Share a Ride

Look for opportunities to share a ride whenever possible. Walk, bike or use public transportation at least twice a week as opposed to using your own vehicle.

Grow a Garden

Grow a garden. Creating a garden or "backyard habitat" on school grounds is great for learning through experience. Growing food and native plants helps kids connect with the world just outside their door, as well as learning about the food chain and sustainable agriculture. If a garden is not possible, take a nature walk. A stroll around school grounds teaches about natural wonders. Even in urban settings, trees, grasses, and wildlife abound. Teach children to pay attention to the environment that is all around them.

Investigate community-supported agriculture. This is how it works: You pay a local farmer a set price in advance for a share in that year's harvest. During the harvesting season, which can be throughout the spring, summer and fall, you receive a box of fresh produce delivered weekly.

Use Commercial Car Washes; Drink Tap Water

Use commercial car washes. Getting your car washed at a commercial car wash is better for the environment than doing it yourself. Commercial car washes not only use significantly less water per wash--up to 100 gallons less--but they often recycle and reuse the rinse water.

Drink tap water at restaurants. Tap water is more strictly regulated than bottled water and there's no need to add tons of plastic and glass bottles and jugs--about 60 million a day-- to landfills. And recycling them uses energy, too.

Reuse Your Water; Walk

Reuse your water. Water is a precious commodity, and too much of it goes down the drain. Install a rain barrel that attaches to your downspouts and collect rainwater from your roof. Rainwater is relatively free of contaminants and can be used instead of tap water for all kinds of outdoor uses: watering gardens and lawns, cleaning sidewalks and washing the car. 

Skip the treadmill. If the weather's right, consider giving the treadmill a rest and taking your walking or jogging routine outdoors.