Opt-Out of receiving unwanted phonebooks to your home or business. To have your name placed on a “opt-out” list for phonebook directories go to the Yellow Pages Association’s Opt-Out website (www.yellowpagesoptout.com).
Or donate them to a local school participating in a phonebook directory recycling challenge, for more information visit this website.
Stop junk mail from coming to your mailbox. To have your name removed from mailing lists write to:
DMAchoice / Direct Marketing Association/ PO Box 643 / Carmel, NY 10512. Or go online to the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service website.
TrustedID Mail Preference Service (unwanted mail or phonebooks) – www.catalogchoice.org/signup
OptOutPrescreen.com (unwanted pre-screened credit & insurance offers) – www.optoutprescreen.com or 1-888-567-8688
Product Stewardship Institute infographic on unwanted mail in the U.S.
Take advantage of libraries by borrowing books and movies instead of buying them and save money too.
During a year, an average American uses thousands of single-use paper napkins – several each day. If everyone in the US used one less napkin a day, more than a billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year.
Not only are you extending the life of your vehicle, but you are creating less pollution and saving gas. A properly maintained vehicle, clean air filters, and inflated tires can greatly improve your vehicle’s performance. And it might not hurt to clean out the trunk- all that extra weight could be costing you at the pump.
Every two minutes you save on your shower can conserve more than ten gallons of water. If everyone in the country saved just one gallon of water from their daily shower, over the course of the year it would equal twice the amount of freshwater withdrawn from the Great Lakes every day.
If you must water your lawn, do it early in the morning before any moisture is lost to evaporation. Have a few weeds? Spot treat them with vinegar. Not sure if you should rake? Normal clippings act as a natural fertilizer, let them be. If you’ve waited too long, rake by hand – it’s excellent exercise.
Each year, Americans throw away billions of single-use disposable straws and stirrers. But skipping the stirrer doesn’t mean drinking your coffee black. Simply put your sugar and cream in first, and then pour in the coffee, and it should be well mixed. Determined to stir? Break off a piece of pasta from the cupboard! You can nibble after using it, compost, or throw away with less guilt.
Nearly 90% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, instead taking thousands of years to decompose. Buy a reusable container and fill it with tap water, a great choice for the environment, your wallet, and possibly your health. The EPA’s standards for tap water are more stringent than the FDA’s standards for bottled water.
One less meat-based meal a week helps the planet and your diet. For example: It requires 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. You will also save some trees. For each hamburger that originated from animals raised on rainforest land, approximately 55 square feet of forest have been destroyed. Interested in yummy vegetarian options? A variety of producers now make excellent vegetarian or meat-free sausages, burgers, nuggets and other ingredients that are a flavorful addition to any meal. These options are so delicious and convincing, you wouldn’t believe there’s no meat!
