How+to+go+GREEN

HOW TO GO GREEN Steps to help you take better care of the planet we live in.

[|why go green?] Everything we do, each day, has an impact on the planet. By watching what we do and making better decisions, we can help to restore and take care of our planet. Not only does "going green" help our planet and the environment, but it also improves your health, your bank account, and your overall lifestyle.
 * The 3 R's: **Reduce** (watch what you waste), **Reuse** (save plastics to use again, use the same grocery bags, etc.), **Recycle** (plastic, paper, cardboard, aluminum, and glass)!

GO GREEN! [] Helpful tips for all people around the world to go green and contribute to the health of our Country!




 * 10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green!**

1.) Save energy to save money.
 * Set the thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.
 * Save energy by turning out the lights, insulating your home better, etc.
 * Unplug electronics that you are not using like a cell phone charger or a computer cord.
 * If you are going to be gone from your home for a long period of time, unplug the television, microwave, oven, etc.

2.) Save water to save money.
 * Take shorter showers to reduce water usage.
 * Only wash full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine.

3.) Less gas= more money!
 * Walk or dust out the bike from the garage to use!!!
 * Carpool

4.) Eat smart.
 * Add just one meatless meal per week. Meat is more expensive at the store and it's more expensive when you consider the environmental and health costs. By adding just one meatless meal per week, you would be eating 52 meatless meals per year. That dosen't seem like much but if everyone did that, just think of how much our environment and health would improve.

5.) Skip the bottled water.
 * Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Bottled water is not only expensive, but it adds up to excessive amounts of container waste.

6.) Think before you buy.
 * Look into garage sales, thrift stores, and other second hand stores for clothes and everyday household items

7.) Borrow instead of buying.
 * Borrow books from libraries instead of buying them. It saves cash, as well as paper and ink that go into publishing new books.

8.) Buy smart.
 * Invest in high quality, long lasting products. It's possible that you will pay more now, but in the long run you won't have to replace the items as frequently.
 * Avoid plastic and other materials that are not biodegradable.

9.) Keep electronics out of the trash.
 * Don't throw out computers or cell phones. This waste contains mercury which is an environmental problem.
 * Also, don't throw away your printer cartridges. Most Walgreens photo centers will refill your ink cartridges for you.

10.) Make your own cleaning supplies. >
 * Making your own cleaning supplies saves money, time, and helps the air better!
 * And if you must buy some cleaning supplies, look for items that say "eco- friendly".


 * FUN FACTS**

http://www.planetpals.com/fastfacts.html
 * Recycling one aluminum can save enough energy to run a TV for three hours.
 * During the amount of time it takes you to read this sentence 50,000 aluminum cans are being made.
 * To produce each weeks Sunday's newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down.
 * If you recycled a single edition of the Sunday __New York Times__, you would save 75,000 trees.
 * If all our newspaper were recycled we would save 250,000,000 trees every year.
 * Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour! Mostly all of them get thrown away
 * Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every single year
 * The United States is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year
 * Each gallon of fuel releases 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air
 * Approximately 5 million tons of oil produced in the world each year ends up in the ocean
 * Every ton of paper that is recycled saves 17 trees
 * The amount of wood and paper we throw away is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years