Earth Day? It sounds so, so kind of big. How can we be earth friendly? What do we need to do?
And can we, in our little ways really affect the earth eco systems.
Well, we can. We don't have to do deprive ourselves of anything, reaslly. We just need to act more responsibly and cut a little here and there. Little things done by a lot of people will make a difference.
You don't have to become solar or grow your own food, but here are some things you can do;
1 Green up your appliances. Next time you need to by appliances or if you have old ones, maybe you should switch to the green "Energy Star" type. There are local government programs with rebates and it probably wouldn't cost you very much, but you can realize big savings in energy consumption
2 Watch the temperature - almost half the home's energy goes to heating and cooling.
3 Save water - install an aerator on the kitchen faucet and save up to 50% of water
install a low-flow toilet. They use only 1.6 gal, (just over 6 litres)
or adjust the flow valve to let less water in to the tank
4 Clean Green - One of the best books I like and used it's cleaning suggestions in,
Haley' Cleaning Hints, which uses inexpensive everyday items to clean.
Amazing what you can do without using the expensive cleraning solutions bought
at your local stores.
5 Use energy efficient lights and light bulbs
6 Save a tree, use less paper - Use recycled paper products and ones with less virgin
pulp in it's contents.
7 Want hardwood floors? - Did you know that bamboo is a better choice? Bamboo ages in 4-6
years and hardwood forests take 50-100 years to mature.
8 Reduce use of plastics - from shopping bags to sandwich plastic bags, find an alternate
eco friendly product.
9 Use healthier paint - avoid use of solvent base paints as they release toxic fumes into
the atmosphere.
10 Garden green - use composting. Use native plants in your garden, perennials are better
than annuals. Stop using chemical pesticides as better options are available.
Remember the DDT? We are still paying the price even though it has been out
of use for some time.
These are just some ways we can help and get greener. So don't stop now just because the earth days is just a day on the calendar.
Keep contributing in small ways every day, and we will all be better for it.
If you are looking to Buy or to Sell real estate in Vancouver area, give me a call. My consultations are FREE. The benefits to You, may be worth a lot of money.
Call Jeff Stark at 604-290-7890 or email me at jeff@jeffreystark.net
