5 Easy Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
By Virginia Sole-Smith
You don't have to go big to go green. This April 22, take on small, super-convenient tasks that won't cost you time (or a dime), but will make a big difference in protecting the environment. And if they inspire you to be eco-friendly all-year-round, then we've done our job.
1.Bring old electronics-including DVD players, flat-panel TV s and computers (no matter what brand)-to any Best Buy store, and their recycling partners will salvage them for free (there's a $10 charge for TV s and monitors in some areas, but you'll get a $10 store credit). Visit BestBuy.com/Recycling to get a state-bystate listing of items they'll accept. Photo: Thinkstock
Find out the easiest ways to recycle your old electronics.
2.Pledge to give your old cell phone to PlantMyPhone.com. Just pop it into the prepaid mailing envelope provided. Once they receive your old phone, they'll sell the recycled materials and use the proceeds to plant trees. Photo: Thinkstock
3.Put your house on an energy diet at EarthAid.net, a free site that tracks your utility bills to see how much energy your home wastes. The site also suggests ways to improve energy efficiency, such as adding door draft guards to prevent heat loss or doing laundry at night to reduce the demand on power facilities during peak hours. Photo: Thinkstock
Make your home more energy-efficient.
4.Find a car wash that participates in the WaterSavers program at CarWash.org. A professional car wash can use up to 80 gallons of water per car, but companies that are part of this program recycle their water and must use half that amount. Photo: Thinkstock
5.Choose UPS's carbon-neutral shipping option when you send a package. For less than a dollar extra, UPS offsets the emissions produced by your shipment by investing that money in reforestation programs, wastewater treatment facilities and landfill gas destruction. Photo: Shutterstock
Check out 17 surprising things you can get for free.
Original article appeared on WomansDay.com.
You Might Also Like:
Turn Clutter into Cash
7 Things That Will Be Cheaper in 2012
Boost Your Home's Value
9 Fights to Have with Your Husband
The Best Sex Positions for Every Situation
