How Can We Make a Difference in Saving Mother Nature?
- Recycle all your plastics, cans and paper. Recycling plastic not only saves Mother Nature, but the plastic also gets made into other products. Paper is another big problem for Mother Nature. Think about all of the junk mail you get--from ads, coupons, local newspapers and magazines--and all of the paper on which your monthly bills are printed. All of that eventually gets thrown into the trash.
Instead of getting paper bills mailed to you, have them emailed to you. Take all of your old newspapers, magazines and coupons to the recycling bin. Many locales require that people recycle and have recycle bins placed at each home; other areas do not require this service but it is available for a price. Check with your local city utility agency to learn about the programs that are offered in your community. If there are no bins available for regular pickup, check to see if there are large containers located at your child's school. If so, you can throw your old phone books and newspaper ads in them for free. - Turn off the lights when you leave a room or if the sun is up and the room can be lit by natural light. Change all of your old light bulbs (incandescent bulbs) to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). In the beginning the CFL bulbs will cost you more, but they save on electricity and therefore your monthly electric bill will be lower.
Other things you can do to preserve electricity is to unplug all the appliances that do not need to be plugged in at all times, such as the blender, toaster oven, coffee maker and even your blow dryer and curling iron. Save on water by making sure that all drips from faucets around the house are fixed. Do not let the water run when brushing your teeth or doing dishes. - Energy Star is a program created by the the U.S. Environmental Department and the U.S. Department of Energy to build energy-efficient products, helping people save money and improving the environment. Experts at Energy Star claim that people who own energy-efficient appliances and products can save up to a third more on their energy bills than if they did not have these appliances and products. When looking to buy new appliances for your home, such as a washer, dryer, dishwasher or refrigerator, look for the Energy Star sticker. This indicates that these appliances have passed certain guidelines established by the Environmental Department and the Department of Energy. (See References.)
