Earth Day: Your best tips for combating global warming (Day 1)

I love reading the comments of what everyone is doing to help the world. Some of the things people are doing to cut energy use are things I've always done - my yard resembles a woodland clearing more than a suburban yard, because that's where I want to live, and I haven't used any kind of "toxic chemical" (probably derived from petroleum) on my property or house in over twenty years because poisoning yourself seems wrong. I try to grow or buy locally grown organic produce - because it tastes better. I only had one child, and I firmly believe that there are already too many people on this planet and I therefore support planned parenthood programs. I encouraged my town to start a curbside recycling program and support it wholeheartedly. I compost yard and kitchen waste because it makes the best compost to use in my garden. I've changed my lightbulbs to compact flourescents. I got the internet and email so that I could become an online activist (saving paper on those letters to my congressman and senators). I've always driven the most fuel efficient car that i could fine - currently a Toyota Matrix. Every year on Earth Day I make a resolution for the new year to add a something new to what I do, because there is always something more that can be done - working with children in the community to raise the awareness of the next generation, volunteering with a local organization, buying more energy efficient appliances. With the current popularity of "going green" the possibilities are endless, and the prize is our beautiful world.
Linda Cox
Lewisville, TX

I can my garden, and any surplus low priced bargains I can get my hands on! I use a pressure canner, so I can be safe, and I can into glass bottles, the reusable kind. I began canning over twenty years ago, and still have most my original bottles, plus quite a collection donated by neighbors, and some for cheap at yard sales. Canning is better than freezing, stuff lasts longer, and keeps without requiring running a freezer. I also dry a lot of stuff, and home-brew, to enjoy a beer close in quality to the best imports at 1/4th the price and in recycled bottles. I Sauerkraut and pickle, a great way to save a buck and the environment. We took a shot at wine-making but the brewing took over by personal tastes. Some countries bio-gas their sewage for fuel for cars and cooking, I am waiting for North America to catch onto this, but we are not hard up enough yet. As the price of oil rises once again, the cost for all the plastic we see in the landfills will go up. Canada has legalized the growing of Hemp, so they will soon grow replacements for plastic bags, paper, oil, and tree based fiber SEE: http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/highlights/2008/0803hemp_e.html
Once we are set free of the specter of fission-fires Humanity will be on its way to healing Mother Earth, and repaying our debt for the wasted years of needless extravagance. So nice to see like-minded folk at this site!

I do some of these things but you people have me beat! I don't flush after urinating, "if it's white, it's alright, etc." I make sure when I want warm water, I run the water into a kettle and use the water for watering plants, or throw it in the washing machine for later. Yes, it means running down to the cellar to do that, but it keeps me trim without having to DRIVE to the "Y". I don't use my car on one day a week. Keep the house cool in winter and warm in summer. I have a wonderful rainbarrel, and an awful lawn (never watered, but it's green:) I'm 76 so I'm afraid to ride my bike to work, got to do something about that. I always wash when there is a full load, even the dishwasher. Tip to "Heather?" don't put your car in neutral going down hills, it will ruin your transmission. ( I did just that, everyone knew but me_)I WRITE LETTERS TO THE NEWSPAPERS DECRYING THESE PIGS WHO WALK WITH THEIR WATER BOTTLES AND THROW THEM AWAY WHEN THEY'RE EMPTY. My streets are terribly littered with them.

I recently became engaged, and my fiance and I are planning a wedding that is going to be eco-friendly. Since this is "wedding season" I have some tips people might find helpful.
1. Don't send out Save the Date cards or make wedding programs. This saves a lot of paper and saves money too.
2. Try to use recycled paper or tree free paper for the invitations.
3. Have the wedding ceremony and reception at the same place, to cut down on transportation effisions. (This also saves money too!)
4. Have out of town guests stay at a hotel that has a shuttle to transport people in groups so a bunch of cars aren't used.
5. Go with a local flower grower, with flowers that are in season and organically grown.
6. Ask the catering company to use organic, local meats and produce for your meals.'
7. Wear a gown that has been previously worn, or one that you make yourself. ( A LOT of wedding dresses are made in developing countries in sweatshop conditions)
8. Have recycle bins at the wedding for paper, glass, and plastic.
9. Either don't give out favors, (since most end up in the trash anyway) or give your guests seeds for fruits, vegetables, and plants that are native to the area where they will be planted.
10. Don't rent that Hummer Limo for your exit from the reception.

In an effort to conserve gas for my auto and for the earth, I avoid jack-rabbit starts and sudden stops. If the light ahead is red, i reduce my speed and almost coast to the light. and if the light turns green, my auto already has some momentum and I don't have to apply as much pressure to the gas peddle to get up to speed. If I am at a red light, I ease my auto up to speed. how many times have you been at a red light and the car next to you races when the light turns green only to be next to them again at the next red light. My auto has gauges which gives the temp, direction, fuel used, etc. My favorite is the current mpg. I like to see how high i can get with the mpg. It also shows me how poor the mpg is when I race off from a stop sign or red light.

thank you all for the uplift! as the saying goes..sweeping one's own front
step is the start of a cleaner, more beautiful world...this i add, hungersite offers
gifts that give more... i am sending gifts to those i love, (who are not in need ) these options for
blessing those who do need...sweep here, extend there...wrap our earth in love!

Living in the Palm Springs desert area for 20 years, I have seen the tremendous growth of golf courses ( over 130 now) and the complete change in the natural desert environment. Everything has become artificial, with trees and plants that are not indigeonous to the desert, requiring more and more water. I have stopped watering my large backyard and allowed it to become a natural desert area with only desert plants. The wildlife here ( roadrunners, hawks, owls, lizards, coyotes, snakes, is amazing ! It's incredible to see in your own back yard what some people only get to see at the zoo. This was also once an area for desert tortoises, which are now almost an endangered species. I have cared for 3. They are incredible creatures with a long life span, except people are killing them. No more natural habitat, people taking them out of the desert not knowing how to care for them and they fall into swimming pools and drown, not being fed properly, or they dig their way out of people's yards wander into the street and get hit by cars. Please log on to California turtle and tortoise society. There is a way to help. Just think about the creatures in your own neighborhood and what they need to survive !!

I have a very abundant dwarf Meyer lemon tree. We use those delicious lemons for salad dressings, drinks, baking and other recipes (and give many away as well). But I've discovered a great "new" use for the cosmetically challenged or older ones: the lemon juice knocks out mold better than chemical cleaners do! Try it with a little baking soda (it foams up) or with a dab of dishwashing liquid. I rub the halved lemon itself over the bad parts to spread the cleaner. Works great around the kitchen sink and the dishdrainer, and is perfectly safe around food and pets. Let it soak for a little while before scrubbing it off. (I'm sure any variety of lemon will do.)
Shauna

I am vegan. I keep appliances unplugged when not in use, and I use energy efficient light bulbs. I keep the water heater turned down very low (off in summer - as I live in AZ). I tough out the summer as long as possible before using my A/C. often letting it get over 90 degrees in my home. I drive as minimally as possible. I always use canvas grocery bags, and bulk buy food whenever possible (I even reuse the plastic bags they supply for bulk buy). I make my own cleaning products from baking soda, vinegar and Dr Bronner's soap. I use magnets instead of detergent in washing machine. I do laundry just once a week. I recycle everything that can be recycled. And I bought carbons offsets for my car. I drive in a way that gets the best fuel efficiency out of my little Honda Civic, and I keep it serviced. Oh - and I have as many plants as possible out on my little patio. Just trying to keep my carbon footprint as low as possible!
Susan (aka JAH LoveIrit)

I eat as simply as possible, mostly pasta, rice, or a potato, with some sort of (usually vegetarian) topping. I eat red meat once or twice a year, and chicken or seafood about once a week. I do eat dairy, but sparingly.
I try to buy organic and local produce as much as possible. I am fortunate to have two very good alternate markets within easy walking distance, and they both stress organic merchandise and organic and local produce.
Dish washing takes place in the dish or pot involved, so dishwater and rinse water run me about a quart each.
As a courtesy to the neighbors and to the water supply, the toilet does not get flushed at night ("If it's yellow, let it mellow..."). If we are having a water shortage, it gets flushed once in the morning and once in the evening.
I take tub baths rather than showers. You can soak as long as you like in eight inches of warm water.
My household cleansers consist of a very basic dish-washing detergent (doubles as bubble bath in the tub, where it prevents bathtub ring), bleach, vinegar, an eco-friendly laundry detergent, baking soda, salt, and Bon Ami. For cleansing myself I use water and unscented glycerin soap.
Compact fluorescent bulbs. Of course.
I have a TV, but mostly watch my three bird feeders, which are about two feet from my living-room window. I get hummingbirds, mourning doves, blackbirds, scrub jays, and house finches. They get (except the hummingbirds) organic sunflower seeds and unsalted dry-roasted peanuts. It's the hottest fly-through eatery in town. ;D

I've been contacting my Florida representatives today to ask them to support Clean Car Legislation.
And I started my garden!

I like wildlife and birds singing I take my camera and take pictures or I like the smell of grass or flowers after a rain shower. People should not complain about the animals they were here first. We took there habitat. The woods are not really ours. So enjoy whatever thats there. Because to many people want to destroy these gifts that God gave us.

Our 5.1 kw solar panels went live this month.
As much as possible we buy produce at the Farmer's Market.
We use our own canvas bags at the grocery store and try to buy in bulk when we can.
We recycle as much as we can and have a compost bin.
I bring a lunch to work (no wrappings, etc) and use reusable leftover containers instead of sandwich bags.
We mostly cook from scratch and rarely eat take out.
We use gray water to flush the toilet.
I take an electric bus and electric light rail to work and my husband walks or rides his bike. We drive less than 6000 miles/year.
We have no children.
Maureen, AZ

You don't have to go solar to put the sun to work! Instead of drying your clothes with electricity, hang them on a clothesline. It's great to get outside and get your recommended 20 minutes of Vitamin B from the sun and it saves alot of electricity! If it's a nasty day, hang your clothes on an indoor drying rack. Most of them will be dry by the following morning. I'm looking into instant water heating for my kitchen sink so I don't have to run a water heater 24/7. As I heard someone say, "Having a tank water heater is like leaving your car running at the end of your driveway just in case you want to go somewhere."
Susan, MT

Move into a city or town. I did. Suburban living has been a disaster for the planet.

Gardens/buy local/what we eat: we grow many vegetables and belong to a CSA. We'd like to do more--plant raspberries and make our own yogurt, for example. We eat mostly or entirely vegetarian. I want to learn how to can and get a bigger freezer for putting vegetables up.
Heat/electricity: We use some local wood heat and turn down the thermostat--we want to weatherproof better. Most of our lightbulbs are compact flourescent--we can get compact flourescent for the weird track lighting bulbs. We turn off lights when we leave the room.
Reduce/reuse/recycle: We have a great local recycling program. We also reuse plastic containers, plastic bags (large and small), and paper bags. I would like to remember better to take my reusable bags for small errands, which is when I forget. I would like to reduce the amount of packaging on products that I buy.

to the gentleman who pats himself on the back for only having one child. I'm glad you did ... you make up for my having three. I have no doubt that my children will do more to help than harm their earth. And though I understand the arguments made regarding each person's impact on our planet, I feel sorry that you see children that way when I see them as pure joy, full potential, and I'm eager to share the splendor of our world with them.

We live in a rural area with no recycling service. I had gotten accustomed to recycling when I lived in other areas and I just could not go back to throwing things in the landfill. We bought several extra large rolling garbage cans with lids. Each one has its own type of content. We first recycle in the house and when the small cans fill up with plastic, paper, metal cans and glass, we take them out to the large cans and sort again into the big cans where they stay until we have a need to go to the big city north of us that has a scrap metal and household recycling business. We put it all in large bags that we use over and over and we finally get it to the Recycling place. We keep an old dutch oven on the counter with a lid for our mulch and then put it on the garden when we empty it. It is worth every bit of trouble to save mother earth from our waste. We have also started using the florescent bulbs in our lamps and we like them very much. We plant new trees and let everything around us grow. We don't like the scalped look the lawn had when we bought the house, and only mow about 3 times per summer while letting the woods encrouch so less is mowed each year. We are growing a bigger garden this year for veggies and are leaning vegitarian a little more all the time. Long live Mother Earth!

As a family, we walk more. We ride our bikes together. We average between 39 and 43 mpg in our 2004 Honda Civic when we have to drive. i use our city's public transportation system on field trips and retreats for the high school students i teach. We skip fast food, and avoid the phenomenon of the 'drive-thru'. We sit down at the table for our family meals and talk (though not with our mouths full). We take reuseable bags when we shop. We tell cashiers that we don't need a bag when we're only buying a few things (and we remind them when, by force of habit, they try to bag our one or two items anyway). We enjoy flowers and vegetables that we grow in our own backyard. We buy in bulk when possible. We consider packaging when we grocery shop. We shop at local farmers' markets. We eat low on the food chain by cutting meat out of our diet. We eat organic food, and we eat a litle more locally and a little more seasonally with every passing year. We DON'T use plastic baggies and paper napkins. We DO use cloth napkins and cloth diapers (though never interchangeably). We use rags and cloth towels instead of paper towels. We use unbleached coffee filters, and when we do drink coffee or tea, we choose organic, fairly traded, and shade grown beans and leaves. We compost our food scraps and grass clippings in our backyard compost bin. We apply that compost to our gardern. We plant a new tree each year. We try to buy less in general--we're careful to distinguish our needs from our wants. We teach our oldest son responsible stewardship of his money (allowance). We reuse before we recycle. And we recycle anything that can be recycled. We use rechargeable batteries and compact flourescent lightbulbs. We turn off lights, insulate windows, and we monitor the temperature of our home. We use open windows instead of air conditioning. We try to share what we have. We vote for elected officials whose stances and records reflect our own. We shop at locally-owned businesses. We take pride in being resourceful--our modest incomes encourage creativity. We pick up litter on our street. We used biodegradeable soaps and detergents. We share a lawnmower and yard/gardening tools with our neighbors. We choose durable toys that don't require batteries. We get outside...often. We use our local, public libraries. We cover up our television, and we keep it turned off. We research big purchases, and we're wary of 'planned obsolescence.' We simplify our holidays, especially our birthdays and Christmas.
Jeff Hutchinson-Smyth
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

I've never owned a dryer. I hang all the laundry outside Oct to Mar. The rest of the year I use a drying rack for clothes. Towels and sheets will still dry out side, they just might take a couple days. Please fight against any No Clothes Line bans you come across.
When my daughter was a baby I used cloth diapers (hanging them outside to dry).
I use my dish washer for storage. I don't own a hair dryer, weed wacker, snow blower, etc...
I kept my thermostat at 58 deg all winter.
I use only cloth napkins. I use old Tshirts and towels for rags and don't use paper towels.
After reading Diet for a Small Planet more than 30 years ago I became a vegetarian. I recommend that everyone read it. It was way ahead of it's time.
Orefield, PA

We bought a can opener that cuts the can horizontally so that each can has a nice lid. We save these cans and take them to schools, where they are used for craft projects by the children. We also save any plastic containers that will work for craft projects: fruit cups, yogurt cups, etc. So at least they all have a second or third life before hitting the landfills. There is so much discarded copy paper at schools that could be recycled and used for scratch paper, cut to any size. I use both sides of the paper before discarding. Of course, hanging laundry outside to be dried by nature is helpful, where and when possible. Libraries can take extra plastic bags, if you still get them. Libraries are a great source of books and DVDs, CDs and videos, meaning less consuming.
I bring extra paper napkins that are given to us at restaurants home to be used or reused, depending on soil. The same goes for anything else that will be thrown away, like packaged sugar, etc. These I give to my camper-neighbor.
For Earth Day (or whenever) I thought it would be fun to go to a local store and stand by the cash registers and offer to pay half for a reusable bag for the customers who are willing! The next thing: a composter!
Thanks for your hints, perseverance and vision! Ellen :)

I have planted my small yard with an enormous number of plants. I have flowers for bees, berries for birds, shade to cool and conserve water and make more oxygen, a big compost heap that I do not do anything to until I need some dirt and then I move it around and take it from the bottom. I did not use the central heater last winter at all, instead I used the pull around water radiator only in the room being used. I have a Meyer's Lemon tree and she gives me hundreds of lemons in a year, bigger than a grapefruit. I am not kidding, these lemons are huge and not real sour either! I usually pick the last one on New Year's day. I love my tree. I am growing avocado trees outside from pits and it has taken about 5 years, (they die back until they are more mature) and now I have one ten feet tall!. I use the dog poop where it is needed and water it in well. I NEVER use pesticides on the grass or other plants. The grassy area is growing smaller as I up the number of plants I put around the house. I always keep my outside bird and toad waters filled, along with my cat and dog and turtle waters. In Texas it is a matter of life and death. One of my dogs loves to eat the thornless cacti I have planted. I so love my big Momma Earth!

We live off grid at 7600 FT near the Sangre De Cristo's in Colorado and we heat our home with Active Solar Heat!! My husband built a pair of solar heaters last summer, each is 4 X 10 feet, and installed them on the south end of the house. The system runs a 120 watt blower which circulates the heat through the panels into the crawl space where it is stored using gallon water jugs. The heat then radiates throughout the house. Last winter the system heated the house to between 50 and 60 degrees F, significantly reducing the amount of wood we need to use to keep the cabin at comfort level. We can even travel in the winter without fear of freeze/break. This summer we hope to expand our solar photovoltaic system to accomodate a larger blower on the solar heat system. Perhaps we will ellimate the need to burn wood completely and have a house the heats itself entirely on free energy. We're also hoping to find funds to build a shop and so we can build more heaters. Anyone interested?

I do not own a clothes dryer so I hang my laundry to dry year round. Because I live in Canada the winters are too cold to stand outside to hang the smaller items, so I hang only the sheet and towels outside during the winter. The rest of the washing I hang inside to dry. From May to October I bike to work at least three times a week and buy clothing at the second hand stores. We switched all our light bulbs to compact florescents and our toilets to low flow. All our kitchen waste is composted and we recycle everything we can.

Everyday, I do my part in making this world green. I recycle everything, everyday. I have planted many trees in my yard. Not just for the beauty of them. But to make the air cleaner. I have several flower gardens in which I plant beautiful flowers. I use my grass trimming in the gardens. Instead of throwing clothes away, I donate them. I take old paint to the proper place for recycling. I never throw it away. Turn leaves into mutch to add to my gardens. I make less trips to everywhere to save gas. It's our job to keep the earth beautiful!

- David, Moline, Ill.
He bought a Pontiac Vibe? apparantly not aware that the Vibe is just a toyota matrix with a potiac sticker and mark up.
I applaud the increase in fuel economy, though.
Eric

We all grew up hearing Kermit sing that it wasn't easy being GREEN, HOWEVER: the truth is nothing could be easier to do!!!
I have slowly over time increased the size of my garden beds - increasing green things and eliminating the lawn! Grass is wasteful, and requires more water and chemicals than I am willing to use! I have replaced things with similar water needs and in fact used plants that once established require little or no additional water other than what arrives in the form of rainwater!!! Xeroscaping makes sense and requires no chemicals or special up keep. Our family has reduced the amounts of meat we eat as well as eating only organic or locally grown foods. We separate all of our recyclables, we lower the heat and wear sweaters if we are cold and use the AC only on the hottest of days. Dryer sheets have been replaced with tennis balls which fluff the clothes and keep static at bay. No more chemicals on our clothes and suddenly our granddaughter's contact dermatitis has vanished!!!! Kermit was wrong - IT'S SO EASY BEING GREEN!

Due to health reasons I have been forced to change dietary habits to include more vegetables and less red meat, thus I find that besides feeling better, I am also becoming a more "green" citizen. I have now started seedlings for my 100 square foot garden, I ride my bike whenever and whereever I can, haven't driven a car alone for nearly 5 months, and am manning a booth at a local Earth Day event this weekend to educate visitors about renewable energy and steps to take to help eliminate the importation of oil. A medical situation has spurred a new and healthy interest in our environment and how we can help improve it!

I was born in 1957, so I am a child of the 60's. All I've ever known was ways to save money and do more with less. My parents had 6 children, so we conserved on almost everything.
I walk or ride my bike whenever I can, good for the environment and good for ME! I always use the energy saving bulbs (can't remember what they are called). I only have one light on in the evening, I burn a few candles instead. It makes the house smell great and gives your house ambiance. Everything in my house is unplugged until I need it, except of course the refrigerator & stove. And whenever I leave a room and have had to turn on the light, it is always turned off when I leave that room. I conserve water when doing dishes, as I only wash dishes when I have a lot. I live by myself, so it takes awhile to fill up the sink. I know it sounds gross, but really it isn't. When rinsing dishes, I fill up the second sink with the clean dishes and turn on my sprayer to rinse them all at once. I also conserve water when brushing my teeth or washing my hands. You don't have to leave the water running to do both. I take my own bags to the store when shopping to cut down on plastic bags. I really like the big canvas bags much better anyway. When I am out walking, I always take a bag with me to pick up trash, its unbelievable how much trash you find, people just don't realize that it all adds up! Just use common sense & reduce your footprint.

I'm volunteering to be in a booth April 24, 2009 for the Renewable Resources Coalition at the Sports and Recreation Show. I will hopefully be able to educate people on the need to stop the developement of Pebble Mine here in Alaska by a Canadian Company(Northern Dynasty). They have already drilled hundreds of test holes and taken over the town of Illiamna. This will be the largest mine in the world in one of the most sensitive ecosystems in the world. It will destroy the worlds largest Salmon population and all waters downstreem from their giant holding dam. This needs to be stopped.

I walk outdoors often and i always bring trash bags with me and pick up trash along the way, leave them on the side of the path, and pick them up on my way back. then i separate the trash for recycling and take it all to the local recycling center monthly. This simple task sets the bar for others who walk and i have seen major reductions in trash on these same grounds and paths over the years i've been doing this.

In my area, the local energy comapny has a wind farm, so I buy 100% wind source electricty. I ride my 18 year old BMW motorcycle that gets 50+ miles/gal to work (my goal is 150 days to work each year). I have ridden to work in the last 4 years over 500 times. Of course, CFL's and I recycle as much as I can. I use re-useable grocery bags. I even re-use the plastic bags to put veggies and fruit in at the store.