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Last week, we shared 29 tips about conserving energy and water, with MrSteam as part of the equation. This week, we add 51 more for a grand total of 80 tips, as we focus on how to reuse/reduce/recycle, transportation, chemicals, and ways to educate about and represent for the environment.
Reuse/Reduce/Recycle
The three “Rs” are important ways to cut down on waste, stop our landfills from overflowing, and reduce the toxicity that can poison our planet.
Reuse
30. Think about ways to refurbish things you already own. A coat of paint will do wonders on wooden furniture or old wood frames, and an old door can be turned into a desk or table top. An old shower curtain can be used to protect your floor or the trunk of your car.
31. Foam packing peanuts provide great drainage when placed at the bottom of potted plants.
32. Build a compost bin for your food scraps as well as spoiled produce—which is not only a great way to reduce waste, but also helps your garden thrive.
33. Buy secondhand. Not only will you save money, but it puts something that would otherwise end up in the trash back into circulation. Accept those secondhand donations for your kids from relatives and friends with older children, everything from clothes to toys.
34. Donate—school supplies, outgrown toys and clothes, books, household and pet supplies, even cosmetics—to local nonprofits, schools, libraries, shelters, and charities. Or sell your gently used items secondhand.
35. Save the plastic containers that take-out comes in and use them to organize everything from small toy pieces to tools, planters to office and kitchen storage. Of if you think you may take home leftovers, bring your own containers to the restaurant with you.
36. Save those glass jars, too, which are especially useful for storing nails, screws, etc.
37. Create personal wrapping paper and gift bags by using newspaper (the comics, for instance), magazines, and scrap cloth. Save the wrapping paper and bags you yourself are given to reuse.
38. A void using disposable utensils and dishes. Better to wash reusable ones.
39. Use every bit of that piece of paper. Invest in a printer that automatically prints on both sides, or figure out how to feed it back in for a second use. Or use the backs for scrap, including lists, notes, phone messages, etc.
There are dozens more ways to reuse what you own. All it takes is some imagination and creativity!
Reduce
There are several ways to reduce the waste that piles up for all of us:
40. Help the kids recognize how much junk they’re throwing out by giving everyone their own trash can. Smallest weekly amount wins!
41. Baby at home? Try and use at least some cloth diapers in your daily rotation. One cloth diaper a day means 365 fewer disposables in the landfill every year.
42. Consolidate your purchases from online stores into a single big shipment to reduce the number of packages you receive. Buy in bulk from big package stores—reducing the quantity of packaging there, too!
43. Stop your junk mail. Ecocycle gives you six steps to stop the unwanted paper you otherwise would just toss into the trash. You can actually eliminate the approximately 69 pounds of junk mail that arrives at your door every year.
44. Pay your bills online and go paperless. Ask your bank and other organizations you receive statements from to send you emails instead.
45. Cancel your physical newspaper subscription and read the paper online. Not only will you be saving paper, but you’ll also be in tune with the Millennials in your life.
46. Use cloth instead of paper—rags to clean with and cloth napkins instead of paper.
47. Pack lunches in reusable containers rather than plastic wrap. The same goes for leftovers.
48. Put your personal reusable shopping bags in the car so you don’t forget to use them instead of the store’s paper and plastic bags.
49. Avoid buying bottled water—put home-filtered water into a reusable bottle instead. Bottled water causes significant plastic pollution, with nearly 30 billion bottles being sold every year in the US, and less than 20% of them being recycled.
Recycle
50. It’s critical to properly recycle your electronics. E-waste contains mercury and other toxic chemicals and is creating yet another environmental crisis. Find a local electronic recycling center to dispose of all electronics healthfully.
51. Recycle newspapers that you don’t reuse. Millions of papers are thrown away that can be used for other purposes. If the world recycled newspapers for a single week, we would save more than 500,000 trees.
52. Make sure you recycle all glass items. Glass takes up to a million years to decompose.
MrSteam Tips for Recycling:
53. All MrSteam residential steam generators are constructed from recyclable stainless steel, providing a naturally corrosion-resistant, green product.
54. Here’s yet another reason to be excited when your MrSteam package arrives at your door: the packaging is made from 100% recyclable material! The way in which your steam shower is delivered reflects the environmentally responsible product it contains.
Transportation
Our gas guzzling habits are wreaking havoc on the environment, producing greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing our oil reserves. So do what you can to get out of the car seat.
Many of these options won’t just help the planet—they’re also great ways to get into shape:
55. Shop with vendors whose produce comes from local sources. Or join a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables. Most of our food comes from more than 1,500 miles away. Not only does shopping local reduce shipping from far-off places, but the food is fresher, too!
56. Stay close to home when dining out—or consider an evening in instead.
57. Slow down! Driving 10 mph above 60 guzzles more gas and adds nearly 50 cents to the price of your gas.
58. Check the tire pressure, which can improve mileage by about 3%.
59. Consider telecommuting options with your employer. These days, especially with open office plans, working from home a few days a week or month is becoming increasingly popular.
60. Carpool with co-workers to start and end the day on a social note.
61. Use public transportation when you can. One less car on the road!
62. Ride a bike or walk, which saves on gas and parking costs. Run local errands and get more exercise.
63. If you have to drive, map your errands to travel the fewest possible miles. This gets you back home faster, as well.
64. Carpool, bike, or walk to the gym, too.
MrSteam Tips for Transportation:
65. Tired after that bike ride or long walk? Take a steam shower. It removes lactic acid from overworked muscles, reinvigorating them, and increases your muscular flexibility!
66. MrSteam has been proudly manufacturing products in the USA since 1917. You can rest assured that you’re buying a product that has not been shipped from overseas.
Chemicals
Reducing your use of chemicals—in food, household products, and for personal use—eliminates toxins in our air, water, and earth.
Consider these tips:
67. Wipe your feet, not just once, but several times before entering a house. Less dirt dragged in means fewer pathogens that require chemicals to clean them, as well as the potential for disease. It also keeps the air in the home cleaner.
68. Don’t carelessly throw clothes into the wash when they don’t need to be cleaned. Not only does this reduce detergent use, but it also helps conserve water.
69. Use herbal and organic beauty products, including those fashioned from ingredients you can find in your kitchen.
70. Healthy, natural food leads to better health, inside and out. Consider starting your own garden or buy organic food that is grown without the use of pesticides.
71. Create your own non-toxic cleaning products, using simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap. This saves money, eliminates packaging, and improves your indoor air quality.
72. Speaking of air quality, a drop of essential oil in your cleaning products makes the house smell fresher and more natural than those canned air fresheners.
73. Avoid buying clothes that need to be dry cleaned.
MrSteam Tips for a Chemical-free Life:
74. Avoid the dry cleaner by using your steam shower to steam out stubborn wrinkles from your clothing.
75. Your steam shower will sanitize almost anything, including stuffed animals, drapes, and window treatments.
76. Add MrSteam’s aromatherapy essential oils to your homemade cleaning products and let your entire house enjoy the fresh scent of lavender, eucalyptus, evergreen, mint, and more.
77. Simplify your skin care regime by taking a steam bath rather than relying so heavily on chemical treatments. Not only does it purify your pores, but it also helps acne, and cleanses, lubricates, and hydrates your skin—and it even makes waxing and shaving easier!
78. Our TALA® Bath & Body Rhassoul Lava Clay is a chemical-free treatment that can be used for deep skin care. This mineral-laden clay is meticulously dried and transformed into a fine silken powder. When you add water, this powder forms a smectic clay that absorbs liquid or oil from skin and hair, removing excess oils and replacing them with healthful minerals.
Educate and Represent
79. The care of our planet rests not only with us, but with coming generations as well. Do your part in helping to educate the next generation by practicing what you preach, discussing why you’re making environmentally caring choices, and cultivating the right mindset in your kids.
80. Stay in touch with your representatives—both local and state—and let them know that they need to make the right choices regarding environmental issues. This includes everything from public transportation, keeping corporate pollution in check, protecting wild lands, providing effective recycling programs, and more.
As MrSteam has stated in our mission statement, our focus on the environment has always been a critical factor in our production and packaging choices, as well as our products. We hope you’ll chose to follow some of these 80 Go Green Tips to help us preserve and protect our beautiful planet!
