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1. Use less water! The little things can make a big difference. Every time you turn off the water while you're brushing your teeth, you're doing something good. Got a leaky toilet? You might be wasting 200 gallons of water a day. Try drinking tap water instead of bottled water, so you aren't wasting all that packaging as well. Wash your clothes in cold water when you can. Also, try to avoid using a hose pipe – use a watering can instead to concentrate on the areas you need watering and try to water first thing before the sun is up to reduce water wasted to evaporation.
2. Use fewer chemicals! Chemicals used to wash our bodies, homes, cars and everything else get washed down the drain or absorbed in the grass, and eventually end up in the water supply. Since most people use heavy-duty chemicals for all sorts of things, chemicals are doing real damage to waterways and aquatic life. The chemicals aren't good for humans, either, so do your best to cut back on them.
3. Recycle!There are ways to recycle just about anything you want to get rid of! Aluminum cans, foil, bakeware, steel cans and tins, corrugated cardboard, magazines, newspapers, glass bottles/jars, batteries, TVs, cell phones, and more! Find more information on what all you can recycle here.
4. Donate! For anything that can't be recycled by your city collection such as clothes, movies, furniture, toys, books, etc, think about donating to a local charity like Goodwill, or even to a school library (books) or even an orphanage or shelter for those in need or going through hard times! Just because you no longer need the items, doesn't mean they're not still needed by others!
5. Xeriscape! Xeriscaping is the practice of landscaping and gardening with water conservation in mind. Contrary to popular misconception, the word is not Zero-scape as in uses no water. Xeriscape is derived from the Greek root word xeros meaning dry and literally means dry landscape. It’s perfect for areas that are susceptible to drought, where water conservation is practiced, or simply for the environmentally sensitive gardener who respects the judicious use of all natural resources.
6. Drive less! Walk or ride your bike to work, school and anywhere you can. You can reduce greenhouse gases while burning some calories and improving your health. If you can't walk or bike, use mass transit or carpool. Every car not on the road makes a difference. Your actions DO matter!
7. Pick up trash! Obviously, we don't want to litter in the first place, but for when you do see trash on the ground, it's easy to pick up a piece you find on your morning run, your evening dog walk, or you could work with a local volunteer organization or friends to organize a bulk clean-up of your favorite park, schoolgrounds, etc!
8. Replant trees or help grow community gardens! Every tree we plant, helps to better our oxygen all over. Every garden we grow locally encourages and teaches children how to grow their own food, naturally, and provides clean, pesticide-free, produce that is available to all that may not be able to afford their own healthy foods!
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