How To's

Here are current guidelines for efffective recycling for various materials. 

*La Traducción española abajo*

 

LOCAL RESOURCES

Household batteries: Wilkinson Public Library

Car, cell phone, AA, AAA, cameras and more: Batteries Plus in Grand Junction
578 25 Rd.
970-245-7000
Hours: M-F 7:30a.m.-6:30p.m. Sat: 9-5:00p.m.
If closed leave by front door.

Rechargeable batteries: Timberline Ace Hardware.

Printer cartridges: Wilkinson Public Library.

CFL Bulbs: Timberline ACE Hardware.

 

121 Little Ways To Change Your World

1. Dust your lights! Keeping bulbs clean makes them work more efficiently.
2. Recycle holiday cards by using the front cover as a postcards.
3. Use your slow cooker more often – this is one of the most energy-efficient ways to cook food.
4. Freshen carpets naturally. Liberally sprinkle cornstarch or baking soda on carpet, leave for one hour, and then vacuum up.
5. Save energy with every wash load – select a cold rinse cycle instead of warm or hot.
6. Recycle as much paper as possible. On average, paper can be recycled seven times before the cellulose fibers become too short to be remade into new paper.
7. Service your car regularly to make sure you engine is running at peak performance.
8. Opt out! Sign up for “no junk mail” lists to reduce the accumulation of paper waste in your home.
9. Make your bed feel warmer by placing a wool blanket under the bottom sheet.
10. Water will boil more quickly – and therefore more efficiently – if you place a lid on the pan.
11. At dusk when the outside temperature starts to drop, draw your curtains to hold in as much of your home’s heat as possible.
12. When it comes to buying gadgets for your home, choose built-to-last items rather than buying for short-term use.
13. Make food choices with the goal of less packaging.
14. The average car emits twice its weight in greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide each year. Eliminating just one trip per week will result in a significant overall reduction of CO2.
15. Always buy recycled toilet paper. You only use it once before disposing of it, so it doesn’t have to be the very best quality.
16. To keep fresh stains from sinking deep into clothes, immediately apply a little carbonated water or club soda. Follow by washing as usual.
17. Bamboo is a great green choice for household items because it grows fast, is sustainable and grows without the use of pesticides or fertilizers.
18. Make a green choice when buying emergency flashlights and select ones that recharge by cranking or shaking rather using battery power.
19. Instead of automatically throwing everything you’ve worn into the laundry pile, only wash clothes that really need it.
20. Corrugated Cardboard should always be recycled.
21. Minimize “food miles,” by buying in-season locally grown food.
22. Choose a mattress with wool or cotton cover. The environmentally friendly natural fibers wick moisture away from your body, which will promote a good night sleep.
23. When the charger for a cell phone is left plugged in, about 95% of the energy goes to waste – so unplug all chargers when not in use.
24. Teach children to respect the wild and to never tamper with nests, burrows and other animal homes and to never touch or trap wild animals.
25. Plastic bags are a major environmental no-no. Keep a stash of reusable fabric bags near the door so you won’t forget to take them along when you go shopping.
26. Whenever you can, reduce the number of copies you make for meetings by having people share copies or by emailing the information.
27. Traditional dry cleaning uses harmful chemicals – opt for one of the new green dry-cleaning alternatives and always air dry-cleaned items before putting them away.
28. Instead of using cleaning sprays that contain ammonia, wash your windows with pure soap and water and rinse with a solution of one part vinegar to four parts waters.
29. Walk or ride a bicycle, train, or bus to work instead of driving your car; all are better choices than driving for reducing your pollution impact.
30. In every household in the U.S. replaced all burned-out incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, it would save the equivalent of taking 1.2 million cars off the road for one year.
31. When showering, instead of stepping in and out of the water’s flow, turn the water off while you wash or shampoo and turn the water back on to rinse.
32. Ceiling fans can reduce air conditioning costs by as much as 40% in the summer and can save energy also in the winter by keeping cool air from pooling on the floor.
33. If you want your lawn to stay weed-free, keep the grass long rather than cutting it short. Taller blades shade the roots, which discourages weed growth.
34. In every coffee-drinking American used a reusable mug instead of a disposable cup, it would save close to 7 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions every day.
35. Stop slugs and snails from munching their way through your garden by surrounding plants with saw dust.
36. If you aren’t able to hang clothes outdoors to dry, buy a wooden drying rack and hang clothes on a patio, balcony or near an open window.
37. It takes three minutes for a refrigerator to regain its temperature after the door is opened – even briefly – so remember close the door even during the shortest tasks.
38. A natural way to freshen the air in your home: simmer citrus slices and a few cloves in a pan of water for about an hour.
39. Always buy paper that has at least 30 % post-consumer recycled fiber content for home use and encourage the purchase of greener paper at your office or school, too.
40. When it’s yellow, why not let it mellow? Or, buy a dual-flush toilet.
41. Wherever possible, buy organic.
42. Eat less meat! And support sustainable practices when you do purchase animal protein.
43. Cut the energy you use commuting to work by carpooling.
44. When you enter a room, count the ratio of lights to people and then take appropriate action.
45. Run dishwashers with full loads only. Running half loads is environmentally damaging, uneconomical and won’t save you any additional time.
46. Most home electronics and appliances consume electricity even when they are turned off. For tips on reducing your passive energy use, log on to www.energy.gov/applianceselectronics.htm.
47. Use a squirt of mild soapy water to kill aphids on roses and other plants. It’s a non-toxic and effective way to control pests.
48. Use eco-friendlier baking parchment paper instead of aluminum foil whenever you can. It’s perfect for covering and wrapping food and for lining pans.
49. Instead of driving around in the car to encourage your fussy baby to go to sleep, go for a walk using a carrier or stroller.
50. Always buy trash bags made from recycled plastic. They are readily available and are just as sturdy as regular bags.
51. Every mile you walk is estimated to add 20 minutes to your life. Walking is also the greenest form of transportation.
52. Turn unused appliances and electronics all the way off instead of leaving them on standby mode since many standby settings still draw power.
53. Mowers that rely on gasoline or electricity aren’t the best choice for the environment. The greenest choice is a push reel mower.
54. Always turn off lights and air conditioning when you’re not in your hotel room. Hotels are hot spots of electrical consumption, so do what you can to help reduce use.
55. If you have a water feature in your garden, use a solar-powered water pump rather than electricity to keep it running.
56. Reduce the amount of commercial cleaning products you use and reach for natural alternatives like vinegar and baking soda whenever possible.
57. Check out your carbon footprint with a free online assessment at www.carbonfootprint.com.
58. Use a trigger-style nozzle on your garden hose to help control the amount of water used for watering and car washing.
59. Remember to turn off the faucet while you’re brushing your teeth, applying makeup or shaving. The water saved during one instance of brushing your teeth is about 2 gallons!
60. If you have a swimming pool or spa, use a pool cover to reduce water loss from evaporation. Over the course of a year, this can reduce water loss by over 90%.
61. Use cotton handkerchiefs that can be washed after use instead of disposable tissues. This will not only help to save trees, but the cotton is softer on your nose.
62. One bus can replace about 40 cars, so every time a bus is full of passengers, that would mean 40 fewer cars on the road – and a whopping 9 tons of air pollution not created each year.
63. Cook at home whenever you can. With fresh foods, little or no energy for processing is involved.
64. Don’t try to change your lifestyle dramatically all at once. Be realistic about making green changes and incorporate them gradually in your daily life.
65. Whenever you can, avoid single-use products that you’ll need to dispose of after use. Select items that will last longer or that can be reused or refilled.
66. To minimize reliance on electric lights during the day, arrange your space to take advantage of the way sunlight falls.
67. To reduce water use in your yard, add mulch to the soil. This helps retain moisture, protects the soil from scorching and encourages the retention of minerals.
68. If you reduce a document’s font size, it can help save paper and ink. For backup copies, reduce the text to the smallest size that is readable.
69. Turn your car’s engine off when you have a longer than normal traffic stop, such as a railroad crossing. Letting the engine idle over ten seconds wastes gas.
70. If you’re on a hike, stick to established marked trails. If you don’t, you might accidentally trample important wild species like beetles, lichen and mushrooms.
71. Invest in a stylish refillable pen that you’ll enjoy using for a long time instead of using disposable pens that you quickly toss away.
72. Place a rain barrel under a downspout to catch rainwater to use the water your garden and houseplants.
73. A leaky faucet that drips ever three seconds can waste more than 30 gallons of water a months.
74. Don’t tie plastic bags tightly; it will only mean you’ll have to tear them open. Use loose knots or reusable ties so that you can reuse the bag.
75. Instead of always buying newly manufactured items for your home, shop at flea markets, secondhand shops and garage sales.
76. Don’t throw expired medications down the toilet or in the trash; they can harm the environment. Check with your local municipal waste department for guidelines on proper disposal.
77. Instead of heading to the bright lights of the gym the next time you work out, step out into the fresh air!
78. Most people use more detergent than necessary to get laundry clean. Cut the amount of detergent you use in half and if the results are good, reduce the amount a little more.
79. Turn down the heat once a pot starts boiling. Lightly boiling water is the same temperature as water at a roaring boil and requires less energy to keep it going.
80. Make sure you are not overheating bedrooms at night. Keep the thermostat at about 59 degrees at night for adults and 64 degrees for children and the elderly.
81. Don’t waste energy preheating your oven – it’s not necessary for cooking most foods. When cooking roasts or casseroles turn the oven off at about 15 minutes early; the heat left in the oven will finish the job.
82. Open-log fires waste 85% of the fuel that they burn and use 15 times the volume of air in the room for every hour they burn; wood-burning stoves are a much more energy efficient choice.
83. Go solar! Contact TNCC for details on current rebate programs.
84. Local arborists and construction companies sometime sell off their cuttings and wood waste inexpensively; perfect for firewood. Choosing a local company cuts down on transportation costs.
85. Check with local food co-ops for bulk kitchen staples like oil and vinegar so you can refill your won bottles instead of tossing them out.
86. If you are not sure how to improve your home’s energy efficiency, ask your utility company to perform a home energy audit. This is usually a free service and is an important part of creating a long-term green living plan.
87. Turning your heat down just one or two degrees could save you as much as 10% on heating bills while reducing your energy use.
88. Host a Caulk-and-Seal Party! Contact TNCC for fun and fast way for you and your friends to winterize your home.
89. Recycle your household batteries at the Wilkinson Public Library.
90. Many computer printers now have an ink or toner saving mode. Use this “draft” setting whenever possible – you'll save resources and money too!
91. Instead of buying soil amendment, make your own compost using plant waste, vegetable peelings and selected food scraps.
92. Avoid using plastic wrap whenever possible because its manufacturing process is environmentally unfriendly. It’s far greener to cover food with reusable lids or washable dishtowels.
93. Never put hot food or drinks into the refrigerator because it requires a lot of energy for your fridge to cool them down.
94. To save electricity, use a hand-cranked food mill instead of electric powered appliances such as blenders or food processors to puree fruits and vegetables.
95. There is no need to heat or cool your home while you are away all day. Use a programmable thermostat to minimize energy use.
96. Presoak heavily soiled clothes in a solution of water and baking soda instead of adding more detergent or using hotter water.
97. Never throw a toxic household waste that may contain solvents down the drain or into the trash. Check with your community’s hazardous-waste disposal department for information on proper disposal.
98. Before cranking up the heat, put on a sweater and socks. Adding an extra layer of clothing, rather than increasing the heat, saves money and the environment.
99. The next time you need to get a gift, why not buy a tree? If the recipient doesn’t have space for a tree, make a donation in their name to a tree-planting organization instead.
100. Air transportation is now the fastest-growing source of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. Instead of flying to a vacation destination, why not explore your local area?
101. Use a high-absorbency towel on wet hair before you blow dry. By removing as much excess water as possible, your blow-drying time shorter.
102. Envelopes can be reused many times by placing labels over the old address and adding new postage. Be sure to open envelopes carefully to keep them in good condition.
103. Cross-country skiing is a green choice for winter fun than downhill skiing or snowboarding because it requires less equipment and machinery.
104. Don’t waste a hot oven. Since ovens take a lot more energy to heat up then to keep hot, try to cook several means in one session.
105. For homemade liquid soap, grate a bar of pure soap or sprinkle a cup of soap flakes into a quart of warm water. Heat until dissolved, cool and use to refill plastic pump bottles.
106. Always recycle food and beverage cans. Recycling aluminum uses only 5% of the energy it takes to process aluminum raw minerals.
107. Hang on to old electronics and hazardous waste to recycle during Telluride’s bi-annual Electronics Recycling Collection.
108. Work on a laptop rather than a traditional desktop computer.
109. Turn lights off in rooms you’re not using.
110. Catch water used while rinsing vegetables to use to water plants.
111. Use a hair-catcher in your shower and bathtub to avoid clogged drains.
112. Rinse and reuse plastic sandwich bags.
113. Bring your own reusable container when eating out, to bring home leftovers more responsibly.
114. Carry a spork to use instead of throwaway plastic ware.
115. Check your tire pressure often for optimal gas mileage.
116. Give green gifts like canvas bags or reusable coffee mugs!
117. Start a new holiday tradition and hide presents rather than wrapping them.
118. Sign up TNCC’s email alerts and newsletter!
119. Use stale bread to make homemade breadcrumbs!
120. Recycle responsibly. Know your area’s guidelines.
121. Make a donation to TNCC’s Green Fund. 100% of your tax-deductible donation will go towards local renewable energy and energy efficiency project.