Morgridge Center for Public Service

GO GREEN!

Here are 50 ways you can reduce your carbon footprint and join the growing trend to... BE GREEN!

ECO-FRIENDLY MANTRA: Practice the three R's. First reduce how much you use, then reuse what you can, and then recycle the rest. Dispose of what's left in the most environmentally friendly way.

REDUCE:

Buy and use only what you need.
Buy permanent items instead of disposables.
Buy products with less packaging.
Buy products that use fewer toxic chemicals.
Use double-sided printing functions when possible.
Use the “print preview” option to find errors before printing.
Bring your own cloth bags when shopping. Avoid plastic bags if at all possible.
Bring your own containers for take out at restaurants. Avoid Styrofoam.
Bring your own water bottle/coffee mug when purchasing drinks. Don’t drink bottled water.
Purchase locally grown foods. Shop at the Farmer’s Market.
Use all-natural, biodegradable cleaning products.
Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
Unplug appliances when they aren’t being used.
Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Eat vegetarian and organic foods.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with Energy Star qualified Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL). If every household in the U.S. replaced one light bulb with a CFL, it would prevent enough pollution to equal removing one million cars from the road. (Energy Star).
Maximize the use of natural lighting.
Enable power-save mode for computers, printers, copiers, other office equipment. Screen savers DO NOT save energy.
Hang dry your laundry.
Don't let the water run while shaving or brushing teeth.
Wash only full loads of laundry or use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine.
Use cold water when possible
Take short showers instead of tub baths.
Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool.
Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.

REUSE:

Repair items as much as possible.
Use durable coffee mugs.
Use cloth napkins or towels.
Clean out juice bottles and use them for water.
Use empty jars to hold leftover food.
Reuse boxes.
Purchase refillable pens and pencils.
Donate extras to people you know or to charity instead of throwing them away.
Reuse grocery bags as trash bags.
Re-use one-sided office paper.
Purchase rechargeable batteries.
Shop at thrift stores and second-hand stores for house wares and clothing.

RECYCLE:

Recycle paper (printer paper, newspapers, mail, etc.), plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. f your community doesn't collect at the curb, take them to a collection center.
Keep recyclables out of trash.
Recycle electronics. (www.epa.gov/ecycling/index.htm)
Close the loop - buy recycled products and products that use recycled packaging. That's what makes recycling economically possible.
Print on recycled-content paper.

RESEARCH:

Check out UW’s conservation plan: www.conserve.wisc.edu
Visit earth day’s website: www.earthday.gov.
Find ways to offset your carbon impact: www.carboncounter.org.
Join facebook applications “I Am Green” and “Greenbook.”
Calculate your carbon footprint: www.climatecrisis.net.
Watch An Inconvenient Truth.
Donate/get involved in an environmental organization!