Conservation Tips

Inflate your tires

For every pound of pressure below recommended levels, fuel economy drops 1 percent. Keeping your tires properly inflated means saving about a tank of gas a year.

Load it up

Run your dishwasher and washing machine only with full loads. You'll save money and hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

Combine trips

Your car emits harmful pollution at much higher rates while the catalytic converter is still warming up, and not capturing harmful emissions. Do all of your errands at once, to save time and the planet.

Avoid bottled water.

Shipping water in petroleum based plastic containers around the globe is not sustainable, and the production of one liter of bottled water wastes 6-7 times that amount.

Keep the freezer full

A full freezer is more efficient than an empty one. If you don't tend to keep much frozen food, consider storing your dried rice, beans, and nuts in there to keep moths away and use up some space.

See both sides.

Think before you print, and set your printer to double-sided. Using less paper saves trees, energy to manufacture, transport, and haul away the waste.

Leave the car alone.

Try public transportation, biking, walking. Even just once a month or once a week can make a big difference for your health and the planet's.

Shop second-hand.

Every time you buy something used that you would have purchased new, you avoid a huge amount of carbon emissions. Use craigslist, freecycle, ebay, and your local thrift stores to help you find what you need.

Buy better bulbs

CFL and LED lights are significantly more efficient, and last longer than incandescent bulbs. But be careful when disposing of them - CFLs contain harmful mercury which can leech into our water supply.