List of little things you can do to help the environment

Conserving our environment may not always be on the forefront of our thoughts. If it isn't, here are some simple ways to help the environment without making drastic life changes. It is so easy to go about our daily life never giving a second thought to that styrofoam cup we just threw out that held our morning cup of coffee or without thinking about the fact that our gas-guzzling SUV that could easily hold eight people has never seated more than two people at a time in the two years we've owned it. Very few people can honestly say that they are concerned about our environment and the way it deteriorates on a daily basis. We are so concerned with paying our bills and living for the moment that we feel we don't have enough time to worry about conserving. The fact of the matter is that we can do quite a bit for the environment and its conservation just by changing the little things we do on a daily basis. We don't have to rush out and buy the newest hybrid car or start growing our own vegetable garden in our back yard to help the environment. We simply need to make a few small changes and teach those changes to those around us and we will help the environment in a big way.

* If you have heard it once, you have heard it a million times: recycle. If your neighborhood does not currently participate in a recycling program, find a local organization that does and take your recyclable items there. Perhaps you can begin a letter-writing campaign to your local homeowner's association to start a recycling program in your own neighborhood.

* You know those times your printer spits out a blank sheet or an extra sheet? You usually crumple them up and throw them away, right? Instead of doing that, put those scrap papers into a scrap tray which you can use to write to-do lists and grocery lists or to use in your children's school projects.

* When you pack your lunch or your kid's lunch, chances are you use those resealable plastic baggies. Instead of throwing them out when they've been used to haul a sandwich, bring them back home and rinse them out. You can easily reuse them for your next lunch.

* It is so easy to go to the grocery store and buy plastic cutlery and styrofoam plates to throw away after they've been used. Don't. It only takes a little extra time to use your normal dishes and wash them.

* If you love subscribing to different magazines and have a pile of read magazines just sitting in a rack, instead of trashing them, take them to your office and let others read them or donate them to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. If you have a group of friends who have different magazine subscriptions, instead of ordering the magazine yourself, trade the magazines around. Let your friends borrow your magazines and borrow theirs.

* When getting dressed each day and taking our daily shower, we waste so much money just by letting the water run as we soap up or shave our legs. Get a water conservation shower head that allows you to easily turn off the water as you perform these shower chores.

* On the same note, turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth or washing your face instead of letting it run as you lather up.

* While it may be easier to use paper towels which you can throw away after using, use kitchen towels or cloth napkins instead. It is much better to use water to wash these items than to fill our landfill with tons of paper towels!

* Instead of throwing out those plastic tubs we get from butter/margarine, sour cream, yogurt and whipped cream, reuse these tubs for leftovers.

* If your husband or wife works someplace that is on the way to your own place of work, carpool. Shift your schedules around just a few minutes each day so you can ride in together and save gas AND money.

* Instead of driving your car around the block to check your mail, ride your bike or walk and get some fresh air.