The Mess We Made

I know it is winter and we don’t like being in the cold, but working out outside is so much better for the environment. Just think of the power you’ll save by not using exercise equipment, TVs, and indoor lighting.

I can tell you firsthand that going for a run outside - even when it is cold - is so much better! Once you start doing it, running on the treadmill or track indoors will be much less appealing. Just give it a try. I promise that running on snow is not that difficult.

This is the 100th post in this series and, for now, the last tip. I will eventually start another series of tips, but in the meantime keep reviewing these to remind yourself of what you can do to save our planet.

You’re very welcome to leave me suggestions of other things we can do to save our planet, and I may include them in the next series of tips.

Thank you for reading!

Is a tea bag good for only one cup of tea?

No, it’s not. Often, you can easily get 3 or 4 cups out of one tea bag, or make a big pot of tea from one little bag. So give it a try and see how much you can save on tea.

Of course, the little paper label and pouch should go in the paper recycling.

Why keep getting paper planners?

An electronic one is nicer and uses less paper. Okay, it uses power, but I believe that the amount used is still better than cutting down a tree. And of course, many of us already have gadgets like an iPod Touch or a cell phone, which are great for keeping track of your appointments.

Give it a try and save some trees.

If you take the stairs instead of the elevator, you’ll save a lot of energy and sneak in some exercise too.

Think about it! If climbing up is too difficult for you right now, then maybe start with taking the stairs down. Soon you’ll find yourself enjoying the stairs more than the elevator.

Some of us still like to exercise on those fancy gym machines that come with a personal TV. Some of us may even have such a machine in our home.

You can save a decent amount of electricity by turning off the little TV after you’re done. If you’d rather listen to music on your iPod or MP3 player, you can keep the TV turned off while you’re using the exercise machine. There’s no sense in leaving the TV on if no one’s going to use the machine after you.

It’s now the dead of winter, which means little birds get cold and have a hard time finding food. I’m sure you have some old bread that you can spare to feed them. By sharing your bread, you’ll not only help the little creatures but also send less spoiled food to the landfill.

There is another great advantage that will be obvious come summer. Birds like to eat creepy-crawly bugs. If you help birds survive the cruel winter, they will help you control bugs and pests in the summer.

We all get it from time to time: mail that’s not addressed to us.

And once you start getting those letters for someone else, they seem to keep coming.  A simple way to make this stop is to cross out the address and write “Moved! Return to Sender”. This way the sender knows it’s the wrong address and should in most cases stop sending the mail to you.

By doing this we’ll save paper and, by extension, the trees that can now give us more fresh air.

Like yesterday’s tip, today we talk about cooking again.

A simple way to reduce your food heating cost is to turn off your stove burners or heating elements a couple of minutes before the food is done cooking. Electric burners in particular will stay hot for a couple of minutes, and your pots are still holding heat also. Now you can cook the same food using less energy.

When baking, peek wisely. Every time you open the door, you lose heat and energy from the oven’s interior. Simply check on your cake, cookies, or casserole through the window on the door, and you’ll be helping the environment as well as your wallet.

When the baking is done, leave the door open to release the heat and let it warm up your home.

So Christmas is done, and what are you doing with your tree?

Ideally, it should have been a fake Christmas tree, because that can go back in the box and come out again next year. If you got a real tree and it no longer has the roots, then please take it to green recycling. In my city there is separate recycling for trees. This way the tree can be used for composting or any of several other eco-friendly options.

If your tree has roots and you don’t have freezing temperatures outside, then why not re-plant it in the garden or in a park? This way it can be kept alive and be ready for next Christmas.