Yesterday I posted some easy things everyone can do in 2012 to help not only our environment, but also ourselves. Today I’m going to post tips 7-12. If you would like to read tips 1-6 please visit my other post, http://www.shescribes.com/2011/12/12-easy-ways-to-go-green-in-2012-part-i.html.
7. Plant a Garden. Anyone can plant a garden. They don’t even need to take up much space. More and more “city dwellers” are finding creative ways to have gardens including window boxes and gardens created in alley ways and tended to by neighbors or people in the community.
Why grow a garden? With the high price of food growing your own fruits and vegetables can help you save money. It will also encourage you to eat healthier.
Growing your own produce means less reliance of grocery stores which translates into less shipping of products around the globe which decreases emissions.
A community garden is a great way to help supplement local food banks to provide nutritious foods for those who would otherwise go hungry.
Gardens are inexpensive to create and maintain. The only “expense” to you would be your time tending to the garden (which many people find relaxing).
Planting trees also benefits our environment. 
8. Share a Ride. Consider carpooling with friends and co-workers rather then take your own vehicle. According to the University of California Transportation Center, each shared car replaces 15 personally owned vehicles. In 2009, car-sharing was credited with reducing U.S. carbon emissions by more than 482,000 tons.
Many cities and towns across the country have carpool programs in place to help commuters find an ideal ride to get them to and from work.
Not only is carpooling a great way to reduce carbon emissions it can also help save you money on gas and tolls if you split the costs with your other riders.
If you cannot find anyone to carpool with, and your town/city doesn’t offer a carpooling service, consider taking mass transit or better yet, biking or walking to work if possible.
9. Support Local Food Recovery Programs. What is a Food Recovery Program you might ask? Each year approximately a third of all food produced for human consumption (roughly 1.3 billion tons) gets wasted. In the United States alone 34 million tons is wasted, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The biggest waste of food comes from bakeries, grocery stores and other food providers who throw away tons of food daily. Much of the food that is toss out is perfectly edible but is cosmetically imperfect or has passed its expiration date.
To combat all this food waste, many organizations have set up food recovery programs to collect th food and to use it to provide meals to homeless shelters and food banks. Not only does it feel the hungry it also keeps food away from landfills.
You can help by donating dried or non-perishable food you won’t be using to your local shelter or food bank. You can also encourage your local grocer or favorite restaurant to consider donating edible food “waste” to a local shelter or food bank too.
10. Turn down your heat. I live in the Northeast. I know how bitterly cold the Winter can be. Thankfully we have direct sunlight all day long which helps to heat our condo. We also live on the top floor so anyone below us who turns the heat on we ultimately feel it too (hot air rises). The only time we put the heat on is early in the morning to get rid of the chill. Sometimes it gets so warm in here we have to open a window in the dead of Winter.
My Dad was fanatical about keeping the thermostat at 65 degrees. Even if our home was chilly we were not allowed to turn up the heat. Instead we had to wear sweats and wrap blankets around ourselves. I have taught my kids the same thing. If they are chilly they need to put on socks, sweats and if need be wrap themselves up on their Snuggies.
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that consumers can save up to 15% on their heating and cooling bills just by adjusting their thermostats. Turning down the heat by 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours can result in savings of 5-15 percent on your home heating bill. Make sure to turn down your thermostat when you leave for work (no point in having a warm home when you are not there to enjoy it). Or consider purchasing a programmable thermostat and set it to go on just before you get home to warm your home before your arrival.
11. Switch to Eco-Friendly products. There are so many wonderful eco-friendly products available on the market these days, and most of them are comparable in price to their non-eco-friendly counterparts. Such products include Energy Star rated products, energy efficient light bulbs, products made our of recycled or re-purposed goods and products that will decompose and not sit in a landfill for the next million years.
12. Freeshare/Freecycle unwanted items. Most towns and cites across the country have a local Freeshare or Freecycle group. If you do not have one locally consider staring one.
A Freeshare/Freecycle group works like this. If you have an unwanted item that is still perfectly good, you simply just don’t need it anymore, you can let the group know about it. If someone in the group has a need for the item they come and pick it up. This is done for FREE. There is no exchange of money. You are simply giving away (for free) an item you no longer have a need for.
Over the years I have Freeshared/Freecycled my kids bikes that they outgrew, toys they no longer played with, books we no longer needed to hold on to and many other items. In turn I have picked up some great books and toys for my kids, even a guitar!
If you feel uncomfortable doing this with strangers, that is understandable. I felt the same way until I Freeshared / Freecycled a few items as well as picked up some items for my family. Most people are friendly and you get to know others in the group very well. If it makes you feel more comfortable you can start your own group with your neighbors, friends and co-workers. Get together once a month or a few times a year and swap your unwanted goods for items you might have a need for.
Not only does it keep perfectly good items out of landfills it also saves you money because you won’t have to go out and purchase the items.
There are just 12 things you can do in the new year to be more Earth friendly. If you have additional ideas I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment.
Kimberly
