swallow them.
• The ink on plastic bags may contain cadmium, a toxic heavy metal.
• Paper bags are biodegradable, but don't come economically cheap, either.
• Check the printing on a supermarket bag, it might say "recyclable," but it rarely says recycled."

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Think twice before taking any bag if your purchase is small. If every American shopper took just one less bag per month, we could save hundreds of millions of bags every year.
• Bring a cloth bag when you go shopping.
• For grocery shopping, use string bags. They're easy to carry and fold up conveniently.

Find the Hidden Toxics

BACKGROUND:

There are more chemicals in the average American home today than there were in the average chemical laboratory 100 years ago.

ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR CONSUMER:

• Don't assume a product is toxic-free just because there are no toxics listed on the label. The government doesn't require manufacturers to list every ingredient if it doesn't violate "federal safety standards." Baby powder, for example, often contains abestos...and traces of pesticides have been found in shampoos.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• The easiest way is to refer to books like The Nontoxic Home or Making the Switch. Be prepared for a shock; you'll find it hard to believe there are so many toxic chemicals in your home.
• Buy or make alternative products. Here's a few examples;

  • Toxic: Permanent-press clothes and no-iron bed linens. According to The Nontoxic Home, these are treated with formaldehyde resin, "applied in such a way that it becomes a permanent part of the fiber." The result - toxic fumes.
  • Alternative: Natural fibers whenever possible.
  • Toxic: Oven cleaners. Contain lye.
  • Alternative: Sprinkle water, followed by layers of baking soda and rub gently with very fine steel wool pads for tough spots.
  • Toxic: Air fresheners don't actually "freshen" the air, rather, they deaden your nasal passages or coat them with oil and may contain chemicals like xylene, ethanol, naphthalene, etc..
  • Alternative: Herbal mixtures or vinegar and lemon juice.
  • Toxic: Mothballs, "made form 100% paradichlorobenzene," which is harmful to your liver and kidneys.
  • Alternative: Herbal products that act as repellents, cedar chips or cedar oil.
  • Toxic: Permanent-ink pens and markers contain harmful solvents like toluene, xylene, and ethanol.
  • Alternative: Water-based markers and pens.

Leave It A Lawn

BACKGROUND:

An acre of lawn needs more than 27,000 gallons of water every week, but Americans use even more than that; we routinely overwater our lawns by 20 to 40%.

MOW, MOW, MOW:

• Set your mower blades high since a healthy lawn is 2 to 3 inches tall. This encourages longer, healthier roots, and provides natural shade for the ground around each plant which enables it to retain moisture in the soil.
• Keep mower blades sharp so they don't tear and weaken the plants.
• Cut it high and let it lie. During dry periods, leave grass cuttings on the lawn. This works well if you leave the grass long and cut small amounts. At other times, use grass clippings and other lawn and garden waste to make a compost pile.
• Most established lawns need about an inch of water a week applied slowly to prevent runoff. Water during the morning hours to cut back on fungus and evaporation.
• Homeowners use up to 10 times more toxic chemicals per acre than farmers.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• If every lawnowner composted grass clippings, we could cut the landfill congestion by 18% during summer and spring.
• Avoiding overwatering can save about 12% of a homeowner's water use during the summer, an average of 50 gallons a week. If 100,000 lawnowners do it, 5 million gallons a week are saved.
• If 10% of lawnowners began using organic pesticides, it would remove 2.5 to 5 million pounds of toxic chemicals from the environment every year

Stamp Out Styrofoam

BACKGROUND:

Americans produce enough styrofoam cups every year to circle the earth 436 times.

IT'S GARBAGE:

• Polystyrene foam is completely non-biodegradable, even 500 years from now, that cup will still be on the earth.
• Polystyrene foam is deadly to marine life. For example, it floats on the ocean surface, breaks into tiny pieces resembling food. When eaten by sea turtles, its buoyancy keeps them from diving; it clogs their systems and they starve to death.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• There is no such thing as "safe" polystyrene foam . Don't use it. Avoid foam packaging in egg cartons, disposable picnic goods, etc..
• If you eat at fast food restaurants, ask for paper cups and plates.

It's a Beach

BACKGROUND:

A United States Fish and Wildlife survey of albatross babies found 90% with plastic in their digestive systems.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Every year on September 23, the Center for Marine Conservation sponsers a nationwide 3-hour beach clean-up.
• It's remarkably effective. In 1987, in Texas alone, volunteers collected: 31,773 plastic bags; 30,295 plastic bottles; 15,631 plastic six-pack rings; 28,540 plastic lids; and 1,914 disposable diapers.
• Around the nation, the volunteer clean-up crew picked up a total of 2 million pounds of debris in 3-hours.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• The next time you go to the beac, take a trash bag and spend a few minutes picking up litter.
• Join the National Beach Clean-up. Call the Center for Marine Conservation at 202-429-5609 for information on how to organize a group at your local beach. They'll provide standardized data cards and beach clean-up guides. You'll have to provide the commitment.

Buyer Beware

BACKGROUND:

80% of all ivory is taken from elephants that are illegally hunted and killed and 30% of it is bought by Americans.

DID YOU KNOW:

• 10 years ago there were 1.5 million elephants in Africa. Today, there are only 750,000. The elephant may become extinct by the year 2000.
• More than 6.5 million dolphins have needlessly been killed by tuna fisherman

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Don't buy ivory for any reason.Avoid tortoiseshell, coral, reptile skins, cat pelts, or other products from endangered animals or plants.
• Check to make sure the tuna you but is labelled "dolphine-safe" or don't buy it.

Pests & Pets

BACKGROUND:

There are over 100 million dogs and cats in America.

DID YOU KNOW:

• The pesticide on some flea cololars finds its effectiveness in permanent nerve damage.
• Chemicals found in flea collas include:

  • Piperomylbutoxide; prolonged exposure can cause liver damage.
  • DDVP (Dichlorvos); can cause cancer, nerve damage, and mutations inanimals.
  • Carbaryl; may cause birth defects in dogs.

SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO:

• You can buy citrus-oil sprays in pet stores or make your own by running orange or grapefruit skins through a food processor or blender and then simmer with some water. After the pulp is cooled, brush into your pet's fur with your hands.
• Add brewer's yeast and garlic to your pet's food.
• Look for products containing methoprene, a growth inhibitor that interfers with flea larvae development.

Make It a Royal Flush

BACKGROUND:

40% of the pure water you use in your home is flushed down the toilet.

TOILET TALK:

• Each time the toilet is flushed, it uses 5 to 7 gallons of water.
• Installing a "displacement device" which reduces the amount of water you tank will hold can cut the usage by 15 to 40%.
• Don't use a rick as a "displacement device" since timy pieces can break off and damage your plumbing system.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Placing a water filled small juice bottle or dishwashing soap bottle or laundry soap bottle works well.
• Use a Displacement bag which you can buy in a store.
• Install a toilet dam, also available in stores.

Air-Power Your Shower

BACKGROUND:

If a family takes 5-minute showers each day, they will use more than 700 gallons of water every week, the equivalent of a three-year supply of drinking water for one person.

SHOWER FACTS:

• Showers usually account for 32% of home water use.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Install a low-flow showerhead.

Recycle Motor Oil

BACKGROUND:

Americans use approximately a billion gallons of motor oil every year and 350 million gallons of it windS up in the environment.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Some experts estimate that 40% of the pollution in America's waterways is from crankcase oil and about 2.1 million tons of the stuff finds its way into our rivers and streams every year.
• When used motor oil is poured into the ground, it can seep into the groundwater and contaminate drinking water supplies. A single quart of used motor oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of drinking water.
• pouring oil into a sewer (or astreet where it will eventually reach water) is like pouring it directly into a stream and just one pint of used motor oil can create a poisonous oil slick an acre in diameter. Pouring it into the trash is like dumping it onto the ground since it will be taken to a landfill where it will eventually seep into the ground.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Get your oil changed at a gas station where they will dispose of it legally.
• Change it yourself and pay someone to dispose of it legally.

Tune Up the Heat

BACKGROUND:

If each United States household lowered its average heating temperatures by 6 degrees over a 24-hour period, we'd save the energy equivalent of 500,000 barrels of oil every day.

DID YOU KNOW:

• According to Worldwatch, home heating is responsible for spewing 350 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year.
• About 12% of United States emmisions of sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide, both key causes of acid rain, come from home heating.
• An estimated 40% of the energy you use in your home is for heat and an inefficiently working system wastes 30 to 50% of the energy used.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Get a furnace tune-up and adjust it if necessary. une-up gas furnaces every 2 years and oil furnaces every year.

Light Right

BACKGROUND:

Every year, Americans buy over a billion incandedcent lightbulbs...that's three acres of lightbulbs every day.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Compact fluroescent lights last longer and use 1/4 of the energ of incandescent bulbs.
• Substituting a compact fluroescent light for a traditional bulb will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• One large incandescent bulb is more effective than two small ones in a multi-bulb fixture. A 100-watt bulb puts out as much light as 2 60-watt bulbs and save energy.

Don't Let Go

BACKGROUND:

Balloon releases are a popular way to celebrate special events. In one recent promotion, for example, 1.2 million helium-filled balloons were released into the air. In 1985, an emancipated 17-foot female sperm whale died. When scientist examined her, they discovered a balloon with 3-feet of ribbon still attached blocking the valve that connected the whale's stomach to its intestines. The whale was unable to digest food and thereby starved to death.

UP, UP AND ASTRAY:

• When balloons land in the ocean, they lose their color and look like jellyfish.
• As Mylar (metallic) balloons float into the air, they can get caught in power lines and cause power outages.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Don't release balloons into the air.

IT TAKES SOME EFFORT

Reuse Old News

BACKGROUND:

It takes an entire forest, over 500,000 trees, to supply Americans with their Sunday paper every week.

EXTRA! EXTRA!:

• Americans use 80 million tons of paper annually, meaning the average American used about 640 pounds of paper each year.
• Making new paper from "old" paper uses 30 to 55% less energy than making paper from trees and it reduces air pollution by 95%.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Save and recycle newspapers.

Recycle Glass

BACKGROUND:

Each year we throw away 28 billion glass bottles and jars, enough to fill the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center every two weeks.

GLASS GOSSIP:

• The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle could light a 60-watt bulb for 4 hours.
• Glass produced from recycled glass instead of raw material reduces related air pollution by 20% and water pollution by 50%.
• Because glass takes a very long time to decompose, the bottle you throw away today might still be in the landscape in the year 3000.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Save and recycle all glass bottles.

Don't Can Your Aluminum

BACKGROUND:

When you toss out one aluminnum can you waste as much energy as if you'd filled the same can half full of gasoline and poured it onto the ground.

YES YOU CAN-CAN:

• If you throw an aluminum can out your car window, it will still litter the Earth up to 500 years later.
• If you throw away 2 aluminum cans, you watse more energy than is used daily by each of a billion human beings in poorer lands.
• The energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a television set for three hours.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Remove food, rinse, crush and bag or box cans.
• Remeber, a lot more than cans can be recycled, including aluminum foil, pie plates, frozen food trays, window frames, and siding.

Precycle

BACKGROUND:

One out of every $11.00 that Americans spend on food goes for packaging. in fact, we spent more on the packaging for our food in 1988 than American farmers recieved in their net income.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Each American uses about 190 pounds of plastic every year and about 60 pounds of it is packaging which we discard as soon as the package is opened.
• Americans go through about 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
• About 30% of all plastics produced are used for packaging.
• Roughly 5 million tons, more than half of all plastics we throw away each year, are packaging.
• Packaging waste accounts for approximately 1/3 of all the garbage Americans send to landfills.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Buy eggs in cardboard cartons, not styrofoam.
• Buy cereal packaged in recycled cardboard, it will tell you on the box.
• Buy in bulk, it's cheaper and uses minimal packaging.
• Buy carrots, potatoes, onions, etc., loose, and not in a plastic bag.
• Buy beverages in glass containers, which are easy to recycle. You can also do this with sauces, condiments, baby foods, spreads, etc..
• Avoid plastic containers if possible, especially "squeezable" ones, which are made up of different types of plastic in several layers, and are drematically non-biodegradable.
• If 10% of Americans purchased products with less plastic packaging just 10% of the time, we could eliminate some 144 million pounds of plastic from our landfills, reduce industrial pollution, and send a message to manufacturers that we're serious about alternatives.

Use Cloth Diapers

BACKGROUND:

Americans throw away 18 billion diapers a year, enough to stretch to the moon and back 7 times.

DIAPER DATA:

• About 1% of America's landfills are occupied by disposable diapers and they will be there for up to the next 500 years. Cotton diapers can be used 100 times and decopose in 1 to 6 months.
• Disposable diapers consume an incredible amount of resources annually in America , 1,265,000 metric tons of wood pulp and 75,000 metric tons of plastic.
• Manufacturers recommend people wash them out before discarding, but only 5% of us do.
• Environmental Action estimates that because of disposable diapers, "3 million tons of untreated feces and urine end up in landfills rather than in the sewage system every year." The biggest potential problem: contamination of groundwater by viruses since there are more than 100 different intestinal viruses are known to be excreted in human feces, including polio and hepatitis.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Switch to cloth diapers. Diapers services deliver sterile, fresh, soft, clean cotton diapers to your doorstep at the time you request (and they do emergencies, too!), provide a lidded diaper pail of substancial size with deordorizer and a bag to seal the used diapers in, pick-up the soiled diapers, can provide diaper covers if requested, and bill you as per your request. All you have to do is simply shake out the diaper in the toilet (and some of them tell you not to do that) and there's no rinsing or wringing involved. When it's pick-up time, you place the bag of soiled diapers on your doorstep and bring in the clean ones when they arrive. You'll never recieve an unacceptable diaper and can change sizes (ranging from premie to extra large), delivery or pick-up dates when convienent for you. The average diaper service is actually cheaper than the cost of just the disposable diapers...now add in the cost of gas, aggrevation of shopping and time.
• Worn out diapers are sterilized and recycled into the industry as rags.

Put It To Work...At Work

BACKGROUND:

Every year, Americans throw away enough office and writing paper to build a wall 12 feet high, stretching from Los Angeles to New York City.

DID YOU KNOW:

• The average office worker throws away about 180 pounds of highgrade recyclable paper every year.
• Each ton of paper saves more than three cubis yards of landfill space.
• Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.
• Almost 3 million tons of paper is collected from office buildings and industrial plants for recycling.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Bring a coffee cup to work instead of using disposable cups.
• Reuse manila envelopes by putting gummed labels over the old addresses.
• Set up glass and aluminum recycling programs and put the the money into the coffee fund. Most bosses would appreciate the ingenuity.
• Set up an environmental bulletin board and post notices with interesting tidbits and statistics about conservation.
• Substitute paper cups for styrofoam when possible.

Recycle The Rest

BACKGROUND:

Americans produce 154 million tons of garbage every year, enough to fill the New Orleans Superdome from top to bottom, twice a day, every day. 50% of this trash is recyclable.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Recycledplastic can be used to make a number of products, such as plastic lumber and fiberfill sleeping bag insulation. Bonus value; 26 recyclable plastic soda bottles can make one polyester suit.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Recycle paper, glass and plastic. Check your local recycling center and they will be able to give you a list of what is acceptable and how to turn it in.

Build a Backyard Wildlife Refuge

BACKGROUND:

The American Holly tree bears fruit in the winter, providing much-needed food for over 40 different species of birds.

DID YOU KNOW:

• You can attract specific animals to your garden with certain plants. Hummingbirds like red morning glories and butterflies are attracted to brightly colored flowers in full sunlight.
• Animals that are active in the daytime (chipmunks and rabbits) will visit yards if shelter such as walls and shrubs is provided.
• Birds are often desperate for water in winter, when the ground is frozen. A heated bird bath can help hundres of birds to survive.
• You can set up a bird feeder on a city balcony as well as a country garden. Even if you have cats, there are safe ways to put up feeders.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Consult a nursery or your local Audubon Society to find out what flowers and trees will attract the wildlife you'd like to invite into your backyard.
• Create a plan. Sketch out your yard and decide where to plant, provide water, and provide shelter. Then send your plan (along with $5.00) to the National Federation of Wildlife. They'll look it over, make recommendations and certify your yard as an offical Backyard Wildlife Habitat. It's a great way to involve kids.

Help Protect the Rainforests

BACKGROUND:

Each year, 27 million acres of tropical rainforests are destroyed. That's as area the size of Ohio, and translates to 74,000 acres per day...3,000 acres per hour...50 acres per minute.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Although rain forests make up only 2% of the earth's surface, over half the world's wild plant, animal and insect species live there. In a typical rain 4-mile-square patch of tropical rainforest you would find; over 750 species of trees, over 1500 different kinds of flowering plants, 125 different mammals, 400 kinds of birds, 100 reptiles, 60 amphibians, and countless insects, including 150 types of butterflies. And only 1% of these species has ever been studied.
• 80% of all Amazonian deforestation has taken place since 1980.
• 1 in 4 pharmaceuticals comes fom a plant in a tropical rainforest. About 70% of plants identified by the National Cancer Institute as being usefull in caner treatment are found only in rainforests; 1400 rainforest plants are believed to offer cures for cancer.
• One third of the world's ramaining rainforests are in Amazonia.
• Latin America and Southeast Asia have already lost 40% of their tropical rainforests.
• Deforestation contributes between 10 and 30% of worldwide CO2 emissions. In 1987, rainforest fires (one method of clearing) CO2 emissions pumped out about 518 million tons of carbon into the air, roughly 1/10 of the total world fossile fuel combustion for that year.
• The world's rainforests are being depleted as a result of several developments; agriculture and population resettlement, beef cattle ranching, major power projects like dams, hydroelectric plants, and the roads that go with them, and lodging.
• The soil in rainforests is not rich, only about a 2 inch layer contains any nutrients. Most of the rainforest's nutrients are stored in the vegitation. When a rainforest is converted to, say, cattle grazing, the soil is grazed out within 2 years. The cattle operation must move on, but it leaves behind a desert.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• This is more than a political cause, it's a fight to save a precious piece of the world.Write letters expressing your concern. The Rainforest Action Network, 301 Broadway, Suite A, San Francisco, CA 94133 or call them at 415-398-4404 will supply names and addresses of people to send your letter(s) to. Write your elected representatives about the issue.
• Support organizations involved in rainforest conservation. Indians in the Amazon are trying to foster their own sustainable rainforest-based economy, their Center needs your support. The Rainforest Action Network has information on the Center.
• Consider alternatives to hardwood furniture, lumber, and plywood. To stop importing tropical hardwoods, the united States would have to reduce its consumption of timber by only 2%. Write to the Rainforest Action Network for a list of woods you can substitute for tropical hardwoods.

The Great Escape

BACKGROUND:

Every winter, the energy equivalent of all the oil that flows through the Alaskan pipeline in a year leaks through American windows.

INSULATION FACTS:

• If every gas heated home was properly caulked and weather-stripped, the national gas saved annually would be enough to heat about 4 million homes.
• Nearly half of the energy used to heat our homes is wasted. It goes out the window or theough the attic, cracks or other leaks, in the form of heat...and in the summer, air conditioning,...lost outside.
• Attic insulation can save 5% or more on heating costs and 15% on air conditioning costs (it depends on the climate).
• In some climates, new insulation can pay for itself in a single season. In most climates, it takes only one or two years.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Insulate the best you can afford to save yourself money and the environment pain.
• Have an "energy audit", it's usually free and very helpful. If you do it yourself, energy companies will provide checklists and make sure to use a cold windy day and a hand-held candle.

Plant a Tree

BACKGROUND:

The average American uses the equivalent of 7 trees every year. That's over 1 1/2 billion trees used annually in the United States alone.

TREE TALK:

• 10,000 years ago, before agriculture, more than 15 billion acres worldwide were covered by forests. Today, barelt 10 billion acres are forested. Between mid-centurty and 1980, the forested surface of earth was reduced by roughly 25%.
• In California, the trees are dying or being removed at 4 times the replacement rate.
• We depend on plants and they depend on us. We require oxygen and produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and plants require carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.
• By consuming CO2, plants and trees significantly reduce the "greenhouse effect".
• When trees in a forest die naturally or are responsably harvested, they are replaced. When a forest is burned or clearcut, much of the CO2 is lost and not recaptured
• By providing shade and evaporative cooling, trees also affect local tempersture, urban ones more than rural.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• If you'd like to plant a tree, but don't know where to begin, call or visit a local nursery, horticultural society, or botanical garden.
• Talk to neighbors and see if you can begin neighborhood- or community-wide planting effort. You'll be surprised at how much "native intelligence" you can uncover.
• Don't just stick a tree in the ground and ignore it. Like other growing plants, trees need a little care for the dirst 2 years...including water, verticle support, and mulch.

Prevent Pests Naturally

BACKGROUND:

Many pesticides are used for cosmetic purposes only.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Before pesticides, farmers were losing 33% percent of their crops...today, farmers are still losing 33% of their crops. According to the EPA, at least 74 pesticides have been found in the groundwater of 38 states.
• Over 100 active pesticide ingredients are suspected to cause birth defects, cancer, and gene mutation.
• More than 440 species of insects and mites, and 70 types of fungus are noe resistant to pesticides.
• Home pesticides are just as lethal as agricultural ones. Just 5 tiny granules of diazinon are enough to kill a house sparrow or redwing blackbird.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Learn about the alternatives and use them. Invite the natural enemy of your bothersome pest into your yard.
• Buy organically grown produce and grains. Ask for them at your local supremarket...you won't be the only one.

What a Waste!

BACKGROUND:

In 1982, officals at Albuquerque, New Mexico determined that local resisdents were generating 1.6 million pounds of hazardous waste and were dumping 90% of it into sewer systems, garbage, or the ground.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Hazardous wastes include car batteries, paint and thinners, oven and drain cleaners, mothballs, floor and furniture polish, brake and transmission fluid, antifreeze, rug and upholstery cleaners, pesticides, and furniture strippers. even products used to clean toilets are considered hazardous.
• In an average city of 100,000 residents, 3.7 tons of toilet bowl cleaner, 13.75 tons of liquid household cleaners, and 3.44 tons of motor oil are discharged into city drains each month.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Store hazardous materials properly.
• Reduce the amount of hazardous products you use.
• Dispose of hazardous materials properly.

Carpool to Work

BACKGROUND:

In one year, traffic congestion alone wastd 3 billion gallons of gasoline, about 5% of the amount United States cars use annually

DID YOU KNOW:

• One-third of all automobile milage is racked up just going to and from work.
• The average commuter car carries 1.3 riders a day.
• The federal government has cut funding for mass transit by 32%.
• If each commuter car carried only 1 more person, we could save more than 600,000 gallons of gas each day and prevent 12 million pounds of carbon dioxide from polluting the atmosphere.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Find out where the local carpools gather for cummuting and see if someone goes your way. It'll cut your gasoline cost, vehicle wear and tear, not to mention your insurance costs.
• Advertise carpooling on community bulletin boards (radio and TV stations have them as a public service), or in weekly "shoppers" papers.

FOR THE COMMITED

Try Composting

BACKGROUND:

Composting is the process of turning organic material you normally throw away, from grass clippings to apple cores, into a rich fertilizer. According to Citizens for a Better Environment, between 15 to 20% of the total municipal waste stream is organic material. All of these materials are very bulky, quickly using up valuable landfill space.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Every year we throw away 24 million tons of leaves and grass. Leaves alone can account for 75% of the solid waste in the fall.

• The average American family produces more than 1200 pounds of organic garbage every year. About 70% of the garbage Americans create is compostable, including yard waste, food waste, wood, paper.

• It costs at least $65 per ton to dump solid waste in a landfill; the average cost of municipal composting is only $35 per ton.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Start your own compost pile by sinply piling the leaves, grass clippings, and weeds in a corner of your garden.
• A more sophistocated compost pile involves more effort. you'll need to sort sort your garbage to seperate the organics from the rest, build or buy a small enclosure in which to pile the compost, learn to stack and layer the compost, and turn it occasionally to avoid odors and allow the air o circulate. If you send a self-addressed stamped envelope to The Berkeley Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, CA 94702, and ask them for their "Composting" fact sheet.
• If have a yard, but no garden, offer your compost to a friend who has a garden.

Install a Graywater Tank

BACKGROUND:

Graywater reuse can cut water consumption by 30% for the average family of four.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Graywater makes up 60 to 65% of the total indoor water consumption in an average family home. Not all graywater is suitable for reuse, for instance, kitchen greese must be kept out of the sink.
• Graywater reuse is illegal in some states, so check it out first and graywater systems are not for the uncommited.

Drive Less

BACKGROUND:

Cars are multiplying faster than people and are outbreathing us. They're using up our land area and our economic strength as well.

DID YOU KNOW:

• On an average, the 140 million cars in America are estimated to travel 4 billion miles a day and use over 200 million gallons of gasoline doing it.
• The emission rate is about 4 billion pounds of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere per day.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Try alternative means of transportation...busing, biking, walking, carpooling, trains, etc.. just one day a week.

Eat Low on the Food Chain

BACKGROUND:

According to Diet for a New America, over a billion people could be fed by the grain and soybeans eaten by United States livestock every year.

DID YOU KNOW:

• If Americans reduced their meat intake by just 10%, the savings in grains and soybeans could adequately feed 60 million people each year.
• To produce 1 pound of beef, we need 16 pounds of grain and soybeans, 2500 gallons of water, and the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline.
• The world's 1.3 billion cows annually produce nearly 100 million tons of methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) which, molecule for molecule, traps 25 times as much solar heat as CO2.
• 220 million acres of land have been deforested for livestock production. 25 million acres (an area the size of Austria) in Brazil, and half the forests in Central America, have been cleared for beef production.
• One-third of the surface of North America is devoted to grazing. Half of American croplands grow livestock feed (mostly for cattle).
• 20 pure vegetarians can be fed on the land needed to feed one person who eats meat.
• Growing grains, vegetables, and fruits uses less that 5% as much raw materials as does meat production.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Cut down on the amount of beef in your diet.
• Support local farmer's markets. Locally grown produce is typically cheaper, fresher, and less laden with pesticide residues than produce shipped long distances.
• Try gardening, even if a small area. Tomatos are easy to grow, sturdy,and produce something most people pay $1 to $2 per pound in a supermarket.

Start a Recycling Program

BACKGROUND:

Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Oregon have all passed legislation that either encourages or requires recycling by residents.

RECYCLING SUCCESS STORIES:

• In Rockford, Illinois, residents can win more than $1000 for just taking out the trash. It's called the trash lottery and randomly selects households for seperating the recyclable materials from their garbage, and pays them from the city's savings in landfill costs.
• In King County, Washington, strong support for recycling brought a postponement of plans to incinerate waste.
• In Philadelphia, where waste disposal costs increased by 20%, or $11 million, during a 1 year period, Mayor Wilson Goode signed curbside recycling legislation into effect in June, 1987.

Xeriscape

BACKGROUND:

Native plants need only about half as much water as imported varieties.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Drought resistant plants aren't just limited to cati and succulants. They include hundreds of species of colorful flowers, flowering shrubs, vines, and ground covers that provide beautiful alternatives to traditional landscapes. For instance, jasmine, bougainvillea, wisteria, sweet alyssum and daffodil are all low-water plants.
• Blue grass needs watered every 4 days where as buffalo grass requires water only every 2 to 3 weeks.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Check into dry irrigation, heavy mulching of planting beds, organic soil improvements to allow for better water absorption and retention.
• Contact a local nursery or horticulture society to learn more.

Stay Involved

BACKGROUND:

Everyone believes someone else willdo what it takes and make up for their slack. The truth is, some people are trying, but everyone needs to pitch in.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Doing one or two of these 50 simple things helps, but is hardly enough. The more you can do and continue doing, the more you'll want to do and every little bit helps.

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:

• Write organizations for assitance.

  • Center for Marine Conservation, 1725 DeSales St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
  • Earth Island Institute, 300 Broadway, Suite 28, San Franciso, CA 94133
  • Citizen's Clearinghouse for Hazarous Waste, P.O. Box 926, Arlington, VA 22216
  • Citizen's for a Better Environment, 33 East Congress, Suite 523, Chicago, IL 60605
  • Environmental Action, 1525 New Hampshire NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
  • Environmental Defense Fund, 1616 P St. NW, Suite 150, Washington, D.C. 20036
  • Environmental Policy Institute, 218 D St. SE, Washington, D.C. 20003
  • Greenhouse Crisis Foundation, 1130 17th St. NW, Suite 630, Washington, D.C. 20036
  • Greenpeace, 1436 U St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
  • Izaak Walton League of America, 1401 Wilson Blvd., Level B, Arlington, VA 22209
  • National Audubon Society, 801 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Suite 301, Washington, D.C. 20003
  • National Coalition forAgainst Misuse of Pesticides, 530 7th St. SE, Washington, D.C. 20003
  • National Wildlife Federation, 1412 16th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
  • Natural Resources Defense Council, 40 West 20th St., New York, NY 1001
  • The Nature Conservancy, 1815 North Lynn St., Arlington, VA 22209
  • Oceanic Society, 218 D St. SE, Washington, D.C. 20003
  • Rainforest Action Network, 300 Broadway, Suite 28, San Francisco, CA 94133
  • Renew America, 1400 16 St. NW, Snowmass Creek Road, Snowmass Colorado 81654
  • Sierra Club, 730 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94009
  • Wilderness Society, 1400 I St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20005
  • World Resources Institute, 1735 New York Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20006
  • World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20037
  • Worldwatch Institute, 1776 Massachusettes Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

Spread the Word

BACKGROUND:

Are you interested? Did you learn anything? Did something in all these facts surprise or scare you? If so, then pass it on to a friend or neighbor. The 1990's will be very exciting since we've been doing some of these things for nearly 5 years, not to mention that some people have been doing it longer than that.

It may take years for us to see the results we're creating, but the effect is evident. To face the facts, it took a century to get ourselves in this messed up situation and almost all of that time to see what we were doing to Planet Earth (and ourselves). The sad part is, it could take us twice that to get out of this dreaded situtation.

The phrase, "Listen to your elders," was always an intelligent saying and it's a shame we humans don't hear what we say. Mother Nature has been in the kitchen cooking up life, species, and evolution longer than we've exsisted. Up to this point, Mother Nature has been battling us to save her world (and ours).

It's about time we pitched in and did our fair share. The good news is, Mother Nature will be doing what she's been doing all along...working to save our Planet Earth. Shouldn't that be our goal as well?

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