Small changes can make a big difference when working to reduce your environmental footprint. Here is a list of practices that our sponsors, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, recommend we do, as part of their Ecological Sustainability program that you can implement every day to help save the planet.
Daily Practices
- Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth.
- Eat less meat. Learn more.
- Challenge yourself to one day/week of eating vegetarian or vegan. Learn more.
- Recycle to the fullest level that is available within your community.
- When ordering takeout, always ask the restaurant not to include napkins, utensils, or condiments with your order.
- Shop for produce at a farmer’s market or buy locally sourced produce at the grocery store.
Education & Advocacy
- Watch at least one environmental film or TED talk twice a year.
- Educate yourself about what it means to reduce, reuse and recycle.
- Volunteer with a local environmental group on an environmental project or action.
- Learn about how much energy is saved in your utility district by turning your thermostat two degrees warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter.
- Identify and learn about your watershed.
- Learn about why vegetarian and vegan diets are better for the environment. Learn more.
Surroundings
- Use curtains and blinds to take advantage of natural lighting and help regulate the temperature.
- Add a bird feeder to your yard or make peanut butter pinecones to hang on tree for birds.
- Bring plants into your home for beauty and to purify air.
- Turn off unneeded lights even when leaving a room for a short time.
- Start a vegetable garden or plant edible landscaping. Learn more.
- Clean with what you have in your pantry. You would be surprised what lemon juice, baking soda and vinegar can do. Learn more.