12 Tips for Living Greener

Made a resolution to live more sustainably and be kinder to the environment, but not sure how to set priorities? A sustainability expert has some simple answers.

Matt Malten, assistant vice chancellor for campus sustainability at Washington University in St. Louis. Missouri, put out these straightforward tips in a campus newsletter. They are easy to follow, and could save you money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"Focus on reducing your energy and water consumption and your waste generation, and you'll be on your way to reducing your footprint on the planet," Malten advised.

They’re an easy way to develop a sustainable lifestyle that doesn’t cost the Earth.

12 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

1. Use Fluorescent Light Bulbs: Although more expensive than incandescent bulbs, if you change your incandescents for compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) you could save up to 30 percent on your energy bill.

2. Keep your Car in Excellent Condition: Of course, it's best to walk, bicycle, carpool or use mass transit for daily commuting, but if you must use your car, improve its fuel mileage by keeping your tires properly inflated and changing oil and air filters regularly. And follow the traffic laws — your car burns less fuel when you obey the speed limit.

3. Run your Dishwasher, Clothes Washer or Dryer only when They Are Full: These major appliances consume large amounts of energy, so save energy and water and only run them with full loads.

4. Wash Clothes in Cold Water and Line Dry: Using cold water in the washer saves electricity and works just as well as hot with most clothes. Line drying not only saves power and is more environmentally friendly, but will also keep clothes from shrinking and fading. If you don’t have access to a clothesline, a clothes rack or clotheshorse will do the job,

5. Shut Down and Unplug Idle Electronics on Standby: If there's a light on, it's still using energy. Turn off and unplug your computer, printer, television, radio — any electronic device that you're not using.

6. Avoid Drinking Bottled Water:  Harvesting the raw materials, processing and manufacturing petroleum-based plastic water bottles and shipping them to market are all extremely energy intensive. Instead, filter your own water and fill up reusable bottles (preferably not plastic).

7. Take Your Own Bags to the Supermarket: Avoid the paper/plastic debate completely and bring your own tote bags. Not only are canvas or fabric reusable bags more sustainable, they are also becoming the norm, as more municipalities adopt zero-waste goals and ban plastic bags.

8. Choose Items with Less Packaging which is Recyclable: For instance, instead of buying snack crackers already divided into even, individual portions in plastic bags, save waste packaging by buying the full box. Remember the ‘reduce’ in ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’!

9. Buy Local Food: Food grown or produced halfway around the world had to be transported to the supermarket by plane, boat, truck or rail, and more ‘food miles’ means more greenhouse gases emitted on the way. Choose the apple grown in your home state instead of the banana grown in another country.

10. Plant a Tree (or lots of them!): One tree can offset tons of carbon over its lifetime. If planted in your own yard, it can provide shade on a sunny day, possibly reducing the need for air-conditioning in your home.

11. Buy or Exchange Used Products, Especially Large Items: Check newspaper classifieds or craigslist.com, or groups such freecycle.org for an acceptable used option for items like furniture before buying a new one, which will have used energy and materials to make and ship. For clothes, kitchen items and books, browse your suburb's charity shops.

12. Choose Green Power: Many utility companies offer renewable energy options - power generated by wind or solar energy. In some cases, it costs a little more to take up the green option, but in turn, the demand ensures that more supplies of renewable energy are developed.

More green tips, especially for offices, but suitable for homes as well, are at the university’s sustainability news page:

For more on environmental issues you might also be interested in reading Cities Important in Climate Change and Making Green Plastics from Plants.