30 Ways to Make a Change

So lately, I've been thinking about how we could be more sustainable and I came up with a few ideas that weren't only sustainable, but were also money saving and easy to do.

1. TURN OFF COMPUTERS AND APPLIANCES AT NIGHT

Many people leave their computers on at night because it would automatically start up in the morning but this wastes a lot of energy. Also, leaving your T.V. on stand by overnight consumes a lot of energy. By turning these appliances off stand by overnight, you'll be saving the environment and money.

2. DO NOT PRE-HEAT THE OVEN

Your oven cooks your food just about as consistently if you did pre-heat it. Of you are making bread or pastries of some sort, then do pre-heat the oven as it is necessary but when you are checking to see if your food is cooked, look through the window instead of opening the door.

3. BRUSH WITHOUT RUNNING

I think this is pretty straight forward and you are wasting so much water when you leave a tap running.

4. USE YOUR CRUISE CONTROL

Your car has it for a reason and considering today's gasoline prices, it's definitely worth it. Also, you'll always know your safe from the police because you'll never be caught by those pesky speed cameras.

5. TAKE A SHORTER SHOWER

Every minute less you take in the shower saves you more than 5 gallons of water.

6. BAN BATH TIME
Baths use twice as much water as showers and the heating of the water also uses up a lot of energy.

7. WRAP CREATIVELY

Don't spend so much money on fancy wrapping paper. Instead, reuse gift bags, bows and even event paper. Or, you can spice it up a bit and use old maps, cloth or even newspaper. Use your child's stamps or markers and be the one standing out with this environmentally friendly and extra special gift for your friend.

8. RECYCLE NEWSPAPER

It's hard to believe but 69% of 63 million newspapers printed each day in the U.S. are thrown out. Recycling newspapers would save a heck of a lot of trees.

9. RETHINK BOTTLE WATER

Nearly 90% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, so instead of buying plastic bottles every so often, get a reusable container and fill it up with tap water. This isn't only great for the environment and your wallet, but also possibly for your health.

10. USE ONE LESS PAPER NAPKIN

We know we like to stay clean but really, it's not necessary. In the U.S., more than 1 billion pounds of napkins could be saves from landfills each year if one less napkin was used.

11. USE BOTH SIDES OF PAPER

Although it looks cramped and unprofessional, it's always useful for note taking, scrap paper, etc. Over 21 million tons of paper are thrown away each year in American business. That's equal to around 175 pounds per office worker.

12. HANG DRY

Use a clothesline or rack to dry your clothes by air. This will save you heaps of money and it'll make your favorite t-shirt last longer too.

13. WASH IN COLD OR WARM

The amount of heating of water used by households in the U.S. are consuming 100,000 barrels of oil a day. Lower this amount by washing differently.

14. GO VEGETARIAN ONCE A WEEK

This isn't only for the sake of animals, but also because it requires 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. It would also save some trees because for each hamburger from animals raised on rain forest land, approximately 55 square feet of forest have been destroyed. This would also cut down on your weight a lot.

15. RECYCLE GLASS

This helps air pollution decrease by 20 percent and water pollution by 50 percent because it takes more than a million years to decompose.

16. BUY LOCAL

Consider how many food miles there are for an apple to arrive at your supermarket. The amount of greenhouse gases produced by that could be reduced if you buy from local farmers or farmers' markets. This doesn't only help the environment, but it also guarantees an organic product.

17. TURN OFF LIGHTS

I know people are sometimes subconscious of whether their light is on or not, but if you just became more aware of it, you'd be saving a lot of bucks.

18. PICNIC WITH A MARKER

Sometimes people mix up their cups with others so they grab a new one. Stop this by marking cups with people's names so they don't need a new one.

19. CUT DOWN ON JUNK MAIL

It's called junk mail for a reason so get rid of it.

20. CHOOSE MATCHES OVER LIGHTERS

Most lighters are considered 'disposable' but most are ending up in landfills. Choose cardboard packaging because they are usually made from recycled paper.

21. GIVE IT AWAY

Don't chuck it out. People out there might need it. Do a bit of charity.

22. PAY BILLS ONLINE

Hard cover bills use up more than 18 million tons of trees every year so do it the easier and more trusty way.

23. STOP PAPER BANK STATEMENTS

Not only does this save paper, but some banks will pay you a dollar or donate money on your behalf when you cancel the monthly paper statements you get in your mail.

24. USE RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES

Too many batteries are being thrown out dangerously so try something that would save you a lot of money.

25. SKIP THE COFFEE STIRRER
These little objects take up so much landfill but if you ditched it, you would be saving the environment by quite a bit.

26. STOP WITH THE PLASTIC BAGS

They're easily breakable, they're dangerous and they are mostly not biodegradable. Switch to a long lasting reusable grocery bag and you'll be cutting down on the use of plastic bags.

27. GO TO THE CAR WASH

Surprisingly, professional car washes are often more efficient than people who wash their cars themselves. Saves you a lot of labor too.

28. RECYCLE OLD CELL PHONES

Phones and their batteries contain toxic substances which are introduced to our environment if they are chucked out. Also, there is a substance in the cell phone that is really rare and is only found in rain forests so when you chuck a phone out, you waste that precious substance and they'll need to cut down more animal habitats to get more of it. If you recycle your phone, you may even gain a little profit.

29. PLANT A TREE

It's good for the air, the land, and can shade your house to save on cooling. They can also improve the value of your property. If you don't have want trees, you can always try your own vegie garden. It's simple, it's maintainable, and it's convenient. It'll save you lots of money from buying groceries, and driving to the supermarket. And it's certified fresh.

30. SHARE

Take what you've learned, and pass the knowledge onto others. If every person you know could take one small step toward being greener, the collective effort could be phenomenal.