Get Involved at Home!

Ways to Reduce at Home

  • Buy less stuff!!
  • Use a water filter and reusable bottles instead of buying bottled water.
  • Buy washable plates, cups, coffee mugs and silverware instead of plastic.
  • Use cloth towels and sponges instead of paper towels.
  • Avoid buying products with excess packaging, especially plastic.
  • Don't buy/use polystyrene foam, since it never decomposes.
  • When shopping, choose reusables over disposables

Ways to Reuse at Home

  • Give old clothes and household objects to charities, don't throw them away!
    Try these places: Goodwill, Construction Junction, The Salvation Army, or Circle K's "Whatever Drive" at the end of the year.
  • Bring scrap paper to University Printing. They will cut the paper and bind it into a notebook for you.
  • Use rechargeable batteries and make sure you dispose of them safely.
    The info Desk in the UC takes all batteries for recycling. Rechargeable batteries can also be recycled at Mellon Institute and EHS.

More Ways to Help at Home

  • Set the thermostat at 78¾F in the summer. You will save 5 - 10% of the operating cost of your AC for every 2¾F of cooling that you are willing to give up.
  • Make sure floor or wall vents are not blocked by furniture or other obstructions.
  • Use daylight instead of electric light whenever possible.
  • Less frequently used equipment with remote controls, such as VCR's, should be unplugged when not in use because they use power ever when turned off.
  • Use scrap paper to print whenever possible.
  • Only wash full loads of laundry to save water.
  • Cancel junk mail by visiting www.newdream.org/junkmail to reduce your junk mail by 90%
  • Turn off water taps when water is not being used, including while brushing teeth or shaving.
  • Buy environmentally friendly cleaning products.
  • Do not dump anything toxic down drains, sinks, toilets, or sewers.