Did you know that you can use boiled water or vinegar instead of nasty chemical substances to kill your weeds? Or that you can use said undiluted vinegar to remove mildew from your shower curtains? How about replacing a standard bulb with a compact fluorescent one – you will get more light for less money and save a lot of electricity.

There are so many ways that we can lessen our carbon footprint. By being vigilant, and each doing our little bit to preserve the environment, we are actively building a brighter, better place for our kids and their generations to follow.

Create A Compost Pile

It’s easy to do. Find a corner of the yard that’s out of the way. Carefully throw food wastes like vegetable peels, eggshells, coffee grounds, used teabags, and spoiled fruit and vegetables into a pile and mix with soil. Every week or so, turn the pile over with a shovel to air it. In a few weeks, it will turn into a rich, nutritious loam that will help plants grow. Just think: What used to be “garbage” is now a valuable substance!

Eat Organic Produce

Organic produce contains far fewer chemicals than other produce. That’s probably better for your health, and it is definitely better for the environment. All those chemicals get washed off of farmers’ fields into rivers and streams, where they pollute our water. In addition, many of the chemicals are made from petroleum and other nonrenewable resources. So, don’t eat chemicals – eat real food!

Recycle Everything

Well, not everything, but just about. As we said earlier, there is little you can’t recycle one way or another. One exception is plastic, most of which is not easily recyclable. Set up recycling boxes in your home–one for collecting newspapers, another for collecting other types of paper, another for glass, and another for aluminum. Try composting, which is a way of recycling food and other organic matter. You can even try recycling plastic, if you can find a place that accepts plastic for recycling. If you can’t recycle something, see if there is some way you can reuse it.

Reuse A Bag

Some people believe that paper bags are less harmful to the earth than bags plastic bags, which are made out of chemicals. The fact is, making both types of bags creates a lot of pollution, and both paper and plastic bags use a lot of resources. So neither is much better than the other. The best solution is not to use any bag at all, or to bring your own bag. Some people carry a canvas or mesh bag they can use over and over. If you must use a paper or plastic bag, don’t throw it away. Try to use the bag over and over–as many times as you can.

Hold On To Balloons

Helium balloons are loads of fun, but if you let them fly away, they may harm fish and animals. Helium balloons eventually fall back to earth and can be blown by strong winds miles away into the ocean. Some sea animals mistake the balloons for jellyfish. When an animal tries to eat a balloon, it can kill the animal. So if you have a helium balloon, hold on tight. If you know of others planning to use them for a celebration, warn them about the dangers of letting the balloons fly away.

Look At Labels

Reading labels can tell you a lot of things. First, you can find out about a product’s ingredients – whether it contains anything that might be hazardous to your health or the the environment. A label will also tell you how to contact the product’s manufacturer with your questions and comments. Feel free to let them know what’s on your mind. Do you think their product is good? Let them know! Could it be better? Let them know that, too. In particular, let them know if you’ve decided to buy–or not buy–their product for environmental reasons. Companies listen very carefully to what their customers have to say. It doesn’t take very many letters and calls for a company to think seriously about making changes.