Simple and sustainable choices

Part of the concept of sustainable thinking involves helping people consider and implement simple choices that can have positive environmental impact. The tips and ideas below are ways to help the environment, without requiring radical change, extraordinary cost, or major effort. If you have additional ideas you want to contribute, please post them as comments.

Here are some easy ways to help the environment, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and encourage sustainable thinking by others:

1. Use a reusable water bottle and coffee mug.If you are not already doing this already, why are you waiting? Many of the billions of bottles that get used annually as disposable water bottles make it to landfills. Sadly, some people actually think it is “trendy” to buy water in a disposable bottle, throw it out, and buy another. They may even think it’s convenient. It’s far more convenient to buy a reusable bottle you like with a fun design (BPA free options are made from various manufactures in plastic, aluminum and stainless tell alternatives) and refill it with tap water or filtered water. You will save the environment and help make a statement about sustainability at work and at play.
2. Keep the tire pressure in your tires at recommended levels. This simple change improves fuel economy and reduces wasted gas and fossil fuels.
3. Bag your groceries or go the farmer’s market with your own bags. Even if you find a reason not to do this, at least reuse and recycle the bags you get from the grocery store as your recycling bags at home (keeps you from wasting a garbage bag to put your recycling in)
4. Buy locally. This step, in groceries and other products, reduces the fossil fuels wasted in transportation and distribution, and helps sustain the local economy. Often, foods grown locally are more fresh, and may even have less preservatives and taste better! Plus you are helping keep your neighbor in business. This is sustainable thinking at its finest.
5. Reduce your commuting / transportation impact. Consider a ride-share or mass transit as an alternative to getting to work, even once a week if you can’t do it more often. Or, get your exercise and reduce the harm to the environment by taking your bike to the corner store or to go to dinner or to the movie, rather than taking a car. Great way for fun, exercise, an and opportunity to enjoy the very outdoors we all want to preserve.
6. Recycle and reuse.This one sounds like a no-brainer, and yet it is often overlooked or just not done. Look around your home and office, and pay attention to whether newspapers, office paper, plastics, glass, and cans are being recycled consistently. If not, it’s time to make a change!
7. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. Not only are compact fluorescents better for the environment, due to their long life and massively reduced energy consumption, but they will reduce your electric bill in the process. If you haven’t already started using them, you would be surprised how many styles and sizes have become available in recent years – this is truly an easy, cost-effective, and cost-reducing change. It’s good for you, and good for the environment.
8. Compost or mulch your grass clippings. Rather than piling lawn clippings into plastic bags to discard, why not mulch them, use them as compost, or find another way to make sure they are recycled back into the ground.
9. Plant a tree. This almost sounds cliche, but trees take in CO2 and they produce oxygen. In a perfectly orchestrated balance in nature, we breathe out oxygen and breathe out CO2. The simple math tells you more trees = good for humans and the environment. Go plant a tree!
10. Turn off lights and power to appliances. Again, this is a simple change – don’t leave lights or other power-consuming devices on when you don’t need them. If you want to also avoid the “residual drain” that many appliances have where they continually consume small amounts of power, plug your electronic devices into a power strip that you can shut off when you don’t need them powered on.

For now, that is our top-ten list of eco-friendly simple changes to helping make a healthier and more sustainable environment. Please add your ideas and tips in the comments below. Also, make sure your friends are informed of these tips, and encourage them to visit SustainableThinking.org, or link them to this blog.