image It's easy being green....

1. Recycle your old batteries. Certain batteries end up in land fills and contaminate our drinking water. Alkaline batteries may be disposed of in your regular trash, however, rechargeable, button battery or lithium batteries MUST be recycled. These batteries can be recycled at Battery Plus or Radio Shack.

2. Change your lightbulbs. Using compact fluorescent lightbulbs instead of the old incandescent versions will save 75% more energy. Because CFL's last 10 times longer, your parents can save $30 over the life of one bulb! CFL's contain mercury though so RECYCLE them to avoid contaminating our water supply. (Self Magazine, Aug. 2008)

3. When packing your lunch, use a reusable bag instead of throwing your brown paper bag in the trash every day. This will cut down on waste. Remember the 3 R's....Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!!

4. Give away old gadgets.
Did you know that in 2005, 2 million TONS of computers, TV's, printers, etc ended up in landfills?! Give tthose gadgets away to someone who can repair them or if they still work, take them to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. To safely dispose of broken or outdated gadgets, click onto MyGreenElectronics.org to find a recycler in your area. (Self Magazine, Aug. 2008)

5. Use something that is made with organic cotton each day. Cotton crops were doused with 52 MILLION pounds of pesticides and other chemicals in 2007, according to the US Dept of Agriculture. But when the cotton is ORGANIC, it is grown WITHOUT chemical insecticides or fertilizers, so NO residue seeps into the air, water or soil, nor does it come in contact with your skin! Consider organic for everything....from cottonballs to t-shirts! American Apparel, H&M, and Levi all sell organic clothing. (Self Magazine, Aug. 2008)

Scraping your scraps into the trash can instead of pre-rinsing dishes uses up to 20 FEWER gallons of water per dishwasher load and saves your family $40 a year. Conserve water by running your dishwasher ONLY when it is full. (Self Magazine, Aug. 2008)

7. Wash clothes in cold water.
By washing clothes in cold water, you would use 90% less power than if you used hot water. If every American did 4 out of 5 loads in cold water, that would keep 50 million TONS of carbon emissions out of the atmosphere. Also, air dry your clothes if time allows. (Self Magazine, Aug. 2008)

8. Unplug it if you're not using it!
30% of all electricity consumed by household electronics is used while the products are turned OFF. Unplug electronics when they are not in use! This will cut down on the amount of electricity being used...and cut down on that monthly bill!

9. 1.2 billion toothbrushes end up in land fills each year. You can avoid adding one more to the pile by switching to a toothbrush made of RECYCLED PLASTIC. While we are on brushing....remember to turn off the water while brushing. You can save up to 2 GALLONS of water PER MINUTE!!

For more helpful ways to stay green, visit these sites:

www.Smart2BeGreen.com (Smart 2 Be Green)

http://www.kidsplanet.org/(Kids Planet)

http://www.nrdc.org/greensquad/intro/intro_1.asp (The Green Squad)


Each year the junk mail industry destroys about 100 million trees in order to get to our mailboxes each day.

Check it out:

Green Dimes: www.greendimes.com

Thanks for helping OUR planet!!

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