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Take your dry cleaning to an organic dry cleaner.
Invest in United Natural Foods (UNFI) www.unfi.com. Did you know they were just voted 1 of 12 companies to have the highest stock returns over the next 10 years?! They are the biggest natural foods distributor in the county (unfortunately, they've created a monopoly).
Ride your bike instead of using an electric exercise machine at the gym.
Visit your neighborhood farmers market before heading to the supermarket. Buying locally eliminates a lot of packaging, transportation and (very likely) pesticides and other toxins.
Eat out at the following restaurants that use locally grown organic produce (and thank them for doing so!): Cashion's (Adams Morgan), Nora's (Florida & 22nd), Asia Nora's (23rd & M), Coppi's Pizza (14th + U Street), Tabbard Inn (17th and N), Strathmore Music Center (in Bethesda), Cafe St. Ex (14th & R), Bar Pilar (14th Street), Hook (Georgetown), Agraria (Georgetown waterfront on K Street).
Put all of your lights on dimmer switches.
Use solar landscaping lighting outside or solar flood lights.
Supplying orange juice takes 4 times more energy than providing fresh oranges and wastes a lot of the fruit. For the same amount of juice plus fiber and without all of the packaging and required refrigeration, eat whole fruit instead of drinking juice. Besides, unless you are drinking freshly squeezed juice, the carbohydrates and sugar count will continue to climb until the juice is consumed.
Get to know BiddingForGood.com. Bid on great prizes while helping non-profits at the same time.
When you've forgotten your resolution to stay or get svelte, indulge in Ben & Jerry's ice cream and help Lick Global Warming . This site helps engage you in letter writing campaigns to Congress and other elected officials.
On your next vacation or business trip,go the route of ecotourism and sustainable tourism: find hotels - bed and breakfasts, resorts, motels, lodges, and inns - worldwide that are committed to the environment and greening of the hospitality industry.
Wearing Flip-flops saves up to 3 wash loads of sweaty socks each year.
Wash laundry in cold water.
Buy a wire clothes drying rack (IKEA has them for about $29). You might find it necessary to throw the clothes into the dryer for a 10-minute cycle before they are completely dry to get rid of lint. You'll still have that awesome fresh outdoors smell.
Ask companies to ship your product in a used box rather than a brand new box.
Rather than recharging your cell phone or computer overnight, plug it in while you're preparing and eating dinner and washing dishes. Make it a ritual to unplug before dinner and definitely before going to bed. It really only takes an hour or two to recharge most devices.
Get into the habit of unplugging all lights and electrical devices before going to bed...
and use an alarm clock that only operates on rechargable batteries.
Grasscycling - Just mow & go. Leaving grass clippings on the lawn is a lot more efficient than picking up and placing the clippings in paper bags for curbside collection (and think of the energy involved in that!). Fear thatch not: Improper watering (in the evening) or leaving materials that do not decompose quickly is what causes thatch - whereas grass clippings are 75-85% water; they decompose quickly and release valuable nutrients back into the soil while also reducing the need for watering. For proper grasscycling, follow these simple tips: Use a mulching mower (or extra sharp blades) that will cut the grass into finer pieces. Cut no more than one third of the length of the blade of grass at a time and maintain the grass at a height of two to three inches, depending on the type of grass. During the growing season, mow at least once a week when the grass is dry for better distribution – less clumping.
When using the oven, plan to cook two meals at once or make enough to plan leftovers for the next day.
Cook one-pot meals such as soups - and make plenty for 2-3 days.
Contact your utility company to buy wind power for your house or apartment for as little as an extra $5 a month. One of the best benefits of purchasing wind power is how easy it is to measure the positive environmental impact you are making on your utility bill. When you use wind power instead of electricity produced by burning fossil fuel, no pollution is released into the air.In 1997, U.S. power plants emitted 70% of the sulfur dioxide, 34% of carbon dioxide, 33% of nitrogen oxides, 28% of particulate matter and 23% of toxic heavy metals released into our nation's environment, mostly the air, in order to provide electricity for our homes, offices and organizations. Despite so-called clean coal and other filtering technologies, these numbers are getting worse not better.
Reuse glass jars for storing your pantry items. It looks a lot less cluttered! Label the jars so that empty jar will serve as a quick reminder on your shopping day to buy more. Some small health food stores will allow you to use the jars to fill up your bulk items, weigh the jar beforehand and discount the weight at the scale; otherwise, reuse the plastic bags you use at the grocer for filling up on builk items.
On the same note, reuse pretty wine or water bottles as flower vases (particularly nice for outdoor dining), soak the bottles in with your dishes to remove the labels.
And, another use for those wine or water bottles: bury the neck end into about 4" of compacted dirt in your garden, one after another, and create a garden border with different colored bottles.
Take the pledge to Burn Calories Not Carbon by walking and biking more and driving less. Sign up at www.railstotrails.org/pledge.
Put a brick in your toilet tank, it'll require less water to fill up the tank.
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