Quick Tips

The following are some of our favorite simple ideas that add up to big impact:

CHANGE YOUR LIGHTBULBS
Replace them with the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), the funny-looking swirl that fits into standard sockets. CFLs cost more, yet use 1/4 the electricity and last several years longer.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FARMER
Fruit, vegetables, meat, and milk produced closer to home rack up fewer "petroleum miles" than products trucked cross-country to your table. Support local growers by visiting their farm stands, shopping at a farmers market, or by purchasing locally-produced items at the grocery store.

Visit the following sites to learn more about Austin-area farmers markets, which support local, sustainable food production.

The Sustainable Food Center's Austin Farmers' Market (www.austinfarmersmarket.org).

Sunset Valley Farmers Market (www.sunsetvalleyfarmersmarket.org).

Don't just sit there... TAKE ACTION

There are many Austin organizations and city agencies working to improve the environment by working directly with area communities and groups. By supporting these efforts (through leadership, volunteering, donations, etc.) your individual actions will add up to major impacts.

For example, check out the City's environmental portal, which lists many volunteer opportunities, local organizations, city-wide eco-efforts, and tips (such as water conservation): http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/environmental/.

Other sites include Keep Austin Beautiful's site (www.keepaustinbeautiful.org), and the Austin Parks Foundation site (www.austinparks.org).

TURN OFF YOUR GADGETS
Items like TVs, DVRs, computers, monitors, stereos, and phone chargers are constantly pulling power, even when you turn them off. Unplug stuff when it's not actively charging a device, and plug everything else into power strips and flick them off each night.

HANG A CLOTHESLINE
You can reduce the CO2 created by your laundry up to 90% by washing your clothes in warm or cold water, and drying your clothes naturally.

PAY YOUR BILLS ONLINE
If every U.S. home viewed and paid its bills online, the switch would cut solid waste by 1.6 billion tons a year and curb greenhouse-gas emissions by 2.1 million tons a year.

GREEN YOUR HOMESTYLE
Open your windows and use fans in the summer and fall. Adjust your thermostat a couple of degrees higher in the summer and lower in the winter. Caulk and weatherstrip all your doors and windows. Insulate your walls and ceilings. Use the dishwasher only when it's full. Install low-flow showerheads. Turn down the thermostat on the water heater. At the end of the year, don't be surprised if your house feels lighter. It just lost 4,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide.

Paper or Plastic? Neither.

Shopping bags blow...into trees and streams. They also suck - energy and resources. Change your relationship - make a long-term commitment to a hemp or organic cotton bag, or even some other plastic throwaway that you will use over and over again.

FIRST . . . RECYCLE
Every year Americans throw away enough office & writing paper to build a wall 12 feet high, stretching from Los Angeles to New York City! Recycle what you can, but also reduce the need: don't print that document if you don't have to and make 2-sided copies whenever you can.

THEN . . . BUY RECYCLED PAPER PRODUCTS
Besides just saving forests around the world, it takes 70% to 90% less energy to make recycled paper. And, of course, it diverts paper from landfills. When you buy recycled paper, you're helping to increase the demand for recycled content products. This "closes the loop" on the recycling process. Reduce-Reuse-Recycle-Rebuy!

RAKE IN THE FALL COLORS
Using a gas-powered leaf blower for just an hour sucks down 1 pint of gas and oil. With more than 30 million acres of lawn in the U.S., it's a high price to pay for a job that can be done with a rake.

CHECK YOUR TIRES
Improperly inflated will wear out more quickly, can cause accidents, and they use up more fuel.

PLANT A TREE . . . IN THE CITY
If every American family planted just one tree, it would reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere by 1 billion pounds a year.

DON'T LANDFILL IT, FREECYCLE IT
Freecycle is a nonprofit, email-based grassroots movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Check them out at www.freecycle.org.

LIVE SIMPLY
Consume less. Just like that. Think about your consumption and your actions, and question your need. Think twice before any purchase of a product that requires power or batteries or ends up quickly as landfill. Do you really need that digital photo frame? Can't we all survive with a broom instead of products requiring disposable pads and cleaners. Take a hard look at the products being advertised on television and other media and question their environmental impact and the necessity of bringing them into your household.

Oh, and get to know your neighbors so you can borrow when you need to and lend when you're asked.

Tips were culled from various resources including Time Magazine, TreeHugger.com, StopGlobalWarming.org, IdealBite.com, and our own little minds.

Sometimes taking action can be as easy as cruising the internet and learning about the environment One of our media partners, KGSR, features a special "Green Page" with Green News, community initiatives, lots of tips, and links to other fun and educational websites. Check it out here: www.kgsr.com/greenpage.

There are many sites to help you learn more about the environment and global warming. Do you know how to calculate your carbon footprint? Check out Green Mountain Energy's site (www.begreennow.com) or visit their kiosk at the Festival to learn more. There's hundreds more, too many to list here, so use Google to find other sites and then bookmark them for future reference. Happy Surfing!