In your Office, at Home, for the Holidays

Eliminate Junk MailControl the catalogs you receive in the mail

www.catalogchoice.org

Eliminate credit card offers

www.optoutprescreen.com

Eliminate charity mail

– Email them from their website

Google “stop junk mail” for more ideas!

What is the impact?Save trees - More than 100 million trees are

destroyed each year to produce junk mail.

– 42% of timber harvested nationwide becomes pulpwood for paper.

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.

Pack a Waste Free Lunch!Bring your own lunch in reusable containers

Stash some real silverware in your desk

Disposable lunches generate 67 pounds of waste per year

Savings bonus: $8 / day (4 days * 50 weeks = $1,600 / year)$

$ Health bonus: Helps you avoid overeating

Warning: “microwave safe” means it's safe for the plastic, not for you!

Eat less meat

Perception bonus: Meat is tastier when it is more of a treat

Savings bonus: Meat is the most expensive part of most meals

Health bonus: Less calories and less saturated fat

Warning: Don't skimp on the protein!

Try meat free one night a week

$$

What is the impact?18% of greenhouse gas emissions come from

livestock (more than from transportation)

70% of previously forested land in the Amazon was cleared to pasture cattle

Two-thirds (64%) of anthropogenic ammonia emissions come from cattle (major contributor to acid rain and acidification of ecosystems)

The world’s largest source of water pollution is believed to be from the livestock sector

Use the library

Savings bonus: $15 per book (and you don’t have to store it!)$

$

Awesome selection of video games, DVDs, and books!

Renew online, super convent

San Diego County Library has free audio books online

http://sdcl.org/

Use GreenPrint Software

Savings: eliminating unwanted pages reduces printing by 17% and saves $100 per user per year

Eliminate unwanted pages

Save to PDF feature

Find out more at www.printgreener.com

$$

Buy recycled office supplies

Warning: Look for post consumer recycled content. Pre-consumer waste includes paper mill sawdust.

Develop a policy at your workplace on buying products with recycled–content.

Use the guidelines established for government procurement of recycled paper and other products when developing your own purchasing policies.

Remove clauses from specifications that mandate use of virgin materials only.

Green your office lighting Light exit signs with lower energy bulbs like

compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), light emitting diodes (LEDs), neon lighting or electroluminescent lighting technology.

Replace old fluorescent lighting fixtures using T-12 lamps with T-8 fluorescent lamps for better color, less flickering and 20% less energy use.

Install occupancy sensors for areas of the office that aren’t used as much (think break room, conference rooms)

Buy used

Savings bonus: 2 - 20% the cost of new items

Use maps.google.com to find locate stores

– Search term: “thrift stores near [address]” or “consignment shop near [address]”

Freecycle.org

Craigslist.org

Style bonus: Awesome vintage furniture and clothes via consignment and at thrift stores.

$$

Join or create a coffee club at work

Look for Fair Trade Coffee or Shade Grown Coffee

Health bonus: Avoid the chemicals leached by styrofoam cups.

Savings bonus: $11 / year (3¢ / cup)$$

Re-use that mug!

Green your Transportation

Savings bonus: save 20% of your transportation cost

Find another way to work once a week…

Carpool or Vanpool

Public Transportation

–Trolley, Coaster, Sprinter

Ride a bike

Health bonus: Avoid the stress of driving

$$

Find a new Route with Google Maps

Bring Your Own BagSuperior capacity

– 1 reusable bag replaces 3 plastic bags

The average Californian uses 550 plastic bags each year

Less than 5% of plastic bags are recycled

Perception bonus: You're organized

Savings bonus: 5¢ a bag at some stores$$

Ditch the bottled water habit

Savings bonus: At $6 per gallon water costs more than gas!

Aquafina and Dasani are filtered tap water

Less regulated than tap water

Bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste and that plastic requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce

Health bonus: Avoid chemicals that can leach from plastic bottles

$$

Re-chargeable Batteries

Savings bonus: Save $6.18 over 2 years with 120 batteries, then $77.44 saved each year after

Best for items you use a lot of batteries in

Reference: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/25/are-rechargeable-batteries-really-cost-effective/

Warning: Check the mA·hr rating. Go for over 3000 mA·hr

$$

Attack Vampire Power

Savings bonus: Standby power consumes 7 – 25% of a home's electricity

Electric power is consumed by many appliances while they are “off” or in a standby mode

Anything with a constantly running power adapter (think about those black boxes)

Kill A Watt → Meter

$$

Buy Eco-friendly Shampoo and Conditioner

Savings bonus: $30+ Compared to salon brands. (Eco-friendly hair products are $8-12 per bottle)

Find out which products have the least toxins at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

Health bonus: Varies from product to product, see www.cosmeticsdatabase.com for details

$$

Make your own cleaners

Savings bonus: supplies are less than 50¢ a bottle

one part water

+

one part vinegar

Health bonus: avoid indoor air pollution and chemicals

Glass

Cleaner =

$$

Buy Green Cleaners

Health bonus: avoid indoor air pollution and chemicals

Warning: terms like 'bio-degradable,' 'natural' and 'eco-friendly' are meaningless (unregulated)

Why avoid chemical cleaners?In 1989, the EPA estimated that the fumes

produced by common household cleaners were three times more likely to cause cancer than other air pollutants.

A study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that exposure to cleaning products accounts for 15% of all asthma cases.

Many synthetic chemicals act as endocrine disruptors interfering with our bodies' natural hormone systems.

What can you do about it?

Use plants!

Nasty Pollutant #1: FormaldehydeCauses watery eyes, nausea, headaches, and

difficulty breathing.

Found in pressed-wood products (think IKEA furniture or new kitchen cabinets), new clothing, plywood, new carpets, some foam insulation, and some household cleaners.

Plants that filter formaldehyde...

Peace LilyMother-In-Law's Tongue

Bamboo Palm

Plants that filter formaldehyde...

Golden Pathos

Dracaena Warneckii

Spider Plant

Nasty Pollutant #2: Benzene

Causes dizziness, drowsiness, and unconsciousness.

Long-term exposure causes leukemia, bone marrow problems, and anemia.

Benzine ranks in the top 20 for most produced chemicals in the US.

Found in plastics, rubber products, dyes, detergents, pesticides and cigarette smoke, to name a few.

Plants that filter benzine...

Pot MumsEnglish Ivy

Gerbera Daisies

Plants that filter benzine...

Peace LilyMother-In-Law's Tongue

Bamboo Palm

Nasty Pollutant #3: Trichloroethylene (TCE)

Causes headaches, poor coordination, dizziness, lung irritation, and difficulty concentrating.

Long-term exposure can cause nerve, liver, and kidney damage, impact fetal development in pregnant women, and even result in death.

Found in adhesives, paint removers, and spot removers.

Plants that filter TCE...

Peace Lily

MarginataBamboo Palm

Plants that filter TCE...

Gerbera DaisyChrysanthemum

Gift Idea: ExperiencesTheater Tickets

Symphony

Harbor Cruise

Padres Tickets

Zoo / Wild Animal Pass

Kayak Adventure

Surfing lessons

National Park Pass (Cabrillo, Joshua Tree)

Green GiftsPlants / Seeds

Organic Shampoo

Switch

Kill-A-Watt Meter

Time:

–Closet cleaning

– Home cooked meal

– Car Detail

Recycled plastic Tupperware

UberStix Toys

Wrap your gifts creativelyUse an old map, the comics, or your kid's

artwork (especially for grandparents!)

Wrap kitchen gifts in a dish towel to add that extra touch

Try out Furoshiki (cloth gift wrapping)

Style bonus: Give your gift a little extra creative zing!

Furo

shik

i

Style bonus: Real plates and silverware are always a step up

Throw a Green PartyDigital invites

Use what you have

– Plates, silverware, glassware

– decorations

Cloth Napkins

Focus on in-season fruits and veggies

Pick one tip today, right now!