Living Greener
By: Nancy Esteves
An eco-friendly lifestyle is easier than you think. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, we bring you these tips to create a greener environment for you— and our beautiful earth.
Here’s how to make a difference:
In the AM
• Brew “certified” coffee. A USDA Certified Organic label means it was grown using sustainable standards.
At Work
• Configure your office printer or copy machine so it prints on both sides of the page.
• Fill up a water bottle: instead of buying disposable plastic water bottles, fill up a refillable water container to decrease the energy used in producing, transporting, and disposing plastic bottles.
• Use electronic media. Make greater use of electronic media and limit the number of print outs.
• Recycle! No matter what kind of paper you buy, and how much you use, recycle as much of it as possible.
• Use BYOB bags to carry your lunch or buy food.
Before Bed
• Truly turn off electronics. Plug your devices — the TV and DVD player, or the computer and printer — into a UL-certified power strip; switch the whole group off.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Leaving the tap running during the recommended two minutes of brushing can waste up to five gallons of water a day.

In General
-Reduce plastic use. Many kinds of plastics contain endocrine disrupters that can cause all sorts of health issues from obesity to liver problems.
-Avoid food treated with antibiotics. Widespread use of antibiotics for livestock has led to the growth of superbugs that cause illness in humans and decrease the effectiveness of certain drugs. Buy organic meat and dairy products or switch to a vegetarian/vegan diet.
-Say no to Bulk Mail:
EarthShare’s partner, 41pounds.org, can help you rid your life of all that waste by contacting 20 to 30 direct mail companies on your behalf to stop the majority of your bulk mail. For each person who signs up for their service, 41pounds.org donates more than 1/3 of the $41 fee to EarthShare and they’ll stop your junk mail for five years. This will:
•Save trees. More than 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail. 42% of timber harvested nationwide becomes pulpwood for paper.
•Reduce global warming. The energy used to produce and dispose of junk mail exceeds 2.8 million cars.
•Save water. About 28 billion gallons of water are wasted to produce and recycle junk each year.
•Save time. You waste about 70 hours a year dealing with junk mail.
-Switch to an electric vehicle or hybrid. Hybrids and electric vehicles are now available from just about every manufacturer, have better gas mileage and run cleaner than their counterparts. If you can’t make the switch, try to look for a car that has the highest miles per gallon (MPG).
-Recycle your cross-trainers. After putting in all of that extra mileage, your new shoes are bound to lose their bounce. Instead of tossing them, give your shoes new life with Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program. Just drop them off at any Nike store. Worn out shoes are used to build new tracks, basketball and tennis courts!
– Use LED lighting. They achieve full brightness instantly and work well with dimmers.
-Opt for organic. Cotton is the most pesticide-intensive crop out there. Non-organic cotton production is responsible for 11% of global pesticide usage.
Celebrate this Earth Day by giving thanks to our environment and putting your two cents worth in making a difference.