Posts
1. Use a drain stopper and soak your dishes in soapy water instead of keeping the faucet running while you scrub. Bonus tip: Listen to a talking program on the radio such as "Fresh Air" on NPR-you won't want to miss a word so you'll automatically keep your faucet use to a minimum.
2. Buy bio-degradable trash bags. Regular trash bags don't break down for centuries, and they seldom get recycled. Some Whole Foods carry the degradable ones, but I haven't been able to check if the Union Sq and Columbus Circle locations do. You can order some here: http://www.ecoproducts.com/Home/home_biobags/home_index_biobags.htm
3. Use mesh bags for vegetables when produce shopping instead of clear plastic bags. You can get them here : http://www.ecobags.com/
4. Switch to a low-flow showerhead and faucet to conserve water. The average showerhead dispenses 5-15 gallons per minute multiply by 10 min...you could be using up to 150 gallons of water per shower. Low-flow showerheads use only 2-4 gallons/min.
5. If you don't have a low-flow showerhead consider taking more baths. A full bath only uses up to 35 gallons of water.
6. Most of us New Yorkers don't have our own washer and dryer, and so therefore only do full loads. However, if you do have your own appliances consider washing your "unmentionables" by hand in the sink because you will most likely use less than 8 gallons of water compared to the 40 gallons of water used per wash cycle in the machine. Air drying in your bathroom uses zero energy.
7. Save, sterilize, and try to return plastic take-out containers to the restaurants where you got them. They might not allow you to do this however, so bring your own containers to the restaurants when you are getting take-out.
8. Bring your own cup to Starbucks (insert your own favorite local/sustainable/family owned coffee shop here) instead of using their plastic or paper cups.
9. Compost! Yes, this can be done in new york city. For those who don't know, composting means combining kitchen scraps (banana peels, vegetable bits) with old newspaper, egg shells, or leaves in a pile or container. The materials organically decompose and become a soil-like compound that can be used to fertilize gardens and indoor plants (and fire escape gardens!). Here are some resources for composting in nyc: http://http://www.ecobags.com/ and http://www.nyccompost.org/how/index.html
10. Replace all plastic household items as they wear out as much as possible with either metal or recycled wood versions. Examples: get a metal pail to replace your plastic bucket, buy recycled wood cooking spoons, use canning jars as tupperware and food storage. Bonus: this tip will also help your health, as many known components in plastic such as pthalates and parabens have in some studies been associated with many health complications ("A study published in 2004 (Darbre, in the Journal of Applied Toxicology) detected parabens in breast tumors.")
