Buy recycled

Supporting vendors and retailers who create products from recycled materials is a great way to use your smart dollars to promote saving our environment.  Look for the “made from recycled materials” logo on your paper, plastic and metal products.

Home water filtration systems

If you are a homeowner, consider purchasing a refrigerator with a water filtration system built into the water supply on your unit. Get rid of your water delivery and cut back on purchases of bottled water! One alternative is to consider using the in-home Brita water filtration systems.  The Brita pitcher filters drinking water well, but be prepared to purchase new filters periodically.

If you desire the next step up in filtration, PUR offers a on-faucet filtration set. We don’t have any experience with the effectiveness of this system, so please let us know if this system has worked for you!!

Filtration systems via refrigerators-I have a Kitchenaid refrigerator that has a water filtration system that only needs to have the filter replaced about once every six months. I love it!

Recycle at your grocery store

Looking for something to do with all those plastic grocery bags that are piling up at home?  The next time you go shopping for your veggies, meats, etc. at your local grocery store or market, bring your own PLASTIC, PAPER or better yet, CANVAS bags.  By not using the bags supplied by the store, you can cut down on consumption rates. Most grocers now offer grocery bags made out of recyclable materials that you can purchase for a small fee.  These bags, which are typically made of strong plastic fibers and cotton, cut down on our overall plastic consumption because they are intended for repeated use.

Wash Cold

Instead of using the hot water setting the next time you load clothes in the wash, consider setting the water setting to “cold.” This will cut back on your gas bill for the year by reducing hot water consumption. TIDE provides a great cold water detergent that gets out the tough stains you typically use hot water for.

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