Recycling

When people use things like aluminum cans, glass bottles, or paper, they have two choices: throw them in the trash or
recycle them. Throwing them in the trash means they will go into a landfill, which will ultimately mean more landfills.
Landfills are toxic and thus dangerous to the environment. In addition, it means more natural resources will be needed to
make more cans, paper, and bottles, and that will also contribute to air and water pollution. Recycling these objects means
that their materials will be used again, reducing the need for cutting down trees or mining for materials to make cans. In
addition, programs exist that pay people to recycle many of the things that they use, including aluminum cans, glass bottles,
cell phones, and some types of scrap metal. People can also reuse other things, like using empty boxes to send things in the
mail or empty plastic food containers for storing paperwork or tools. All of this reduces the need for making new landfills.

Recycle City Game

Recycling Facts
Frequently Asked Questions: Benefits of Recycling
Environmental Benefits of Recycling
Puzzled About Recyclings Value? Look Beyond the Bin (PDF)

Composting
Composting is the recycling of food waste into fertilizer for plants. It has many benefits for the environment, including
reducing the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. This is because it enriches the soil with a natural source of major
plant nutrients like nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous and other substances that plants need to grow. Some types of
compost can remove contamination from soil, and all forms of compost serve to enrich soil to foster the growth of plants.
Composting helps to fight pollution, and because it reduces the need to buy chemical fertilizers, it can also save money.
Composting is not only economically beneficial for homeowners but also businesses.

Compost Benefits and Uses

Composting for the Homeowner
Benefits of Composting Compared with Spreading Raw Manure
Composting Facts

CONSERVING ENERGY
Energy production and use is one of the major causes of pollution and natural resource depletion by human beings.
Conserving energy not only reduces the consumption of energy, and thus the need for energy production, but it also cuts
down on air and water pollution by reducing the burning of fossil fuels. This not only serves to protect the environment, but
it also saves energy users money by cutting down on their energy bills. There are many ways in which one can save energy
daily and develop habits that conserve energy. For instance, carpooling to work saves gasoline and money by transporting
several people in one vehicle and reducing the number of automobiles on the road. Using programmable thermostats at home
is a good way to reduce the usage of electricity, as is air-drying dishes and turning off electronic equipment rather than
letting it run on standby.

Energy Conservation in the Home

10 Energy-Saving Tips
A Home Energy Primer: Conservation, Efficiency, and Solar
Tips on Saving Money and Energy at Home (PDF)
Tips for Energy Efficiency

WATER CONSERVATION
While 75 percent of the worlds surface is covered by water, only one percent of that is drinkable. Water pollution and waste
reduces the amount of water that humans can use and can cause or exacerbate water shortages. Repairing leaky plumbing
such as pipes or dripping faucets is one method of conservation that can save thousands of gallons of water annually.
Dishwashers should only be run when they are full, as that will save more water than washing several smaller loads. Short
showers, low-flow shower heads, and low-volume toilets will also reduce the usage of water at home.

Water Conservation: Be Water-Smart, Not Water-Short

Water Conservation Tips (PDF)
 Home Water Conservation Tips
Living Green: Water Conservation
Water Use Facts

SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainable living goes beyond individual acts of eco-friendliness such as recycling, energy and water conservation, or
controlling pollution. It is all of the above, but more importantly, its the general principle that people should reduce or
eliminate waste to achieve no net increase in the need for natural resources. Sustainable living is essential for preventing
humans from exhausting Earths natural resources, including fertile and arable land, breathable air, and drinkable water. It is
also important for space travel, where a hypothetical human-designed environment would likely be too small and fragile to
tolerate waste or pollution. Sustainability is the merging of all eco-friendly methods into a general lifestyle in which excess
or unnecessary waste and increased resource consumption are things of the past.

University of Puget Sound: Tips for Sustainable Living

Take Action: Go Zero Waste
Ten Simple Tips for Sustainable Living
Tips for Sustainable Living

OTHER WAYS TO GO GREEN

There are a large number of additional ways that one can act to protect the environment. One example involves using
cleaning techniques that are friendly to the environment, such as vinegar to clean floors and baking soda and Castile soap to
clean toilets. Running laptops on their battery and charging them when their charge is low uses less electricity than keeping
the laptop constantly plugged in, and installing solar panels can actually generate electricity for a home without using fossil
fuels. Community tree-planting programs can help clean the air as well as provide shade and eliminate heat islands, which
are zones within a city where the suns light and heat cause the ground to heat up excessively. Trees can also eliminate
certain types of environmental contaminants. Electric cars and other vehicles that run on alternative energy can help to
eliminate smog and greenhouse gases, and painting roofs a lighter color can save energy and money by keeping a home cool
during the summer. Consumers can also choose to purchase goods that are made in a more eco-friendly manner, such as
buying products made of recycled materials.

Green Cleaning (PDF)

Planting Trees For Energy Conservation: The Right Tree in the Right Place
Benefits of Solar Power (PDF)
Fighting Pollution the Poplar Way: Trees to Clean Indiana Site
Pollution Prevention Tips
35 Awesome Things to Do with Custom Reusable Bags

RESOURCES

An Arsenal of Tech to Protect Our Planet [INFOGRAPHIC]

Only You Can Prevent Global Warming
Sustainable Agriculture: Definitions and Terms
Drugs in the Water
Planning and Combining Trips
13 Ways to Green Your Office
Green Cleaning
Our Environment
The Effects of Urban Trees on Air Quality (PDF)
An Introduction to Solar Energy
Sustainable Living Tips
Environmental Contamination, Community Transformation, and the Centralia Mine Fire
Make Your Office Eco-Friendly