By: Nicholas Daman, Christine Morgan, and Mady Parks
- Hang your clothes outside to dry.
- Bring wind power right to your backyard. It is summer, after all, so just sit back, relax, and let your clothes enjoy the sun too!
- Plant a garden of herbs.
- Dive into some new hobbies this summer, and start gardening. To reduce carbon emissions, use organic fertilizers and pesticides that will keep your herbs healthy and happy! Give your garden a little extra tender love and care by adding natural fertilizer made from recycled yard trimmings and food waste.
- Go to your local Farmer’s market.
- Now is your chance to taste real flavors and enjoy the season! By supporting local farmers and connecting with your community, you can protect the environment and have fun while doing it. You will also get to learn where your food comes from and behind the scenes of its production.
- Commit to a reusable water bottle, and refill from the faucet!
- We’ve all heard the phrase more times than we can count: “Reduce, reuse, and recycle.” What better way to do that than to stay on trend with a S'well bottle or reusable Starbucks cups? Drink in style this summer, and help reduce plastic waste.
- If you’re going on vacation, try to book a nonstop flight.
- If the finances allow it, try booking a nonstop flight for your next vacation. Although planes burn a lot of fuel, it is still substantially less than if every passenger drove to their destination instead! Additionally, flying dramatically decreases travel time and gets you to paradise that much quicker!
- Grill out instead of using the oven.
- Try some new recipes this summer, and have a BBQ! Using a barbecue grill instead of the oven will save energy and money. You can also set up a cooler to keep people from opening and closing the refrigerator and freezer to get cold drinks. Have some fun outside and help the environment while doing it.
- Turn your computer off at the end of the day.
- Even in sleep mode, your computer’s battery life decreases overnight. You can reduce the amount of electricity needed to recharge in the morning by turning your computer off at night.
- Unplug your electronics when unnecessary.
- Did you know your devices that plug into outlets still use electricity even when you’re not using them? You can greatly reduce your electricity usage by unplugging all non-essential devices like lamps and TVs. This can reduce your energy usage and help decrease your energy bill!
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Use cloth napkins instead of paper.
- If you’re moving off campus for the summer, consider investing in a set of cloth napkins to reuse and limit your amount of paper napkins used.
- Replace your AC filters monthly.
- Dirty filters restrict airflow and can cause your AC system to run longer. Be sure to replace those filters monthly and breathe in clean and fresh air! Turning your air off when you are enjoying the sun is always a good way to reduce energy as well.
All images from Creative Commons