Eco-Wishlist

Sustainability is everywhere. Last year alone a plethora of large consumer magazines came out with “green” issues—May 2007 Vanity Fair, Issue 27 Ready Made, May 2007 Elle and March 2007 Domino magazine, to name a few. Trade publications are hammering the idea into their respective readers; I should know from my concrete editorial job. Movies such as An Inconvenient Truth have shocked the public back to reality and living a more healthy, eco-friendly world has become even more important.

When Earth Day came along, I began thinking. I remember a report I wrote on landfills in fifth grade—obviously before my time. I was so appalled by evidence of 15-year-old hot dogs still intact and the millions of tons of paper products poured into our limited land resources. But some where along the line I got lazy. Actually, down right ignorant. I’d tell myself I was doing my part, but obviously, I could have done more.

So in 2007, I came up with the idea of pledging to do one green thing a day. It doesn’t have to be big. It can be quite small really, but that I would try to make a small change on my lifetime impression on the Earth. Although I tried to maintain a blog dedicated to that progress, I was unable to maintain the separate blog. So I decided to import it into this one.

Everyone needs an eco-wishlist—a collection of small steps one can strive to make toward a Mother Earth sustaining existence. Here are a few of mine that I want to cross off my list during the course of this project.

1. Purge/recycle old bills.
2. Use reusable cup when buying Starbucks beverages.
3. Use less toilet paper per use.
4. Make the fridge run more efficiently. And the freezer too.
5. Start a compost pile or refrigerate it.
6. Switch to a biodegradable litter.
7. Reduce my total plastic consumption.
8. Reduce the number of plastic bags consumed in my household.
9. Recycle prescription bottles.
10. Urge my office to change from disposable plastic utensils to donated reusable silverware.
11. Download music and computer programs whenever possible, thus reducing packaging and shipping resources used.
12. Turn off the computer when not in use, or use energy-saving settings.
13. Use the dishwasher.
14. Donate old and unwanted clothes.
15. Switch to rechargeable batteries.
16. Buy organic food.
17. Buy local.
18. Switch from paper bags to a reusable insulated lunch bag.
19. Use my PDA for all lists; scrap the paper”to do” lists.
20. Start an organic garden.
21. Recycle old gym shoes with the Nike program.
22. Reduce accumulated waste each week by half.
23. Use a reusable mug at work.
24. Choose a all-natural variety lip balm instead of petroleum-based.
25. Replace liquid shampoo with a shampoo bar.
26. Buy recyclable pens.
27. Buy eco-friendly, biodegradable garbage bags.
28. Reduce my water usage during showers.
29. Find a pump hairspray alternative over aerosol.
30. Purchase more recycled products.
31. Reduce my total junk mail intake.
32. Choose ethanol over pure gasoline options.
33. Use nontoxic household cleaners. Or make my own.
34. Use my Whole Foods reusable bag as my primary shopping bag.
35. Recycle old motor oil.
36. Skip the dryer sheets.
37. Adjust the household temperature.
38. Switch from paper towels to rags.
39. Give up dry cleaning.
40. Abandon nail polishes with phthalate.
41. Switch to loose leaf tea.
42. Make reusable fabric produce bags.
43. Reduce the number of one-time disposable products in the house.
44. Lower the water heater temperature.
45. Bring reusable containers for take out food.
46. Green my pet.
47. Ask for no receipt.
48. Add a “think before you print icon” to emails.
49. Recycle old gadgets.
50. Lower my cooling costs in the warmer months. And try some of these suggestions too.
51. Green up my lawn (if I have a lawn).
52. Keep a green and healthy home.
53. Save wine corks; do something crafty.
54. Take the 10-mile pledge and reduce my CO2.
55. Cut the energy used from the dryer.
56. Read more online instead of printing or receiving paper-printed items.
57. Fight retail overpackaging.
58. Calculate and reduce my home’s environmental impact.
59. Save my stamps for a good cause.
60. Trim my computer’s energy use.
61. Reduce my personal carbon emissions by 90%.
62. Spruce up the air conditioner.
63. Wash my hair every other day.
64. Replace surge protectors with eco-friendly model.
65. Recycle old eyeglasses.
66. Recycle old cellphones.
67. Reuse printer ink cartridges.
68. Use strainers on drains.
69. Use the cold setting when washing clothes.
70. Dry delicates on a drying rack.
71. Let dishes air dry in my dishwasher.
72. Keep your thermostat at 68 in the winter.
73. Install a programmable thermostat.
74. Use a Brita for cold water.
75. Use a reusable cup when at Starbucks.
76. Take short showers.
77. Turn the faucet off while shaving and brushing your teeth.
78. Toss trash in the wastebasket, not the toilet.
79. Take care of your vinyl shower curtain.
80. Use water-based paints.
81. Properly dispose of latex paint cans.
82. Use rags instead of paper towels.
83. Choose hydrogen- or oxygen-based bleaches.
84. Buy concentrated products.
85. Don’t wash clothes after every wear unless they’re really dirty.
86. Buy phosphate-free, earth-friendly detergent.
87. Keep my refrigerator full to cut down on energy.
88. Keep the fridge at 37 F and the freezer at 3 F.
89. Maintain my fridge twice a year.
90. Use the toaster oven for smaller portion cooking.
91. Switch to CFLs.
92. Turn off the lights when not in use.
93. Use ceiling fans to better circulate the air.
94. Manage radiant solar gain.
95. Buy gift wrap made of recycled paper.
96. Reuse gift wrapping decorations.
97. Get creative with gift wrapping.
98. Recycle my Christmas tree.
99. Choose energy-saving Christmas lights.
100. Make my own gift tags.
101. Participate in St. Jude’s Ranch for Children greeting cards program.
102. Shop at my local farmer’s market.
103. Eat less meat.
104. Switch to cloth napkins.
105. Decline silverware, napkins and condiments when ordering out.
106. Wash fruit and veggies in a bowl of cold water.
107. Turn the faucet using half the volume.
108. Buy in bulk instead of single-servings.
109. Collect grey water for watering plants.
110. Buy quality products.
111. Use rechargeable batteries.
112. Buy a paper shredder.
113. Recycle plastic peanuts with loosefillpackaging.com.
114. Download software instead of buying the CDs, when possible.
115. Buy only plastic bottles labeled with 1 or 2.
116. Create notepads out of scrap paper.
117. Ride my bike when running errands three miles away.
118. Once a week, use public transportation instead of driving.
119. Buy eco-friendly antifreeze.
120. Decline housekeeping when staying at a hotel.
121. Don’t take the complementary bottles.
122. Use biodegradable pet bags.