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Even small changes can make a big difference for our earth. The staff at International Expeditions offers five quick and easy tips to make every day Earth Day!
Compact fluorescent light bulbs use 75% less energy than a traditional incandescent bulb! Start small by replacing just the bulbs in your lamps and fixtures that stay on the longest — like the family room or kitchen — to realize the greatest energy savings.
- Have office paper that is just printed on one side? Before you recycle it, use a clipboard to hold the paper so it can be used as a “scratch” pad. (That’s an actual photo of Creative Service Editor Emily’s scratch pad to the right.)
- Before you throw out used shoes, bikes or household items, see if they can be reused or re-purposed! In addition to international charities you may be familiar with — like Soles 4 Souls and Bike Aid for Africa — local education centers can benefit from household items and even use computers and parts for job training.
- Unplug your wall chargers! Even when not in use, the charger for your digital camera, phone and other gadgets can draw as much as 5 watts per hour each. Try plugging all of your chargers into one power strip to charge needed items overnight. Then turn the power strip off when you wake up.
- When life gives you lemons…Clean! Cut a fresh lemon in half. One half can go down the garbage disposal to deodorize. Microwave the other half for one minute. Then use a sponge or cloth to wipe down the inside of your microwave oven.
Have other tips for greener living? Leave a comment below.
Sometimes we all forget to take our reusable shopping bags to the store. But even using just one reusable shopping bag can eliminate as many as 1,500 plastic bags from landfills in its lifetime. Need some more great reasons to grab a cloth bag next time you head to the store?
- According to The Wall Street Journal, each year Americans use 100 billion plastic shopping bags. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags!
- Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when the animals mistake them for food.
- About 500 nautical miles off the coast of California is a “plastic island” made up of plastic garbage that measures twice the size of Texas. The island is held together by ocean currents.
- In a landfill, plastic bags take up to 1,000 years to degrade. As litter, the break down into small bits, contaminating our soil and water.
To encourage our employees to go plastic-less, International Expeditions’ “Green Team” supplied the entire staff with reusable shopping bags. An added great benefit – many stores offer a five to ten-cent credit if you bring your own bag!
Tis the season to be green, but between running errands all over town and wrapping gifts, it may seem impossible to keep the holidays environmentally friendly. While it’s not easy being green, these tips from the International Expeditions staff can help make your holiday a little greener.
- Chop the tree up and use it for firewood
- Re-gift something you don’t use
- Shop online to save gas
- If you shop, shop locally and buy locally-made products
- Plan ahead! Make a list of shops you need to visit and plan your route to save time and gas
- Paper grocery sacks make great wrapping paper, and you can pair them with a rustic piece of trimming from a tree or several leaves for a natural looking gift
Have your own eco-friendly holiday tips? Be sure to let us know by commenting here or posting them on the IE facebook page!
With the start of college football this weekend, it’s important to remember to go green – regardless of whether you cheer for the Crimson and White or Blue and Maze! It may take some extra planning to make your tailgating more eco-friendly, but follow these tips to help reduce your impact on our Earth.
- Use recycled trash bags, making sure to fill each as full as possible
- Be sure to include bags or boxes for recycling glass and aluminum cans
- Don’t bring lots of individually wrapped snacks, they create a ton of waste
- Avoid plastic cups by asking friends to bring personal water bottles or their reusable souvenir cups from previous games
- Haul off excess fruits & veggies for composting
- Wear vintage game gear – from your closet or found in re-sell shops – rather than buying new every year
