What Can You Do...
What Can You Do to Help Sustain Soils?
Keep soil covered with vegetation.
When building a home save as much soil as possible. Require the contractor to disturb as little soil as possible, set up barriers to catch any soil eroded during construction, and save and replace any topsoil removed instead of hauling it off and selling it.
Landscape areas not used for gardening with a mix of wildflowers, herbs (for cooking and for repelling insects), low-growing ground cover, small bushes, and other forms of vegetation natural to the area.
Set up a compost bin and use it to produce soil conditioner for yard and garden plants.
What Can You Do to Promote More Sustainable Agriculture?
Waste less food.
Eat lower on the food chain by reducing or eliminating meat consumption to reduce its environmental impact.
If you have a dog or a cat, don't feed it canned meat products. Balanced-grain pet foods are available.
Grow some of your own food using organic farming techniques and drip irrigation to water your crops.
Buy organic food at grocery stores, food, co-ops, and farmer's markets.
Compost your food wastes.
Reduce the threat of overfishing by eating only certain types of fish and shellfish. For the latest list of good and bad seafood choices, visit the Monterey Aquarium website at www.montereybayaquarium.org
Think globally, eat locally. Whenever possible, eat food that is locally grown and in season.
What Can You Do to Help Reduce Pesticide Use and Exposure?
Give up the idea that the only good bug is a dead bug. Recognize that insect species keep most of the populations of pest insects in check and that full-scale chemical warfare on insect pests wipes out many beneficial insects.
Do not insist on perfect-looking fruits and vegetables. These are more likely to contain high levels of pesticide residues.
Use pesticides in or around your home only when absolutely necessary, and use them in the smallest amount possible.
Do not become obsessed with having the perfect lawn that is maintained by large doses of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
If you hire a lawn care company, use one that relies on organic methods, and get its claims in writing.
Wash and scrub all fresh fruits and vegetables and when possible peel them to help remove pesticide residues.
Grow your own fruits and vegetable using organic methods.
Buy organically grown food at local grocery stores, food co-ops, or farmer's markets.
What Can You Do to Control Common Insect Pests and Weeds?
You can usually persuade ants to leave within about 4 days by sprinkling repellents such as red or cayenne pepper, crushed mint leaves, or boric acid (with an anticaking agent) along their trails inside a house and wiping off countertops with vinegar. (However, boric acid is poisonous and should not be placed in areas accessible to small children and pets.)
Repel mosquitoes by planting basil outside windows and doors and rubbing a bit of vinegar, basil oil, lime juice, or mugwort oil on exposed skin. You can also reduce mosquito attacks by not using scented soaps or wearing perfumes, colognes, and other scented products outdoors during mosquito season. Researchers have found that the $30 million U.S. consumers spend each year on electric bug zappers to kill mosquitoes is mostly wasted. Only about 3% of the insects they kill on an average night are female mosquitoes-the kind that bite.
Kill cockroaches by sprinkling boric acid under sinks and ranges, behind refrigerators, and in cabinets, closets, and other dark, warm places (but not in areas accessible to children and pets) or establishing populations of banana spiders.
Trap cockroaches by filling much of a bottle or large jar with raw potato, stale beer, banana skins, or other food scraps (especially fruits), greasing the inner neck of the bottle with petroleum jelly, and placing a small ramp leading into it.
Repel flies by planting sweet basil and tansy (a common herb) near doorways and patios.
Trap flies by making nontoxic flypaper by applying honey to strips of yellow paper (their favorite color) and hanging it from the ceiling in the center of rooms.
Keep fleas off pets by using green dye or flea-repellent soaps, feeding them brewer's yeast or vitamin B, using flea powders made from eucalyptus, sage, tobacco, wormwood, or vetiver, or dipping or shampooing pets in a mixture of water and essential oils such as citronella, cedarwood, eucalyptus, fleabane, sassafras, geranium, clove, or mint.
Trap fleas by using green-yellow light to attract them to an adhesive-coated surface or putting a light over a shallow pan of water before going to bed at night and turning out all other lights, emptying the water every morning, and continuing this for a month. (Fleas are attracted to heat and light, but they cannot swim.)
Rid a house of fleas by sprinkling carpets with desiccant powders, such as Dri-Die, Perma-Guard, or SG-67 to dry them or diatomaceous earth (or diatom powder) to kill them. Diatom powder can be purchased in bulk at stores that sell it for use in swimming pool filters. It is also found in some gardening stores under the name of Permatex. Because it contains fine particles of silicate, you should wear a dust mask when applying this powder to avoid inhaling tiny particles of silicate.
Control lawn weeds by raising the cutting level of your lawn mower so the grass can grow 8-10 centimeters (3-4 inches) high. This gives it a strong root system that can hinder weed growth; the higher grass also provides habitats for spiders and other insects that eat insect pests. Pull weeds and douse the hole with soap solution or human urine (which is high enough in nitrogen to kill the weed).
What Can You Do to Reduce Outdoor and Indoor Air Pollution?
Reduce use of fossil fuels. Drive a car that gets at least 15 kilometers per liter (35 miles per gallon), join a carpool, and use mass transit, walking, and bicycling as much as possible. This reduces emissions of CO2 and other air pollutants, saves energy and money, and can improve your health.
Obtain as much heat and cooling as possible from non-carbon natural sources, especially sun, wind, geothermal energy, and trees.
Buy the most energy-efficient homes, lights, cars, and appliances available. Evaluate them only in terms of lifetime cost.
Test for radon inside your house and take corrective measures as needed.
At the beginning of the winter heating season, test your indoor air for formaldehyde when the house is closed up. To locate a testing laboratory in your area, write to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207, or call 301-492-6800.
Do not buy furniture and other products containing formaldehyde. Use low-emitting formaldehyde or non-formaldehyde building materials.
Reduce indoor levels of formaldehyde and other toxic gases by growing certain houseplants. Examples are the spider or airplane plant (removes carbon monoxide), aloe vera (formaldehyde), banana (formaldehyde), elephant ear philodendron (formaldehyde), ficus (weeping fig, formaldehyde), golden porthos (formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide), Chinese evergreen (toluene and benzene), English ivy (benzene), peace lily (benzene and trichloroethylene), and Janet Craig (corn plant) (benzene). Plants should be potted with a mixture of soil and granular charcoal (which absorbs organic air pollutants).
Consider not using carpeting and using wood or linoleum floors instead. Most new synthetic carpeting releases vapors from more than 100 volatile organic compounds. New and old carpeting is a haven for microbes (many of them highly allergenic), dust, and traces of lead and pesticides brought in by shoes.
Remove your shoes before entering your house. This reduces inputs of dust, lead, and pesticides.
Test your house or workplace for asbestos fiber levels and for any crumbling asbestos materials if it was built before 1980. Don't buy a pre-1980 house without having its indoor air tested for asbestos and lead. To get a free list of certified asbestos laboratories that charge $25-50 to test a sample, call the EPA's Toxic Substances Control Hotline at 202-554-1404.
Do not store gasoline, solvents, or other volatile hazardous chemicals inside a home or attached garage.
If you smoke, do it outside or in a closed room vented to the outside.
Make sure that wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, and kerosene- and gas-burning heaters are properly installed, vented, and maintained. Install carbon monoxide detectors in all sleeping areas.
What Can You Do to Reduce Water Waste?
Install water-saving toilets that use no more than 6 liters (1.6 gallons) per flush.
If you live in a water-short area, flush toilets only when necessary. Consider using the advice found on a bathroom wall in a drought-stricken area: "If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down."
Shower instead of taking baths and take short showers.
Install water-saving showerheads and aerators on all faucets. If a 3.8-liter (1-gallon) jug can be filled by your showerhead in less than 15 seconds, you need a more efficient fixture.
Check frequently for water leaks in toilets and pipes, and repair them promptly. A toilet must be leaking more than 940 liters (250 gallons) per day before you can hear the leak. To test for toilet leaks, add a water-soluble vegetable dye to the water in the tank but don't flush. If you have a leak, some color will show up in the bowl's water within about 15 minutes.
Turn off sink faucets while brushing teeth, shaving, or washing.
Wash only full loads of clothes or use the lowest possible water-level setting for smaller loads.
When buying a new washer, choose one that uses the least amount of water and that fills up to different levels for loads of different sizes. Front-loading models use less water and energy than comparable top-loading models.
Use automatic dishwashers for full loads only. Also, use the short cycle and let dishes air dry to save energy and money.
When washing many dishes by hand, do not t let the faucet run. Instead, use one filled dishpan or sink for washing and another for rinsing.
Keep one or more large bottles of water in the refrigerator rather than running water from the tap until it gets cold enough for drinking.
Wash a car from a bucket of soapy water, and use the hose for rinsing only. If you use a commercial car wash, try to find one that recycles its water.
Reduce evaporation losses by watering lawns and gardens in the early morning or evening rather than in the heat of midday or when it's windy.
Use drip irrigation and mulch for gardens and flowerbeds. Better yet, landscape with native plants adapted to local average annual precipitation so that watering is unnecessary.
Use recycled (gray) water for watering lawns and houseplants and for washing cars.
What Can You Do to Reduce Water Pollution?
Use manure or compost instead of commercial inorganic fertilizers to fertilize garden and yard plants.
Use biological methods or integrated pest management instead of conventional chemical pesticides to control garden, yard, and household pests.
Grow some of your own food using organic farming techniques and drip irrigation to water your crops.
Buy organic foods at grocery stores or better at local food co-ops and farmer's markets.
Compost your food wastes.
Use low-phosphate, phosphate-free, or biodegradable dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, and shampoo.
Do not use water fresheners in toilets.
Do not throw unwanted medicines down the toilet.
Never apply fertilizer or pesticides near a body of water.
Clean up spilled oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, and other harmful chemicals.
Use less harmful substances instead of commercial chemicals for most household cleaners. For example, use (1) liquid ammonia to clean appliances and windows, (2) vinegar to polish metals, clean surfaces, and remove stains and mildew, (3) baking soda to clean household utensils, deodorize, and remove stains, (4) borax to remove stains and mildew, and (5) mineral oil to wax floors and polish furniture.
Do not pour pesticides, paints, solvents, oil, antifreeze, or other products containing harmful chemicals down the drain or onto the ground. Contact your local health department about disposal.
What Can You Do to Reduce Solid Waste?
Buy less by asking yourself whether you really need a particular item.
Follow the four R's of resource use: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Rent, borrow, or barter goods and services when you can.
Buy things that are reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and be sure to reuse, recycle, and compost them.
Buy environmentally friendly (green) products. Consult the National Green Pages from Co-OP America for a list of eco-friendly (green) businesses.
Shop at local food co-ops and farmer's markets using you own reusable containers.
Reduce your use of wood and paper products, recycle paper products, and buy recycled paper products.
Try to buy beverages in refillable glass containers instead of cans or throwaway bottles.
Use reusable plastic or metal lunchboxes.
Carry sandwiches and store food in the refrigerator in reusable containers instead of wrapping them in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Use rechargeable batteries and recycle them when their useful life is over.
Carry groceries and other items in a reusable basket, a canvas or string bag, or a small cart.
Use reusable sponges and washable cloth napkins, dishtowels, and handkerchiefs instead of throwaway paper ones.
Do not use throwaway paper and plastic plates, cups, and eating utensils, and other disposable items when reusable or refillable versions are available.
Buy recycled goods, especially those made by primary recycling, and then make an effort to recycle them.
Reduce the amount of junk mail you get. Do this (as several million Americans have done) at no charge by contacting the Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, 11 West 42nd St., P.O. Box 3681, New York, NY 10163-3861 (212-768-7277) and asking that your name not be sold to large mailing-list companies. Of the junk mail you do receive, recycle as much of the paper as possible.
Use e-mail in place of conventional paper mail.
Buy products in concentrated form whenever possible.
Do not buy helium-filled balloons that end up as litter. Urge elected officials and school administrators to ban balloon releases except for atmospheric research and monitoring.
Lobby local officials to set up a community composting program if you don't have such a program.
What Can You Do to Reduce Hazardous Waste?
Use biological methods or integrated pest management instead of conventional chemical pesticides to control garden, yard, and household pests.
Use less harmful substances instead of commercial chemicals for most household cleaners. For example, use (1) liquid ammonia to clean appliances and windows, (2) vinegar to polish metals, clean surfaces, and remove stains and mildew, (3) baking soda to clean household utensils, deodorize, and remove stains, (4) borax to remove stains and mildew, and (5) mineral oil to wax floors and polish furniture.
Use a plunger rather than caustic drain cleaners to unclog a drain.
Do not dispose of pesticides, paints, solvents, oil, antifreeze, or other products containing hazardous chemicals by flushing them down the toilet, pouring them down the drain, burying them, throwing them into the garbage, or dumping them down storm drains. Consult your local health department or environmental agency for safe disposal methods.
Use pesticides and other hazardous chemicals only when absolutely necessary and in the smallest amount possible.
Do not become obsessed with having the perfect lawn that is maintained by large doses of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
Lobby local officials to have waste haulers pick up hazardous chemicals from homes and businesses once a month or to establish drop off centers where such chemicals can be dealt with safely.
What Can You Do to Help Preserve Biodiversity?
Plant trees regularly and take care of them.
Reduce your use of wood and paper products, recycle paper products, and buy recycled paper products.
Only buy furniture, doors, flooring, paneling, and other wood that have been certified as having been grown sustainably.
Help rehabilitate or restore a degraded area of forest or grassland near your home.
When building a home, save all the trees and as much natural vegetation as possible.
When building a home save as much soil as possible.
Landscape areas not used for gardening with a mix of wildflowers, herbs (for cooking and for repelling insects), low-growing ground cover, small bushes, and other forms of vegetation natural to the area.
What Can You Do to Be a Responsible Ecotourist?
Before embarking on an ecotour, seek answers in writing to the following questions: (1) What precautions are taken to reduce the tour's impact on local ecosystems and species? (2) What percentage of the people involved in planning, organizing, and guiding tours are local? (3) Are the guides trained naturalists? (4) Will you stay in locally owned hotels or other facilities, or will you be staying in accommodations owned by national or international companies? (5) Does the tour operation respect local customs and cultures? If so, how? (6) What percentage of the tour's gross income goes into the salaries and businesses of local residents? (7) What percentage of tour's gross income does the tour company donate to local conservation and social projects?
Stay on designated trails and at designated campsites and follow the wilderness motto of leaving no trace.
Do not harass or disturb animal and plant life.
Do not buy furs, ivory products, items made of reptile skin, tortoiseshell jewelry, feathers, and materials made from endangered or threatened animal species.
What Can You Do to Help Protect Endangered and Threatened Species?
On land you own do not destroy or degrade wetlands or terrestrial habitats that contain endangered or threatened species and develop a plan for protecting such species.
Do not buy furs, ivory products, items made of reptile skin or other animal skins, tortoiseshell jewelry, feathers, and materials made from endangered or threatened animal species.
Do not buy wood and paper products produced by cutting remaining old-growth forests in the tropics and elsewhere. Information on such products can be obtained from the Rainforest Action Network, Rainforest Alliance, and Friends of the Earth.
Reduce the threat of overfishing and depletion of fish species by eating only certain types of fish and shellfish. For the latest list of good and bad seafood choices, visit the Monterey Aquarium website at www.montereybayaquarium.org
Do not buy aquarium fish taken from coral reefs. Often these fish are harvested by stunning them with squirts of cyanide or dynamite. This harms coral reefs and kills other aquatic species.
Do not buy birds, snakes, turtles, birds and other animals that are taken from the wild.
Do not buy orchids, cacti, and other plants that are taken from the wild.
Do buy sustainably harvested products such as shade-grown coffee, nuts and other products sustainably harvested products.
Get pets from the Humane Society or other animal shelters.
Do buy fabrics made from organically grown linen, cotton, and other fabrics.
What Can You Do to Waste Less Energy?
Reduce use of fossil fuels. Drive a car that gets at least 15 kilometers per liter (35 miles per gallon), join a carpool, and use mass transit, walking, and bicycling as much as possible.
Drive less and consolidate trips.
See if you can substitute a phone call or e-mail for a trip by car.
Insulate new or existing houses heavily, caulk and weatherstrip to reduce air infiltration and heat loss, and use energy-efficient windows. Add an air-to-air heat exchanger to minimize indoor air pollution.
Insulate ducts that supply hot and cool air for your house and check them for leaks.
Turn off lights, TV sets, computers, and other electronic equipment when they are not in use.
Fix faucet or pipe leaks, especially for hot water.
Wash laundry in warm or cold water.
Eat locally grown foods in season.
Recycle paper, metals, and glass and compost organic wastes.
Buy materials and products that are made locally and that are long lasting.
Obtain as much heat and cooling as possible from natural sources, especially sun, wind, geothermal energy, and trees.
Buy the most energy-efficient homes, lights, cars, and appliances available. Evaluate them only in terms of lifetime cost.
Turn thermostats down in winter and up in summer.
Turn down the thermostat on water heaters to 43-49°C (110-120°F) and insulate hot water heaters and pipes.
Lower the cooling load on an air conditioner by increasing the thermostat setting, installing energy-efficient lighting, using floor and ceiling fans, and using whole-house window or attic fans to bring in outside air (especially at night, when temperatures are cooler).
What Can You Do to Help Protect Your Health?
Do not smoke.
Avoid excess sunlight (which ages skin and can cause skin cancer).
Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Reduce consumption of foods containing cholesterol, fats, saturated fats, sugars, salt, and sodium.
If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation (no more than two drinks in a single day).
Loose excess weight.
Exercise regularly.
If you drive, do it safely and in a vehicle with the best available safety equipment. Driving is the most dangerous thing most people do.
What Can You Do to Reduce the Threat of Climate Change By Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions?
Reduce use of fossil fuels. Drive a car that gets at least 15 kilometers per liter (35 miles per gallon), join a carpool, and use mass transit, walking, and bicycling as much as possible.
Drive less and consolidate trips.
See if you can substitute a phone call or e-mail for a trip by car.
Insulate new or existing houses heavily, caulk and weatherstrip to reduce air infiltration and heat loss, and use energy-efficient windows.
Obtain as much heat and cooling as possible from natural noncarbon sources, especially sun, wind, geothermal energy, and trees.
Wash laundry in warm or cold water.
Use a low-flow showerhead.
Buy the most energy-efficient homes, lights, cars, and appliances available. Evaluate them only in terms of lifetime cost.
Turn thermostats down in winter and up in summer.
Recycle paper, metals, and glass and compost organic wastes.
Buy materials and products that are made locally and that are long lasting.
How Can You Do Communicate With Elected Officials?
Find out their names and addresses. Then write, call, fax, or e-mail them. Contact a senator by writing to The Honorable ___, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510; Tel: 202-224-3121, Web: http://thomas.loc.gov. Contact a representative by writing to The Honorable ___, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20510; Tel: 202-225-3121, Web: http://thomas.loc.gov. Contact the president by writing to President ___, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20500; Tel: 202-456-1414, Comment line: 202-456-1111, Fax: 202-456-2461, e-mail: president@whitehouse.gov, Web: www.whitehouse.gov
Evaluate the voting record of your elected representatives. Each year the League of Conservation Voters publishes an Environmental Scorecard that rates all members of Congress on how they voted on environmental issues (see www.lcv.org/scorecard/ )
Try to send a personal message instead of using mass mailings. Many elected officials tend to disregard mass mailings.
When you write a letter or e-mail, use your own words, be brief and courteous, address only one issue, and ask the elected official to do something specific (such as cosponsoring, supporting, or opposing certain bills). Give reasons for your position, explain its effects on you and your district, try to offer alternatives, share any expert knowledge you have, and ask for a response. Be sure to include your name and return address.
After your representatives have cast votes supporting your position, send them a short note of thanks. See www.lcv.org/scorecard/ for their voting records on environmental issues.
Call and ask to speak to a staff member who works on the issue you are concerned about: for the White House, call 202-456-1414 (Web: www.whitehouse.gov); for the U.S. Senate, call 202-224-3121; for the House of Representatives, call 202-225-3121. The Web site address for the U.S. Congress is http://thomas.loc.gov
Once a desirable bill is passed, call or write to urge the president not to veto it. If you believe it is an undesirable bill, urge the president to veto it. Urge the members of the appropriations committee to appropriate enough money to implement the law-a crucial decision.
Monitor and influence action at the state and local levels, where all federal and state laws are either ignored or enforced. As Thomas Jefferson said, "The execution of laws is more important than the making of them."
Get others who agree with your position to contact their elected officials.