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Consider for moment, that everything you do for the environment is a drop of water, falling into a pond, sending out rings
which connect with others, until all our efforts become a virtual waterfall of healing action, flowing from our lives back
into the Earth that sustains us all.
Where The Healing Waters Start
You can help preserve and improve our
environment by taking just some of the actions listed below. By practicing three or four of these simple things in and around
your home you can have a positive effect on the environment. Please, look over this action sheet to see where you can make
the strongest contribution to help preserve the Earth, our home and the source of all life. By taking immediate action you
can help save our future and our childrens prosperity. Of course, the more you do the more positive effects you create.
In your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room:
Fix water leaks completely. Small leaks add up over time into large
wastes of water and energy.
Replace expensive and environmentally harmful detergents and cleaners with less toxic,
cost efficient substitutes.
--baking soda and vinegar to scour sinks, tubs, toilets...
--lemon juice and
washing soda (Borax) instead of stain removers, disinfectants and laundry detergents; works well for your toilet bowl too...
--1/4 cup lemon juice instead of laundry bleach...
-- vegetable oil based soap, all-purpose cleaners, and
dish washing soaps with coconut or corn oil.
Prefer products with naturally occurring substances (vegetable oils,
citric and corn oil) to those with phosphate or ingredients that are chlorinated or petroleum based. Be weary of waning labels,
especially those that read "hazardous" or " keep out of the reach of children."
Use cloth towels
and cloth grocery satchels instead of throwing out wasteful, bleached-white paper towels and plastic or even paper bags.
Store left-over foods in reusable containers rather then disposable wrappings. Buy products you use often in bulk,
economy sizes. Share unwanted items with a friend, neighbor or a local food drive.
Use cold water when washing clothes
and wherever possible; and wash only full loads.
To save water, put a half-gallon container filled with stone in
your toilet tank, use aerators on all faucets, and install a water saving shower head with a handy shutoff valve for use when
lathering up.
Set your hot water heater to 120 degrees, and turn it down when you plan to be away from home for more
than a couple of days.
Learn about and think of new ways to conserve water and reduce the amount of hot water you
use. Write down your ideas and implement them with our whole family. Share them with EPF too!
In your garage, on
your lawn, and in your garden:
Never dump hazardous substances such as paint or used motor oil down the drain, in
a sewer, or directly into a nearby river, lake or stream. Contain all hazardous wastes and dispose of them properly. One gallon
of improperly disposed gasoline can make an entire underground aquifer unsuitable as drinking water...
Find out where
your local hazardous waste collection services are located or on what days you community picks up toxic household products
you no longer need...
Ask local service stations if they accept used motor oil, transmission fluid and antifreeze.
Some dealers and stores also accept used batteries, car parts, and appliances...
Use water-based or latex paints
instead of oil-based paints, using water as an effective and safe, non-toxic, paint thinner. Soak you brushes clean using
hot water and vinegar..
Use an electric or push mower (small gas engines can produce more hydrocarbon pollutants
per operating time than a car)...
Cutting your grass weekly will prevent weeds, including dandelions, before they
seed, and help eliminate your need for herbicides (also, some weeds arent all that unattractive)...
Leave grass clippings
on your lawn to act as a super, all natural fertilizer. Leave the remainder of last years garden scrap to decay on your garden
and become compost...
Share excess clippings and compost with a neighbor...
Replace chemical pesticides
by spraying plants with a weak solution of dish detergent in water (this repels most insects)...
A quarter can of
beer, sunk in the ground up to its cover, will trap and drown plant pests in your garden...
Practice companion gardening.
Many plants grow better and discourage pests when planted alongside other particular plants. For instance, scattering onions
throughout your garden will discourage many pests from attacking your crop. Find out which combinations work best from your
gardening retailers...
After your seeds have taken good root, invite birds to protect your garden from pests by providing
bird baths and well stocked bird feeders...
To scare birds away during seeding, post a dark silhouette of an owl
above your garden.
In addition to the above suggestions, help the environment and spread your environmental spirit
within you community by taking at least one action in each of the following groups.
STARTING AT HOME
Start
a recycling program in your home, including all aluminum cans, newspapers, and glass and plastic containers. Enlist your whole
family to help separate and transport them...
Buy compact fluorescent instead of incandescent light bulbs, thereby
using 75% less energy and saving up to $30 over the fluorescents lifetime..
Insulate your home properly and winterize
windows and doors. Set you thermostat at 68 degrees F in the winter. Use fans instead of air conditioning in warm months.
TRANSPORTATION
Utilize public transportation whenever possible...
Consider energy-efficiency before
buying a car (and appliances). Ask yourself how often it will be used and whether your needs could be met by a bicycle, motorcycle
or more fuel efficient model instead. If you decide on a car, keep it well maintained, tuned and the tires properly inflated.
Poorly maintained cars use more gas and oil, cause unnecessary pollution, and increase the amount of global warming "greenhouse"
gases...
Join or start a regular, company-wide carpool where you work.
COMPLETE THE CIRCLE
Start
a recycling and/or tree-planting program in your local community, at your childs school, your church, or a local recreation
area...
Take a reusable coffee mug or a sports bottle to work.
Develop a recycling program where you work.
Present it as cost effective and image enhancing for the company, especially if your business accommodates the public on a
large scale...
Initiate a community based youth workshop on the environment and its preservation, emphasizing ecologically
sound ways of living.
THESE ARE JUST A FEW ACTIONS THAT WILL HELP HEAL SOME OF THE WOUNDS WE HAVE INFLICTED UPON
THE EARTH. BY ANTICIPATING WHAT EFFECTS OUR ACTIONS WILL HAVE ON THE ENVIRONMENT, WE CAN ALL PREVENT FUTURE HARM FROM OCCURRING.
Thanks to the Generosity and Suggestion of Contributors Like You Earth Preservation Funds Citizens Action Sheet was
produced, in part, by a grant from EPFs Environmental Education Fund!
Some More Good ECO Actions
Check your
local TV listings for Environmental Programs. Volunteer you spare time with a local Earth Group. Consider Every day EARTH
DAY!
EPF is Dedicated to Bettering the Environment, Assisting Industry and Helping Society Through Education, Research
and Innovative Charitable Programs.
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