Ordering bank statements on email instead of regular postage

If you regularly throw away your bank statement after reading them, then you can help reduce paper consumption by seeking email bank statements instead of postage. Simply talk to your bank and ask if they can send statements to your email address instead of postage on paper.

This will help reduce paper consumption by a great deal, especially if you live in a country that does not recycle paper then you'll also help reduce paper waste.

Buying coffee in tin cans instead of packages

For those of you who make coffee to drink at home and drink and live in a country that recycles waste, this is a good suggestion for you. In many supermarkets, coffee beans are for sale in packaging as well as tin cans. Plastic packaging of coffee is pictured below and is non-recyclable:

In countries that recycle certain waste- which does not include plastic, buying coffee in cans helps reduce waste. Pictured below is tinned coffee which is recycable:

If you are a strong environmentalist or wish to contribute towards the environment by producing less waste and more recycling then you are encouraged to buy canned coffee instead of packaged ones.

Adopting a pet from an animal shelter instead of a pet shop

I understand that not all cities or countries have animal shelter programs, but for those countries that do, people should adopt pets from there instead of buying them at a pet store.

Animal shelters are voluntary programs and rely on donations from various sources in order to support abandoned/uncared animals. Pet shops on the other hand keep animals from controlled breeding and profit from selling animals. Pet shops do not rescue abandoned animals either. They just sell animals born into their care.

Animal shelter organizations on the other hand are voluntary and usually don't charge for giving pets for adoption since animal care is their obvious goal. Some shelter organization may charge to be able to get funds for supporting their work, but other than that they are non for profit.

By adopting a pet from an animal's shelter, you can make a difference by reducing their workload. The longer an animal stays in a shelter, the more the shelter will have to pay for food and care, including medical care. The more animals adopted from a shelter, the less the workload there is on an organization and more resources saved.

By adopting from a shelter, you will be helping support such organizations instead of buying from corporate pet shops. So whenever readers are considering adopting a pet, remember to turn to an animal shelter instead of a pet store. This way you'll be supporting animal care a great deal.

Reducing ketchup pot waste when eating at a fast food place

For those who eat at fast food places like Mcdonald's or Burger King will notice many of their branches provide ketchup sauce from tiny paper pots such as the one pictured below:

The ketchup is drained from a machine into the paper pot by pushing a lever. Usually when buying anything larger than a small fries, weather McDonald's or any other, you would need more than one paper pot to dip the fries in and finish them.

I usually avoid fast food and occasionally go to McDonald's/Burger King and when I do I use the same paper pot to finish the fries. I just refill it with ketchup when it runs out instead of getting another paper pot and filling it. This reduces paper waste.

I know it won't make much of a difference if one person does it, but if everyone who ate at fastfood places did this, it would make a difference.

Buying rechargeable batteries and reducing package waste

Even in countries where recyclable material is collected and regular batteries can be thrown as recyclable waste, each time a set of batteries are purchased and used there is paper waste produced by disposing the packets these regular batteries come in.

Take for example these batteries pictured in their packaging below:

While those batteries pictured above are recyclable, the package they can be seen in are not and so each time you buy regular batteries such as those you produce package waste.
But by buying rechargeable batteries pictured below, you produce waste only once after you buy it. By recharging these batteries each time they run out of power, you don't need to buy new ones and throw their packets each time. This reduces a significant amount of packaged waste.

The most ecological rechargeable batteries are Ni-MH rechargeable units (Nickel-metal hydride), which are the current state-of-the-art in rechargeable battery technology.
Also you will save money by recharging the batteries instead of spending money each time to buy new ones.

How to save water when washing your hands

Whenever you do work that involved getting your hands dirty, make sure that you have done all your work before washing your hands.
If you need to wash your hands before doing similar work again, don't wash your hands at all.

Make sure all your work is done before washing your hands. If you wash your hands after each chore, you are wasting water so to help conserve as much water as possible, make sure all the work is complete and only then wash your hands.

If you need to wash your hands in between chores because it's necessary for a specific chore such as child care, cooking food with your hands etc. then do so. But even then try to finish all the dirty chores before moving on to the cleaner chores.

All this helps conserve water.

How to save matches when lighting more than one fires on a gas stove

People who use gas stoves to cook their food and boil other things can save matches for lighting it.
When you need to light more than one stove for cooking food, boiling milk and/or water, light one stove with a match as pictured above. If you're lighting another stove next then turn the gas on and use the same burning match to light the other stove(s).

If you need to wait for a while, take an already burned match as pictured below, stick and let it catch fire from the stove already burning and use it to light the next stove(s).

This method will save you thousands of matches and reduce waste.

Using cloth instead of tissue to wipe off soap and water

When cleaning tables, floors and counters, try using a sponge with soap. Once you've cleaned it with soap, you'll need to wipe off the soap. Many people use issue papers or paper towels to clean off the soap and water.

This produces waste as the tissue paper or paper towel need to be thrown away once used to wipe off the soap. Instead of using these items to wipe off the soap, get a separate cloth used to wipe off the soap and water. The cloth can be used several times and does not need to be thrown away.

The picture below is a good demonstration on how to use it:

Turn clutter into ca$h

If you have items in your household that you don't want be they books, DVD, magazines, games or anything else you don't like, try to sell them.

If an item that is not being used is sitting there, it is a waste. By selling them online you are not just reducing consumption but also profiting yourself. Also by selling items you don't want/need you can also spend that money on buying thing you actually do want used at a discounted price.

Buying and selling used items helps cut down on necessary consumption and waste. Why leave around items you don't want that somebody else desires and wishes to keep or use.

Go to websites like ebay or amazon to sell and buy used items. You can also look up a local website for your city or country that hosts ads for wanted products or other things for sale.

Disposing of wasted restaurant food enviorenmentally

This post is again for those who have organic waste service in their cities/countries.

When you eat at a restaurant and cannot finish your meal, the restaurant you eat at won't necessarily have organic waste disposal just because it's available in your town/city/country.

If that is the case, request a box to take home the rest of the food as most restaurants usually have that facility of boxing your food to take home.

Once you take it home you can finish the remaining food or dispose of it in the organic waste. This will reduce food waste. Also if possible request the restaurant to start an organic waste facility for all food waste.

To be more favorable to the environment, it is encouraged that you keep the paper box from the restaurant to be used again instead of throwing it in the garbage.

Keeping covers of metal cans on when throwing them

For those who have recycling services in their cities/countries, before throwing away a metal can after use, keep the can cap on.
Metal cans for food and pet food have caps on them and require a can opener to cut and remove them.

With he can opener you can cut open the cover and completely detach it from the can or keep it together at the edge as pictured below:

This way when you throw away the cans for recycling the covers can also be thrown. If thrown separately they are useless by themselves and will be thrown into the garbage. This will only add to waste so it is best to keep the can covers attached to the cans to be recycled along with the cans.

Buying organic products to support the organic farming industry

Always consuming only organic food is not always beneficial to the health or the environment; especially vegetarian foods. However other certain foods such as meat are not very healthy when bought processed.
Some readers will already know that organic products can be more expensive as it takes longer to prepare for the food market than regular processed food.

But when you have many people purchasing a certain service or product, it's price is likely to decline. Buying organic animal products such as milk, meat and eggs is not only healthier but also more humane.
Processed meat especially those found in fast food are extremely unhealthy and require the animals to grow fast in order to be slaughtered or milked within the required time limit.

This in turn requires a restriction of the animal's movement in order to stop them from burning fat and loosing weight. Animals suffer in such miserable conditions and neither is the quality of animal products they produce.

In order to support organic farming and hopefully reduce the prices of organic animal farming, try and purchase organic animal foods. Organic food products are usually marked in their appropriate labels as seen in the image below:

Such labels are found on packaged food that is organic. In other instances you may see the organic labels on the shelf of the food if not on the packages themselves. Organic meat, eggs, milk etc. may cost a little more but if you truly value your good health and believe in humane, environmental farming then the slightly higher cost is worth it.

Additionally as mentioned, purchasing organic food will support the practice and hopefully reduce the prices of organic farming.

Using up tissue papers and paper towels to the fullest

Tissue papers and paper napkins are usually thrown into waste when used just once. Even though they can be used several times before being thrown away.

Once you use a tissue paper to wipe your hands or your nose, fold it and use the other side. Make sure both sides are thoroughly used before being thrown away.

This way you can produce less waste each time and do good for the environment.

Cleaning out food cans before recycling them

As mentioned in my previous posts, not all countries have recycling services, public or private though things may be changing worldwide.
When using up a drinking can (ie. Pepsi can), there is little liquid left inside since the drink itself is usually not sticky.

However, using a can containing solid food substance has stains covering almost the entire can form the inside. Food cans weather containing beans or pet food or any other are solid substances and extremely dense, sticking tightly to the cans on the inside.

This leaves it unclean when opened and emptied. Many people (including myself) choose to throw it in the garbage because of this. The way to throw the can in recycling waste is to first clean it out. This process is quick and easy.

Once emptied, simply place a few drops of liquid soap and fill the can with water for one day or one night. After the day or night goes by, empty the water into the sink and the can will be mostly free of stayed, ready to be disposed of into the recycling bin.

Making use of spilled money on the ground

In North America where I live, it is common for people to carelessly leave a few cents on the ground since they're not worth much and can hardly buy anything. At more rare times you can find one or two dollar coins left on the ground.

Regardless of which country you live in, if you want to contribute to charity or some good cause, but cannot spare from your income, then here's a chance to put use to the unwanted money that people carelessly leave behind.

Collect all these coins/bills that you find on the ground until they reach a significant amount. Once they reach a significant amount, use them on a charity group instead of giving them directly to poor people.
Reason is that charity groups are more organized and ensure the money spent makes a difference.

Give this money to a well trusted charity group/organization in your community or country to ensure it isn't being misused by any fraud(s).
It doesn't necessarily have to be a humanitarian/charity organization. It can be an environmentalist organization or an education fund or any group/organization that makes a positive effect.

Green and progressive ideas on animated video

I do not advocate all the themes of Captain Planet and the liberal leftist propaganda it has been known to promote towards children, but a lot of their simplistic ideas towards the end of the episode ("planeteer alert") contain many non-political progressive ideas on conservation, waste reduction and many others that improve the world.

These ideas are definitely recommended by me since they are simple and extremely helpful to the planet's ecosystem:








I'll add more videos as soon as I can find them.

Throwing out used water without adding to sewage waste

There are times when one or more person each drinks from a glass of water and does not finish the rest of the drink. The picture below is what we all see when someone doesn't finish their water:

The unfinished water will naturally not be consumed by anyone else since it is considered unclean and no longer drinkable.
Most people tend to throw it down the sink from where it goes into the sewer system.

I don't know how advanced recycling or converting sewage waste into electric energy is, but we are all encourage to contribute to it to a minimum.
My method is simple. Not only does it not contribute to sewage waste but also slightly beneficial for the environment.

If you have used water left over in a glass or a bucket and wish to dispose of it, simply throw it to the plants which can make use of it. It is preferable that the water be thrown to plants outside in a gardened area. If not, then throw it into the soil since water is good for it. As long as the water is not contain soap or other chemicals and as long as it goes into nature.

Unwanted tea can also be disposed of in the same manner provided it contains with only natural flavors.

Even if thrown outdoors, the used water will evaporate into the air instead of going into the sewer where it would only contribute to environmental denigration.

How you can make a difference from behind your computer

Signing petitions for good causes is a way one can make a difference without having to go out of his/her way and devote time to good causes.
Good examples of these are clicking on the petitions below and signing them. Many such petitions can be found by simple online searching. It is important to agree with the cause that you are petitioning for.

Help save marine life and reefs:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/help-save-marine-life-and-reefs/

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/environment-and-wildlife/

There are also websites like these where you just click on the banner and help give funding to animal and environmental causes:
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3

Like these, there are many websites you can find for signing petitions and clicking to give help at no expense. These are the small contributions you can make to improve the world through good causes. All one has to do is search for them and sign them and if there is time, spread them all around.

Reduce paper waste or water waste?

This post isn't much of a pro-environmentalist idea but more of an awareness one. Tim Hortons has been promoting reusable mugs for customers because they feel it will prevent waste going into the environment caused by their paper cups.

As a result, they have been posting persuasive ads in their shops and websites to try and get customers to buy reusable mugs because paper mugs are non-recyclable.

But here's the catch. A usable cup/mug might not be thrown after it's first use, but what about washing the mug each time after it's use and the amount of water being used to wash it in the lifetime of someone drinking coffee? Add to that the water waste going into the environment.

The paper cups to my knowledge come from wood which in turn comes from trees which in turn grow on water. So the way to end this post is with the important question that are you really making a difference by buying reusable cups that use up water to be cleaned each time it is used?

Something worthy for readers to think about.