Tips for Taking-Care of the EARTH
Saving Energy:
- Reduce your carbon footprint. Carpooling or traveling twice a week can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1,600 pounds per year!
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2. Make your home an Energy Star One! Opt for energy efficient appliances when replacing / purchasing new ones. If every home in the Caribbean replaced just one conventional light bulb with a compact fluorescent one, we would have enough energy to light tens of thousands of other homes for a year.
3. eCycle it! Take your old computer, DVD player or other electronics to an electronic recycling center. This reduces land, water and air pollution. 4. Avoid idling your vehicle engines as much as possible. It pollutes the air and wastes fuel and money. |
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Use Water Efficiently:
1. Make if a Full Load! When using your dishwasher or washing machine, attempt to have a full load before use. This saves hundreds of gallons of water per year.
2. Shower Power! A bathtub uses approximately 70 gallons of water while a 5 minute shower uses 10-25 gallons. Improve your water consevation by installing a water efficient shower head.
3. Fix leaks asap! Leaks can waste hundreds of gallons of water a year. Fix or replace leaking pipes etc. as quickly as possible.
4. Though it seems like Earth has an endless supply of water, only approximately 1% of that water is available to humans. Turn off the taps while you brush your teeth or shampoo your hair. A little goes a LONG WAY!!!.
Remember the Three Rs - Reduce | Reuse | Recycle
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1. Purchase appliances that have high consumer ratings and a reputation for fewer breakdowns. This means a longer life for your electronics and reduces the need to purchase / repair or replace them before it is necessary.
2. Don't just trash containers / plastic bags etc. Get creative and find ways to reuse them instead of sending them to the landfills. Go online and research ideas to reuse items before you toss them out! 3. Make a habit of having reusable bags handy when you are going shopping. This greatly reduces the amount plastics in landfills. If you do use plastic bags, opt for ones which are biodegradable. |
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4. Travel Green. Choose hotels that implement means of using water and energy efficiently. Use hotel towels and sheets more than once. Turn off your television, computers and air conditioning or heat before you leave your room.
Environmentally Protective Choices
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1. Read the labels on pesticide containers. This will guide you on how to properly use and dispose of these chemicals to be reduce harm to the environment.
2. In hot weather, do not full or top-up your vehicle gas tank. Try to put fuel in tanks either early in the morning or later in the evening when its cooler. This reduces the chance of spills evaporating and contributing to air pollution. Also, gas stations that have vapor recovery systems can feed a spill back into gas station tanks AFTER you have already paid for it. 3. The sun's rays are beneficial but in high concentrations can be dangerous. When outdoors, wear sunscreen or lotions that provide protection of SPF 15 or more. Just 5 sunburns or more can really increase your risk of skin cancer, so protect your skin!. 4. As overdone as this advice seems, avoid littering. This habit not only makes our surroundings less attractive but can lead to clogged drains and causeways which contribute to flooding in some areas. |
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