NO DRIVE DAY

Honda Fit

Reduce the CO2 you put into the atmosphere. Don't drive one day a week.

Pictured above is my little Honda Fit. If I travel 12,000 miles a year in it, I put 7,826 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

That's an average of 21 pounds a day.

Supposing I chose NOT TO DRIVE one day a week. I could reduce my carbon emissions per year by as much as 1,092 pounds.

By the way, my Honda Fit is tiny and efficient. I wonder how much carbon dioxide your car puts into the atmosphere? If you're curious, here's a calculator.

Are you wondering how 6 pounds of gasoline can become 21 pounds of CO2? Check out the explanation here .

Don't Spend

Plan to spend a day now and then without consuming anything bought with money.

You will be suprised how easy it is to get by on things you've grown, made or simply had around for ages.

Celebrate Buy Nothing Day on the fourth Thursday of November each year. Better still, make every fourth Thursday a Buy Nothing day.

Now -- 4 R's

Australia has added a fourth R – Refuse. Simply put: Don’t buy stuff you don’t need. And, when you do make a purchase, bring your own bags.

Shopping

Analyze your grocery cart each time you shop. Check that you are choosing products with less packaging, buying only food you'll actually eat, and selecting foods grown in healthy ways.

Waterwise

Sweep Sidewalks! You can save 25-50 gallons of good drinking water by using a broom to clean sidewalks and driveways instead of a hose. Hoses can deliver 5 gallons of water a minute!

Eco-Food

Make eco-friendly food choices. Encourage use of the 100-mile diet: local first; organic for high consumption foods. When ordering lunch for an office meeting, how about going vegetarian (or even vegan, if you dare)? Cutting down on meat can have a huge impact on the health of the planet.

Easy, Green Ideas
"One planet, one experiment." E. O. Wilson

Eliminate Plastic Bags When Buying Produce

Reusable mesh bags are perfect for produce. Use them every time you shop and you will save over 150 plastic bags a year. This is a feel-good item. You can order them in packs of 10 on Ebay here

Inflate Your Tires

Keep your tires inflated to improve gas mileage by 3 percent. Every gallon you save also saves 20 pounds of C02 emissions.

Slow Down

Driving at 80 kph is 25 percent more fuel-efficient than driving at 110 kph. And you are much less likely to wrap the car around a tree!

At The Check-Out

Check what you have in your basket. Before you commit to buying, ask yourself whether you need each item in the basket. If there is something you are buying on a whim, put it back. And remember to reward yourself with doing something special like going for a walk or taking time out of the day to read for pleasure.

Consider Renewable Textiles

When you are buying clothes, check out the newer textiles made from hemp, bamboo, or modal (made from the cellulose found in beech trees). These environmental fabrics are as long-wearing and as soft and appealing as are many synthetics.

Vegetarian Once a Week

no beef One less meat-based meal a week helps the planet and your diet. For example: It requires 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef.

You will also save trees. For each hamburger that originated from animals raised on rainforest land, approximately 55 square feet of forest have been destroyed.

Give Material-Free Gifts

Give "green" gifts that require no wrapping. Give an experience rather than a product:

concert tickets
lessons
gift certificates
digital subscriptions to magazines
memberships

Declare War

Declare war on packaging. Buy non-perishables in bulk packages or from bulk bin stores.

Point out severely-overpackaged products to the retailers. It's likely they'll look again at their purchasing decision if you point the packaging out -- it's not in their interest to lose customer goodwill.

Go Green with Computers

Keep computer equipment up-to-date, because newer options save more energy than even devices that are less than two years old.
Select energy saving computers and monitors when purchasing new equipment, such as Energy Star compliant options.
Consider replacing desktop computers with laptops, as laptops are more energy efficient.
Turn off and unplug computers when not in use.