Conservation You Can Do Today

Conservation in the Workplace  

• Start an office recycling program for office and computer paper, cardboard, etc.
• Use scrap paper for informal notes to yourself and others
• Print things on recycled paper
• Print or copy on both sides of the paper
• Use smaller paper for smaller memos
• Re-use manila envelopes and file folders
• Use mugs rather than paper cups or Styrofoam cups
• Route things around the office or post non-urgent communications rather than making multiple copies
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator
• Put a bird feeder outside your office window
• Ask your business to recycle paper, aluminum, plastic, cell phones, printer cartridges and other materials

When You're Shopping

• Don't buy food or household products in plastic or Styrofoam containers if there's an alternative (milk and egg cartons, vegetable oils, butter tubs, etc.) They can't be recycled and they don't break down in the environment.
• Don't buy "disposable" anything. Paper plates and towels, Styrofoam cups, etc. are extravagant wastes of the world's resources.
• If you must buy disposables, buy paper products rather than plastics or Styrofoam.
• Check the energy rating on major appliances you buy.
• Read labels and buy the least toxic product available (if absolutely necessary) for cleaning, pest control and other jobs.
• Put your parcels into one big sack instead of collecting several small ones, or better yet, take your own canvas totes with you when you shop.
• Don't buy things with excess packaging (individually wrapped cheese slices, apples on a paper tray wrapped with cellophane, etc.)
• Don't be afraid to ask questions about products. Don't buy products that are hazardous to the environment or that were manufactured at the expense of important animal habitat.
• Buy locally grown food and locally made products when possible.
• Don't buy products that come from endangered animals.
• Don’t buy exotic pets

Conserve Resources While You Travel

In Your Car
In the United States, the highway and road system is important to all of us. But road construction and the increase of cars and time spent driving has taken a toll on our wildlife and natural landscapes. You can help stop this by:

• Carpool
• Use public transit whenever available
• Ride your bike or walk instead
• Buy a more gas efficient car
• Drive only when necessary and turn your car off if you are stopping for an extended period to avoid wasting gas
• Try not to use drive through food stations. Park the car and go inside to keep your car from idling while in the drive-through line
• Keep your car tuned up
• Keep a small trash bag in your car for recycling plastic and aluminum during your trip
• Recycle your engine oil and your vehicles battery
• You can recycle your boat oil and batteries as well
• Keep your tires properly inflated to save gas
• Recycle your old tires
• Keep your wheels in alignment to save your tires
• Don't litter

Traveling
As you plan your next trip, you can still be as good an environmentalist away as you are at home. More and more hotels and motels are practicing earth-friendly behaviors, like offering recycling bins in each room, reducing energy and water use, offering shuttle buses to cut down on guests’ rental car use, and reducing disposable containers.

• If possible, try to patronize hotels that participate in green programs (check out www.greenhotels.com). If your hotel isn’t environmentally friendly, ask the manager to get on board!
• Meanwhile, here are some other ways to be a “green” traveler:
• Turn down the heat and turn off the water heater before you leave home
• Turn off the lights and turn up the thermostat when you leave your hotel room
• Hang your towels back on the rack to be used another day. Many hotels allow you to choose this option during your stay.
• Whenever possible, walk, bike, or use public transportation
• Ask your airline to recycle newspaper, cans, and bottles
• Carry re-usable cups, dishes, and flatware
• At the beach, pick up trash; make sure yours doesn't end up in the ocean
• Don't pick flowers or collect wild animals
• Don't buy souvenirs which are made from wild animals
• Watch out for wildlife crossing the road
• Build smaller camp fires
  

If we all do our part, we can minimize the impact our vacations have on the environment.