with apologies for the small print
61. Buy used items whenever possible
62. Loan and borrow items from neighbors
63. Buy recycled products: go to rummage sales, thrift shops, ebay items, etc.
64. Grow your own food
65. Buy locally grown and produced foods
66. Avoid buying unnecessary electrical products
67. Give hand-made gifts during the holidays
68. Invest in a quality razor and change the blade, or use an electric razor, rather than a disposable one
69. Buy goods that can be recycled
70. Buy clothes that do not need to be dry-cleaned
71. Check out your local stores before heading to the mall
Sustainable transportation
72. Carpool, using available carpool boards or visiting www.erideshare.com. Consider starting a carpool board at your church or place of work.
73. Keep tires on your car fully inflated
74. Reduce speed when driving. Use cruise control to maintain your speed
75. Avoid running your car on empty
76. Avoid idling, and sudden starts and stops
77. Park in the shade.
78. Don’t carry around heavy items in your car that you don’t need
79. Walk and bike to destinations
80. Use public transportation
81. Buy a fuel efficient car
82. Work from home, telecommute
83. Take vacations closer to home. Once you get there, stay put, or use transit to get around.
84. Encourage your high school aged students to carpool or take the bus to school
Reduce chemical contamination
85. Stop using pesticide containing products on your lawn or in your home
86. Make your own cleaning fluids from less harmful materials
87. Buy organic produce
88. Reduce meat meals
89. Unclog drains with metal snake or plunger, not toxic drain openers
90. Use latex or water-based paints. Donate leftovers to the Winona County Health Department or to the Restore Store
91. Use traps or baits and seal places where insects can enter your house.
92. Throw out harsh chemical cleaners and scented household cleaners. Use mild, unscented detergents for clothes and avoid fabric softeners
93. Stop using air fresheners and deodorizers. They mask odors and add pollutants to the air
94. Reduce consumption of fish known to be high in contamination (Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or albacore tuna).
95. Dispose of hazardous waste at your local environmental health department
96. Do not burn trash
97. Avoid toxic materials in hobbies, arts or crafts. For example, rubber cement contains hexane, a hazardous air pollutant.
98. Trim the fats off meats, since they can concentrate hazardous materials
Support renewable energy
99. Pay extra on your electric bill to support wind programs offered by some utilities.
100. Network and learn from other homeowners who have diverted part of their energy demand to solar collectors
101. Buy or build your own solar cooker
1. Use cloth shopping bags
2. Use cloth rather than paper for cleaning
3. Donate clean, useable household materials to thrift shops or The Restore Store
4. Leave grass clippings on the lawn
5. Compost kitchen waste with leaves
6. Repair items instead of throwing them away
7. Use reusable containers
8. Reduce junk mail, send postcards to junk mailers asking to be removed from their lists.
9. Obtain annual reports, financial statements, etc. online.
10. Filter water at home, put in glass containers, rather than buying water in disposable bottles.
11. Buy products with less packaging. This often means buying in bulk.
12. Recycle
13. Use re-usable plates and silverware for potlucks and parties.
14. Buy high mileage tires and maintain proper air pressure.
15. Use cotton instead of disposable diapers
16. Buy beverages in returnable containers
17. Save copied paper and use the other side
Conserve and clean up water
18. Install water efficient shower heads
19. Take shorter showers, fewer showers. Take showers instead of baths.
20. Don’t water the lawn
21. Find and repair water leaks in your home
22. Reduce number of toilet flushes
23. Run the clothes washer with a full load
24. Set out frozen food to defrost, rather than defrosting under running water
25. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth
26. Don’t pre-rinse dishes before loading the dishwasher
27. Chill drinking water in the refrigerator
28. Replace older toilets with low-flow models
29. Outfit all hoses with automatic shut-off nozzles
30. Water during the coolest time of the day to reduce evaporation
31. Sweep driveways instead of hosing them down
32. Consider buying a rain barrel to catch water from your gutter system to use on plants
33. Landscape your yard with drought tolerant plants
34. Cover your pool or hot tub when not in use
35. Mulch garden plants, and use drip watering systems to reduce overwatering
Save household energy use
36. Run dishwasher only when full
37. Turn off computer monitor when not in use
38. Turn off computer at night
39. Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lamps
40. Turn off lights when not in use
41. Add weather stripping and caulk
42. Use space heaters in hard-to-heat rooms
43. Close off rooms that you aren’t using
44. Adequately insulate attic, walls, basement, crawl spaces, and floors
45. Change your furnace filters regularly
46. Have your heating system professionally tuned.
47. Set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees (warm setting)
48. Draw the curtains in your rooms on hot days during the summer
49. Install energy efficient appliances, look for the Energy Star rating
50. Consider using a window fan, which requires 1/10 the energy of an air conditioner.
51. Get a clothes line, and use it during the summer
52. Caulk window air conditioners thoroughly. Remove during the cooling season.
53. Install storm windows and doors
54. In the summer, open windows at night to take advantage of cooler air. Install an attic fan, if possible
55. Use a microwave or toaster oven for smaller meals
56. Keep your freezer stocked, it operates more efficiently when full
57. Defrost your freezer when ice is more than ¼ inch thick
58. Keep the oven door shut while cooking
59. Only use hot water in washing when clothes are very dirty.
60. Use trees and shading to help shade your home and reduce cooling costs