Personal Journal Entry #21

April 14, 2011

Make a Change 


There are many ways the we can get involved. If each and every one of us can make a commitment, to do a simple household habit to save water or reduce waste, then we are making a difference. This is something that everyone can do, you just need to make the pledge for change.

Use Less Water

·         PUT A PLUG IN IT: When washing dishes, turn off the water while you scrub.

·         NOTE THIS: Buy 100 percent recycled paper notebooks. Believe it or not, it takes a huge amount of water to make new paper from trees!

·         WATER SAVER: While waiting for the water to heat up when you wash your hands or face, save the cold water in a container and use it to water your plants or for cleaning.

·         TAPPED OUT: Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.

·         STOP THE DRIP: Fix a leaky faucet in your home or school.

·         SUPERVISE THE SPRINKLER: Make sure the sprinkler is turned off during the hottest part of the day, when most of the water is wasted through evaporation.

·         FLUSH NOT: Flush the toilet less often by not using it as a wastebasket.

·         POWER SHOWER: Take charge of reducing your shower time - and the shower times of your entire family - by two minutes per shower.

Reduce Waste

·         WASTE NOT: Start a compost pile or worm box in your backyard, neighborhood or school.

·         JUST SAY NO: Think about how many receipts you get in a year. Where do most of them go? In the trash or recycling bin, most likely! Save paper by telling the cashier, "No receipt, please." You'll be surprised how much that adds up in a year!

·         IT'S A WRAP: Wrap your gifts with newspaper or other re-used materials, and get your friends and family to do the same. When you receive gifts in new wrapping paper, keep it for future use.

·         KEEP IT IN THE LOOP: Make sure your house has a recycling bin and post your community's recycling rules on a sign next to it.

·         MIND YOUR PLASTICS: Encourage your parents to buy products in containers that are recyclable. Remember to look for plastics #1 & 2.

·         BOTTLED UP: Use a stainless steel water bottle and avoid buying bottled water when possible.

·         RECHARGE: Change the batteries on your toys and games to nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable ones, and dispose of all batteries properly.

·         SMART MAIL: Reclaim your mailbox - reduce waste by stopping junk mail at home. Get taken off the main junk mail lists by contacting the addresses and phone numbers on these sites: www.stopjunkmail.org/sample/kit.pdf and www.41pounds.org.

·         WASTE-FREE LUNCH: Commit to bringing a waste-free lunch to school for an entire week. Keep every lunch trash can empty and save tons of trash - literally!

·         IT'S IN THE BAG: Use reusable shopping bags whether you're at the mall or at the grocery store, and tell store clerks you don't need a bag if it's not necessary.

If we can spread the word about what we can do, it will make a difference and maybe it may encourage others to get involved!