15 Eco-Friendly Tips to Reduce Your Impact on the Environment

Following are 15 tips to help you reduce your impact on the environment.

1. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. If you’re only picking up a couple of items that can easily be carried, forego a bag all together.

2. Remember the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. If your school doesn’t have a recycling program, find out what it would take to implement one.

3. Conserving energy is important. Remember to turn off the lights when you leave a room. Unplug chargers or electronic devices that are not in use.

4. When meeting up with friends, carpool rather than driving individual cars.

5. Be aware of how items are packaged. Buying items with the least amount of packaging helps to keep waste out of landfills.

6. To reduce your water use, turn off the faucet while you brush your teeth and take shorter showers.

7. If you bring your lunch to school, use a reusable container.

8. Encourage your family to reduce your household energy use by placing your thermostat on a lower setting in the winter and on a higher setting in the summer.

9. Reduce the amount of paper you use by printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. Re-use paper printed on one side by using the opposite side as scrap paper. Remember to recycle paper after you are done with it.

10. Dispose of leftover paint, chemicals, batteries, or electronic devices properly. Many cities have special collection dates for these types of items, or have a designated site where these items can be dropped off.

11. When helping out with the chores, don’t run the laundry machine or dishwasher until the machines are fully loaded.

12.  Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights(CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Be sure to dispose of CFLs properly.

13. Use a reusable water bottle rather than disposable water bottles. Staying hydrated is important, and so is keeping unnecessary trash out of the landfill. If you don’t like the taste of tap water, invest in a faucet-mounted filter or a water pitcher with a filter.

14. Take public transit, walk, or bike to your destination whenever possible.

15. Start a compost pile with your household waste. Compost is an excellent source of soil for gardening projects.