Sustainability Tips – PART 1 of 3: REDUCE
REDUCE | REUSE | RECYCLE | REVIVE
Earth Smart Solutions offers innovative and eco-friendly solutions that can meet the specific needs associated with a sustainable environment. With innovations based on science, Earth Smart products are not harmful to plants, animals, humans and have no adverse effect on the environment.
Are you interested in learning how you can decrease your impact on the environment? There are a variety of sustainable habits that can be easily adopted into our lives to help reduce our environmental impact Chances are that you may already be incorporating many of the ideas listed below, but there may be a tip or two that you can pick up that you never thought of!
REDUCE
Conserve Energy:
We can reduce our use of fossil fuels by incorporating some simple changes in our daily actions. 
- Turn off lights and unplug appliances when not in use. Unplugging appliances is a great idea to add to your 'to do' list when you leave on vacation for an extended period of time.
- Use natural lighting whenever possible
- If you have a difficult time remembering to power down devices at the end of a day, consider placing them on a timer or setting them up on a power bar that is easy to turn on and off.
- When shopping for new appliances for your home, compare the energy consumption of each device and include the cost of energy in your decision.
- Thaw frozen food in the fridge to reduce cooking time.
- Consider washing lightly soiled clothes in cold water.
Conserve Water:
Water is a finite resource and should be conserved for the health of our environment and society. Here are a few quick tips for conserving water in your home:
- Install low flow shower heads
- Pay attention to your daily shower length and consider shortening
- Place a brick or 2 liter pop container in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water utilized per flush
- Use rain water for watering your plants
- When washing clothes, for lightly soiled clothes select the shortest appropriate washing cycle and wait until you have a full load.
Reduce Food Waste
Here are some tips for improving your food consumption efficiency:
- When eating, don't put more on your plate than you can eat.
- When grocery shopping, make a list of the items you need before you go. Without a list in front of you, you may buy things you already have. Additionally, shopping on an empty stomach leads to excess purchases, so don't go shopping on an empty stomach.
- Limit the amount of food that goes bad by eating what you have first before buying more.
- Plan your meals ahead of time based on what you already have. If you have some fresh vegetables in the refrigerator that are on the verge of expiring, plan to make pasta for dinner instead of heating up frozen food that will last longer.
Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products:
Store-bought cleaners typically contain dangerous chemicals, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and are packaged in petroleum-based products. Avoid bringing those fumes and environmental harms into your home by using earth friendly cleaning solutions made of natural ingredients. Check out Earth Smart's line of environmentally friendly cleaning solutions here.
Source: This article was modified from an article published by the Ohio University, Office of Sustainability on Sustainability Tips. Read the full article here.
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Watch for more sustainability tips in future blog posts: