#1 Reduce your automobile use.
Try living without a car. If you live within a metropolitan area with
a good mass transit system use it as your main means of transportation
then rent a car or join a car co-op or car share to fill in where MT doesn’t
work.
Even if you have a car use public transportation as much as possible
and join/start a co-op and car share.
If most of your driving is in town own a small high mileage inexpensive
vehicle and rent a larger vehicle for the occasional long trip.
Walk and bicycle as much as is safe and healthy for you.
Buy enough groceries for a week or a month instead of driving to the
store every day.
Combine errands into one long trip rather than a lot of short ones.
Take charter (bus) trips to popular destinations rather than driving
your personal vehicle.
Keep your vehicle properly tuned and use long running synthetic oils
and a cleanable oil filter.
#2 Reduce your fossil fuel consumption
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent.
Plant bushes and trees to shade your house during summer to ease the
load on the AC.
Keep the thermostat set to 78 during the summer and 68 during the winter
Install low wattage ceiling fans
Install a flash-type, instant on water heater
Install the smallest, energy conserving refrigerator
that you can .
Turn off lights and unplug transformers (wall
warts) when not in use.
Use battery powered (with rechargeable batteries) clocks timers etc instead
of the plug in type.
Turn off the TV.
Insulate your home better
Use a pressure cooker
Build a "haybox"
for your kitchen
Put insulated curtains or just insulation over the windows in the heat
or cold
Cooperatively use appliances with neighbors (lawnmower, washing machine,
etc)
Don't use electricity for heat (eg stoves, hair dryers, home heating
etc.)
Line dry your clothes
Turn off your computer when you aren't using it and/or get a laptop
Install low flow faucets and shower heads.
Install shut off valves on shower heads
Take the train instead of the plane.
#3 Become aware of your food choices
Get as much of your food as you can from local, in-season sources
Choose organic food over food grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides
whenever possible.
Eat less meat and other animal products.
Use meat and other animal products as part of a balanced diet with plenty
of grains fruits and vegetables.
Use less preprocessed food. (buy in bulk and cook from scratch)
Participate in a food-buying club or join a food co-op that gives you
access to bulk foods.
Start a food-buying club. Find twenty or thirty people who want to buy
food in bulk. Form a buying club and order from one of the large national
bulk distributors such as UNFI or Mountain
People
Join a organic CSA (community
supported agriculture) in your area
If you have a yard plant edible landscaping (turn that lawn into a vegetable
garden)
Start an organic community garden.
#4 Start using renewable sources of energy
If your climate permits it install a solar domestic hot water system
and a grid inter-tie solar power system
If you live in a windy area and have the ability to put up a tower install
a small wind generator.
Buy/build a solar cooker to use whenever the weather permits
Buy electricity from green energy companies (in states that allow it)
Purchase "Green
Tags" in places that don't sell green energy
#5 Prevent deforestation
Use recycled lumber for building, remodeling, or home-improvement projects
If starting a new construction look into strawbale,
rammed earth,
cob, or other (non-dimensional)
lumber intensive building techniques as a possible building option in
your area.
Make your own lumber by hiring a sawmill to convert trees on your building
site into lumber
#6 Reduce the amount of waste you produce
Recycle
Buy bulk foods instead of prepackaged
Take bags with you when you shop.
Buy less. Repair more.
Buy stuff used - clothes, car, computer, etc.
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