Want to be green? Follow these simple steps! Remember, it's easy being green!
BIKE, WALK, CARPOOL, OR USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
Cars are one of largest emitters of carbon dioxide. BIke, walk, carpool, or use public transportation instead of driving whenever you can.
Learn more about alternative transportation to Gunn here.
USE A REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE
While recycling plastic water bottles is a good first step, why use disposable water bottles at all? Plastic water bottles take many resources to produce, including fuel for transportation, and oil to make the plastic. Even recycling the bottles takes energy. The U.S. population drank almost 49 billion bottles of water in 2004 (NRDC) – that’s an average of 168 water bottles per person per year. Why not just use one reusable water bottle and fill it with Palo Alto's delicious tap water? Nalgene water bottles, one of the most popular types of reusable water bottles on campus, are durable, colorful, and come in multiple sizes. 16 and 32 oz. Nalgenes bottles with the GreenGunn logo on them are available in the SAC for $8 and $10.
The New York Times even ran an editorial entitled "In Praise of Tap Water" and a feature, "Water Water Everywhere but Guilt by the Bottleful" in August 2007.
USE CLOTH GROCERY BAGS
The Wall Street Journal estimates that the U.S. consumes 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. With a U.S. population of 300 million, that’s an average of 333 bags per person per year (source).
Consider buying your own reusable bags from a grocery store (try Whole Foods, Piazzas, Safeway, JJ & F, and other stores) or from an online supplier, such as www.chicobag.com.
REPLACE INCANDESCENT LIGHT BULBS WITH COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS (CFLs)
Most U.S. households use standard incandescent bulbs. However, Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use 75% less energy than standard bulbs, produce just as much light, last up to ten times longer and don’t need to be replaced as often. Plus, installing them can save you money on your electricity bill. If every household in the U.S. replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, it would be equivalent to removing 800,000 cars from the road (source).
You can buy CFLs at most hardware stores.
BUY LOCAL AND ORGANIC FOOD
Did you know that only 1% of pesticides applied to crops reach the pests they target, meaning that 99% of the chemicals enter the environment (source). Pesticides degrade soil quality, making it harder to grow crops, and frequently run into nearby streams and rivers, causing damage to fish and other aquatic life. Plus, organic farming can use 50% less energy than conventional farming methods (source).
Buying local food just makes sense –why buy food that has to be transported thousands of miles across the country or around the world? Transporting food long distances wastes unnecessary fuel, further exacerbating global warming. Farmers markets are a great place to get fresh, delicious, locally-grown food.
RECYCLE YOUR ELECTRONICS
220 tons of electronic waste are dumped into landfills and incinerators each year in the United States alone, releasing lead, mercury cadmium, and other toxins that end up in the water stream and pose health risks. Recycle your electronics instead. Los Altos-based GreenCitizen is a great place to take your electronic waste, including computers, batteries, CDs, cell phones, and TVs, among other items.
SIGN UP FOR PALOALTOGREEN, PALO ALTO’S RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRAM
By paying an extra $5-$10 per month for its electricity bill, any Palo Alto family or business can help to support the city’s investments in wind and solar power. Signing up for PaloAltoGreen is the number one way that you can personally help prevent global warming. Signing up for one year is the equivalent of not driving 11,000 miles or planting 624 trees. Click here for more info.
REDUCE, REUSE, AND RECYCLE EVERYTHING YOU CAN!
Reduce your consumption, reuse what you buy, and recycle the rest!
Check out the City of Palo Alto's Recyclopedia or the website of the City of Palo Alto's Recycling Program.
REDUCE YOUR PAPER WASTE—PRINT DOUBLE SIDED OR ON PAPER ALREADY USED ON ONE SIDE
If you are an average American, it’s going to take 465 trees to provide you with a lifetime of paper. Reduce your paper waste by printing double-sided or printing on paper that has already been used on one side.
SIGN UP FOR GREENDIMES
For a dime a day, or $36 a year, GreenDimes, an online service based in Palo Alto, will remove your name from direct mail lists and stop unsolicited credit card and insurance offers from coming to her house. Plus, GreenDimes plants a tree in Haiti, India or Senegal for every month you subscribe to the service.