FORT MCPHERSON, Ga. -- In honor of Earth Day - April 22 - here are some small changes you can make that could ultimately have a big impact on the environment.
1. Change your bulb. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. These energy-saving bulbs can last up to 10 times longer than a normal bulb and use significantly less energy. A single 20- to 25-watt energy-saving bulb provides as much light as a 100-watt ordinary bulb.
2. Recycle. Recycle any paper, metals (from canned food and soft drinks) and plastics that are recyclable and don't toss your electronics, such as cell phones and computer components, because they can be recycled, too.
3. Your unwanted household items can have a life again if you donate them to charity. Organizations such as Goodwill Industries will take your donations, sort and sometimes repair them and resell them in thrift shops nationwide. Broken items are fixed and scrap materials (like worn-out textiles) are sold for recycling. Goodwill provides jobs and job training for tens of thousands of people who would otherwise have trouble finding work.
4. Re-think your water bottle. Eight out of 10 plastic water bottles used in the United States end up in a landfill, according to the Container Recycling Institute (http://container-recycleing.org/). Instead, buy a sturdy portable water container and fill it daily with tap water you've filtered at home. Visit www.refillnotlandfill.org to learn more.
5. Bring your own bag. Pick up a canvas tote to take on shopping trips instead of using paper or plastic bags. If you leave your own bag at home and have to choose, go with paper, not plastic.
6. Reduce your need; reuse bags until they're torn. Use old bags to pick up dog waste. Many grocery stores have a barrel for recycling old bags. Since most of this gets mixed with sawdust to make plastic wood, padded bubble envelopes are OK.
7. The old lenses that steer you into walls may be the perfect gift for someone in need. Chances are an optician or club in your area collects eyeglasses for reuse. Collected eyeglasses are cleaned, repaired and measured to determine the correction. Available glasses are cataloged in a computer database and matched to people with need. Many of the glasses are sent to other countries, as laws in the USA make it difficult to redispense a prescription product. Another option is to have old glasses tinted to turn them into into sunglasses.
The Lions Clubs operate the largest program, collecting glasses from thousands of opticians. Of the chain stores, LensCrafters, For-Eyes and Pearle collect glasses chainwide. Several organizations accept eyewear by mail (use a search engine to find them). One example is New Eyes for the Needy, which accepts scrap metal frames in any condition, unbroken plastic framed glasses, non-prescription sunglasses, any precious metal scrap like broken jewelry and monetary donations.
8. Follow the Energy Star. Energy Star is a joint effort of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy that aims to help people save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products - such as home appliances that bear the Energy Star logo - and practices. For more information, go to www.energystar.gov.
9. Wash and dry green. Sixty percent of the energy associated with a piece of clothing is spent laundering it, according to recent Cambridge University study. Wash your clothes in cold or warm water, use the most energy-efficient washer you can find and, whenever possible, hang clothes to dry rather than using the dryer.
10. Cut out the junk. Junk mail is a waste of time and resources. You can contact mail order companies and ask to be removed from their lists or go to www.directmail.com/junk-mail/, click "National Do Not Mail List," then fill out the form.
11. Shrink your footprint. A carbon footprint measures the impact human activities have on the environment - the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. To find out what yours is, go to www.carbonfootprint.com or www.footprintnetwork.org, where you'll also learn how to shrink it.
12. Grow your own. Grow veggies and herbs at home. Home-grown herbs are much fresher than "store-bought" herbs, and growing yours at home eliminates the packaging that normally ends up in landfills.
13. Create compost. You can create rich soil to use as fertilizer. Collect vegetable peels, coffee grounds and other food waste in a small bin in your kitchen; empty that bin into a larger bin outside and turn the compost once a week.
14. Create a wild animal sanctuary. Attract wildlife to your backyard to help them meet their four basic needs - food, water, shelter and space. Put up bird feeders, bird boxes or birdbaths; put in fishponds. Or commit yourself to creating a backyard animal sanctuary certified by the National Wildlife Foundation. Learn about the requirements a www.nwf.org.
15. Don't litter. As Woodsy the Owl would tell you, litter is a side effect of our convenience-oriented, disposable culture - and environmentalists agree. Once it's on the ground, wind and weather move it from streets and highways to parks and waterways. One study found that 18 percent of litter ends up in rivers, streams and oceans.
16. Discussing downsizing. Even the least energy-efficient small house consumes less energy than a large "green" house. Though the average American household has shrunk in the last 50 years, the square footage of a new single-family home has more than doubled. Find a home that both suits your needs and cuts down on waste.
17. Recycled art. After children's drawings and paintings have been displayed for a while, they can be used to wrap presents - this also makes the present more special.
18. Do your research. Read up on ways to help the environment - and why saving it is important - at sites including www.epa.gov, www.DriveGeen.com, www.TheGreenGuide.com and www.SaveOurEnvironment.org.
19. Reduce paper waste. Send e-mail "stickies" and replace paper organizers with electronic calendars and address books. In the kitchen and dining room, go old-school by using cloth towels, not paper ones, to wipe down the kitchen and use cloth napkins at meals.
20. Lower the flow. Cut short your showers and, better yet, install a low-flow showerhead, which is available at most home supply stores. Fix leaky faucets - just one wastes five gallons of water a day, or more than 1,800 gallons a year. Instead of hand-washing dishes, use your dishwasher - make sure it's full - and you'll save around 5,000 gallons of water - and lots of time - each year.
21. Consider a hybrid. There are now more than one million hybrid gas-electric vehicles on American roads, powered in part by rechargeable batteries, thus burning a lot less petroleum. Even if you're opposed to the very idea, at least check out the stats, facts and news (good and bad) about these vehicles at www.hybridcars.com.
22. Call 1-800-8BATTERY for information. Throw alkaline and heavy-duty batteries in trash, unless prohibited. Nickel-Cadmium rechargeable batteries contain toxins - recycle those.
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