What are some simple and easy ways to be more environment friendly?

Question

For a 13 year old, so nothing to do with driving, cause I cant :)

Answer 1

I have a HUUUUGE list available at www agua-luna com it's like 33 pages long and would just spam this whole answer. But here's a few cut from the list below. if you'd like the entire list feel free to visit www agua-luna com or email me through the site directly and I’ll send you a copy.

Also Agua-Luna com now offers Carbon Offsetting Credits, since our Team of Volunteers is already accomplishing several carbon eliminating projects, we’re now converting the carbon offsets to you. Visit www agua-luna com for a FREE carbon calculator to calculate your carbon footprint for free and more info on carbon credits.

You could also Volunteer with us, planting a tree or working on a Sustainable Renewable Energy Building Project in Mexico with us. Again see www agua-luna com for more info.

I also do some free consulting, there's more info on the site about that too. Here’s some more ways to help the environment…

Recycle paper, cardboard, newsprint and magazines.

Recycle aluminum cans.

Recycle all batteries.

Recycle and reuse. Roughly 50% of the average person's trash can be recycled. Don't forget that hazardous waste like batteries, your printer's ink cartridges, and cell phones can be recycled too! Find out how and where to recycle in your area. Always buy recycled paper. Just 1 ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees.

Just because your community doesn't pick up all recyclables on the curb, it doesn't mean there are not viable alternatives nearby. Check with dry cleaners, supermarkets, manufacturers, your local public works department and civic organizations to find out where recycled goods can be dropped off, at a location near you.

Did you know that just in 1995 alone, recycled toner cartridges kept over 21,000 tons of trash out of landfills? Believe it or not, now you can recycle your printer's toner cartridges! Every year, Americans throw out enough printer cartridges to stretch from Los Angeles to New York City and back again. Toner cartridges can be recycled, having just as good a performance as an unrecycled cartridge. To recycle your toner cartridges, find a local business that does printer cartridge recycling, or contact the manufacturer of your current toner cartridge and ask about a cartridge recycling program.

Not only should you recycle, but buy products that are recycled. By purchasing these products, you are helping to conserve natural resources, and to protect the environment.

Wash clothes in cold water.

Hot water is unnecessary for most clothes. When needed, use warm water.

Fill your toilet tank.

Put a plastic bottle or two, filled with water and rocks, in your tank to reduce the amount of water used in each flush.

Clean your filters.

Clean the filters of your air-conditioners once a month to improve energy efficiency. While you’re at it, change your car’s filters as recommended in your manual.

Get a low-flow shower head.

Stop at the hardware store on your way home, and get a low-flow shower head. Takes a few minutes to install, and it’ll save gallons of water a day.

Lower your thermostats.

If you use heating, get by with less heat and wear warmer clothes. If you use air-conditioning, get by with less cooling and wear cooler clothes.

If it’s a nice sunny day, hanging clothes only takes a few minutes, and you’re using solar power instead of electricity to do the job. It also makes your clothes last longer.

Turn down your water heater.

Most people have their water heater’s thermostat turned up too high, wasting energy. Turn it down to 130 degrees, saving energy but still hot enough to kill bacteria.

Use CFC light bulbs.

If your light bulb burns out, replace it with a Compact Flourescent bulb (those spiral-looking ones). They’re more expensive, but if you just replace them one at a time, it doesn’t cost much, and the energy savings is great. And as they last longer, over the long run, you’ll save money.

Wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes.

Follow your community's water use restrictions or guidelines.

Install a low-flow shower head.

If you are not looking to change your car just yet there are a number of ways you can be more environmentally friendly and help you save money by conserving fuel.

Lighten your car to reduce weight by not carrying unnecessary items.

Cut your speed and stick to the speed limits

Drive smoothly avoiding heavy accelerating and braking.

When stationary for a long time, switch off the engine.

Closing windows will make the car more efficient by being more aerodynamic.  Remove roof bars when not is use also helps.

Make sure your tyres are properly inflated as under inflated tyres cause more resistance.

Where possible, walk, cycle or even use public transport.  

If possible lift share to reduce the number of cars on the road.

Try mass transit.

Millions of people use it, and it saves tons of fuel. If you don’t already, give it a try.

Unload your car.

Remove excess weight from your car (such as stuff that might be in the trunk) to reduce the amount of fuel you use.

Walk instead of drive.

You don’t have to do this all the time, but walking the short trip to a store, or to lunch from work, or some other short trip like that, can reduce the amount of fuel you use over the long term, and you shed some fat at the same time. Or at least burn off that morning donut.

Buy a smaller car.

You won’t be able to do this today, probably, but the next time you’re in the market for an automobile, get a smaller and energy-efficient car rather than a big, lumbering one. It’s one of the best things you can do to reduce your fuel consumption.

Inflate your tires.

Many people don’t realize that their tires are under-inflated. Check the recommended pressure for your tires, and fill them up to that pressure. It only takes a few minutes, but it will save you on fuel consumption (a little) and more importantly, make your tires last longer and reduce the rubber that’s worn off your tires.

Get creative with gift-giving. The gift of time, services, or environmentally positive gifts may be more appreciated than disposable goods that are not to the taste or needs of the recipient.

Look into those lifestyle changes you’ve been putting off

Work from home more. Many organisations, when prodded a little, will accept flexible work arrangements where there is no impact to the work that needs to get done.

Use your oven less.

The oven not only uses a lot of energy, it heats up your kitchen, requiring more cooling. Instead, use toaster ovens, crockpots, microwaves, and electric grills when you can. And when you do use your oven, open it less - you lose 25% of the heat every time you open the oven door.

Mend your stuff.

Try not to throw stuff away and buy new stuff if the old stuff can be fixed. Torn clothing? Takes a few minutes to sew up.

Install a water filter.

If you buy a lot of bottled water, use your tap instead. Some places need a filter to make tap water taste drinkable, but they don’t cost much and they can save money, water, and plastic bottles over time.

Unplug appliances.

If you don’t use an appliance several times a day, it’s better to unplug it, as they often use energy even when turned off

Use rechargeable batteries.

Instead of throwing your batteries away all the time, reuse rechargeable batteries. Costs a little more, but cheaper in the long run.

When you’re looking to buy appliances, be sure to research the most energy-efficient ones. They may cost a little more, but they’ll more than make up for that in the long run with lower energy bills.

Buy a smaller home.

The next time you’re home-shopping, instead of buying the McMansion, look for a smaller home that’s big enough to meet your needs comfortably. Reducing the amount of stuff you own is a good way to need less house. It’s cheaper, and requires less energy to heat and cool. And easier to clean at the same time.

Look for energy efficiency.

Use acryllic paint.

Compost.

It’s not hard to set one up (look it up online), and you can save a lot of waste from the landfill and help your garden at the same time

Water grass early in the morning.

Reduces the amount of water you need to keep your grass looking fabulous.

Plant shade trees near your house.

It’ll take awhile before they can make a difference, but shade trees greatly reduce the need to cool a home.

Coat your roof.

This’ll take up an afternoon, but you only have to do it once every few years. And it’ll save you a lot of money and energy in heating and cooling over the long-term, more than making up for the cost of paint.

Avoid fast food.

Instead, eat at home or at a sit-down restaurant. Fast food restaurants are one of the worst polluters of the environment, both in the massive amounts of beef they must raise, in the wasted packaging, and in the energy they use in so many ways. And they’re tremendously unhealthy.

Buy a manual reel mower or electric mower.

If you’re looking for a new lawn mower, and you have a small yard, consider getting a manual one. They’re much advanced from the reel mowers of our grandparents’ generation, much quieter, cheaper, and they save on fuel and pollution. Electric mowers are also quieter and use much less energy.

Clean up.

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at  www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin

Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World...  

Answer 2

Everyone's answers are great. I just have one more to share:

-Take your own bags when you go shopping

Answer 3

Walk or ride a bike for short trips

dont use drive thrus go in instead  

Answer 4

1.Recycle

2.Reuse

3.Reduce waste

4.Don't buy milk or juice in cartons since these cant be recycled buy them in something like a glass bottle or plastic bottle instead.

5.Use solar products

6.Turn of your TV and go read a book instead

7.Turn of a light when no one is in the room

8.Take a quick shower instead of a long bath

9.Take the bus instead of a car because for example it holds 10 people and uses as much gas as 1 car instead of 10 people separated in 1 car which will ruin our atmosphere

10.Turn of your computer instead of leaving it on standby

11.Walk to school or ride your bike instead of the bus and car (if it is near)

12.Use environment friendly products

13.When buying electronics make sure they have an energy star logo or another energy saving company logo

14.Only turn on the washing machine or dish washer when full

15.Buy organic cotton clothes or buy second hand clothes

16.Adopt an animal from the pound for the holidays

17.Get something in which to collect rain water then with this water use it to water your plants or something

18.Water your plants in the early morning or early evening to prevent evaporation

19.Set up a recycling club in your school to make others recycle

20.Dont leave the tap running when brushing your teeth

21.Take a lunch box to school instead of paper bags or buy somehting to eat from the school canteen

22.Take exercise outdoors rather than outdoors this saves the lighting needed indoors

23.Buy free range eggs

24.Instead of buying a packaged sandwhich make one your own

25.Most of all join clubs and commities for saving animals or recycling

Dont forget that every little thing you do makes a big difference!

Here are some sites and books you can get awesome suggestions

go to these sites and get these books

treehugger.com

green.alltop.com

ecomall.com

ecochoices.com

naturalcollection.com

theorganicpages.com

newdream.org

coopamerica.com

ens-newswire.com

foe.org

environmentaldefense.org

epa.gov

awionline.org

catgen.com/ifat/en

fairtrade.net

charmoneshoes.com

branchhome.com

econsciousmarket.com

furnature.com

methodhome.com

modgreenpod.com

mrsmeyers.com

milkpaint.com

gcollection.com

paporganics.com

vivattera.com

theorganicmattressstore.com

farmaesthetics.com

jason-naturals.com

juicebeauty.com

pageaorganics.com

abundantearth.com

greenearthcleaning.com

chelsea-girl.com

prana.com

bepresent.com

coolnotcruel.com

mociun.com

johnpatrickorganic.com

indigenousdesigns.com

albabotanica.com

gaiam.com

satarainc.com

hankettes.com

greenhome.com

earth911.com

intentblog.com

recycline.com

lavera.com

aveda.com

natracare.com

organicessentials.com

drhauschka.com

johnmasters.com

aubrey-organics.com

hugonatural.com

annasova.com

coyuchiorganic.com

kocandels.com

equiterre.org?en

intentblog.com

babuhome.com

naturaleurope.com

farewellmysubaru.com

solarnation.org

localharvest.org?csa

dripworks.com

cspinet.org

search.caringconsumer.com

just keep cutting and pasting my friend you will find what you need especially on treehugger.com and ecomall.com its a amazing resource but dont discount green.alltop.com either because it is a site that has major green sites all in one place that is a link to them and is updated daily i love it

books

365 ways to change the world : how to make a difference--one day at a time / Michael Norton

500 ways to change the world / Global Ideas Bank ; edited and compiled by Nick Temple

Farewell, my Subaru : an epic adventure in local living / Doug Fine

Go green, live rich : 50 simple ways to save the Earth and get rich trying / David Bach, with Hillary Rosner.

The green book : the everyday guide to saving the planet one simple step at a time / Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen with a foreword by Cameron Diaz and William McDonough

Green living : the E magazine handbook for living lightly on the earth / by the editors of E/the environmental magazine

It's easy being green : a handbook for earth-friendly living / Crissy Trask ; illustrations by Mike Clelland.

The lazy environmentalist : your guide to easy, stylish, green living / Josh Dorfman

Making kind choices : everyday ways to enhance your life through earth- and animal-friendly living / Ingrid Newkirk ; foreword by Paul McCartney.

MySpace OurPlanet : change is possible / by the MySpace community ; with Jeca Taudte ; foreword by Tom Anderson

Worldchanging : a user's guide for the 21st century / edited by Alex Steffen ; foreword by Al Gore ; design by Sagmeister

Ethical markets : growing the green economy / Hazel Henderson with Simran Sethi ; foreword by Hunter Lovins

Sustainable planet : solutions for the twenty-first century / edited by Juliet B. Schor and Betsy Taylor

trust me there all excellent books i love them and they have alot of info

Answer 5

Look online at which companies are more energy effeciant and buy from them.

Answer 6

- turn off the water when you're brushing your teeth, only turn it on to rinse.

- instead of running tap water until it's cool enough for a glass of water, keep a bottle of water in the fridge.

- make gifts from recycled materials

- wrap gifts in newspaper or the comics

- use notebooks and paper made from recycled products

- turn off lights when you are not in a room

- turn off the tv when you're not watching it.

- put on a sweater instead of turning up the heat

- donate clothes and other things you don't want anymore to a thrift shop

- read books from the library instead of buying them.

- learn all you can about energy conservation and recycling.

- tear up junk mail to use as scrap paper.

- help your parents sort for recycling on garbage day or to bring to the dump.

- walk or bike it when you can versus have your parents drive you to conserve gas.

- don't buy things you don't need.

- cut up your old or stained clothes to use as rags.

- use cloth napkins instead of paper

- only use paper towels when you absolutely have to.

- take a bag with you to pick up trash when you walk somewhere.

Answer 7

Don't waste paper.  It takes trees to make paper.  

Answer 8

1) turn off lights or use them less

2) install energy saving light bulbs

3)try planting some things either around your house or even inside

4)dont waste food (less wasted food means more room in land fills that could be used for trees)

5)unplug things when not in use like t.v. (they actually use more electricity when they are unplugged)

these are some things i try to do i am 13 too i said that i couldnt do a lot of things because i am young but we really can if we try....good luck going green =]