It's so easy to be green
Fri Mar 28, 2008

We all want to do our part to help the environment but not everyone knows where to start. The good news is we don't need to make radical changes to help make a difference. Here are some easy ways you can cut down on your environmental footprint:

A typical shower can use over 10 litres of water per minute. Shave a few minutes off your shower time or install a low flow shower head to help conserve water.

Avoid using harsh insecticides to kill bugs. Try using cayenne pepper or lemon juice if you have an ant problem -- ants taste with their feet.

Use natural cleaning products such as those in the Green Works line. These products are as effective as traditional cleaners, but they are 99 per cent natural and are formulated to be biodegradable. Information on this is available online at www.greenworkscleaners.com.

Make good use of a sunny day and line-dry your laundry. Clothes dryers are one of the most energy inefficient household appliances.

Purchase reusable cloth shopping bags to use at the grocery store. If you have mountains of plastic bags, use them until they wear out and then recycle them.

Drinking plenty of water is important but be sure to opt for Brita pitchers and filters instead of drinking bottled water. One Brita pitcher filter can effectively replace up to 300 500mL plastic bottles of water. Information on this is available online at www.filterforgood.com.

Be sure to run your dishwasher only when it's full. Running several smaller loads instead of a full load wastes both water and energy.

---

www.newscanada.com