A Few Simple Things to Help the Environment

Here are a few things you can do:

1) Use canvas bags at the grocery store. I am guessing that much less than 1% of people actually do this! It makes it much easier to carry things, the bags will never break, and you do not have to worry about trying to recycle the plastic or paper bags that you get. And remember to put the canvas bags back in the trunk of your vehicle so you will always have them when you go to the store.

2) Stop going out for coffee if you do not have your own cup! This is something I definitely need to work on. I get coffee out maybe once or twice a week, and I am always given a to-go cup. This adds up to a lot of wasted cups over time, especially since most people in the US (and other parts of the world) are just like me!

3) Reuse small plastic lunch bags. I put pretzels or nuts or cereal in those small zip-lock bags, and I reuse the same bags for weeks and weeks on end!

4) If you are going out to eat, bring a container to use in case you have leftovers. Even if you don't, maybe somebody else you are with can use it. In fact, just keep a few small containers in the trunk of your car, or one in your purse or backpack, so you will always have one available if needed.

5) Fill up your Nalgene bottle with filtered water instead of buying all of those plastic water bottles!

6) This one probably does not apply to many people, but if you are a runner and icing your legs on a regular basis like I do, dump the ice outside instead of putting it down the drain. This is only a small thing, but very useful to the vegetation right outside of your house/apt., especially in time of drought.

7) Get your name on the "Don't send me credit card offers" list. It's just more junk mail that you do not need. Also try to stop getting other types of junk mail, such as catalogs. You shouldn't be spending a ton of money anyways!

8) Donate your old shoes, especially your old running shoes! There are definitely people out there who would love to have them, even if they already have a few hundred miles on them.

Hopefully I can add more to this list later...