Issues > Green Guide Premier Issue, Spring 2008 > What You Do Counts—A New Way to Think of Ourselves as Consumers

What You Do Counts—A New Way to Think of Ourselves as Consumers

All decisions we make as consumers—what we buy and how we use things—impact the planet in many interrelated ways. Three key ones are:

1. Global warming
2. Natural resource use
3. Waste 

How can we each make a difference?

Global warming:

1. Reduce your carbon footprint by walking, using mass transit, driving less, carpooling or by driving a more fuel-efficient car. To compare your car's fuel efficiency to that of other models, visit www.fueleconomy.gov.
2. Live close to your work. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, transportation accounts for about 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the U.S. Keep your car as green as possible to cut down on this energy use; for tips, see www.greenercars.org.
3.  Improve energy efficiency at home—heat and cool more efficiently, get an energy audit, insulate the house, seal up cracks. For more information on keeping an energy-efficient home, see tips at www.energysavers.gov.
4. Reduce use of electricity—get Energy Star appliances, unplug charging devices, turn off lights and other electronics, use compact fluorescent bulbs.
5. Ask energy providers for renewable sources of energy. In the U.S., see green power utilities listed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory at www.eere.energy.gov.
6. Buy locally wherever possible—this conserves fuel and lowers delivery costs. To find sources of sustainably grown food near you, visit www.localharvest.org.

Natural resource use:

1. Minimize the use of fresh water—a finite resource. Take shorter showers, use low-flow showerheads, take showers instead of baths, run dishwasher only when it’s full, landscape appropriately to home location. For more tips, see "Bathroom Revamp: Savings by the Gallon".
2. Choose to buy wood-based products, such as furniture or paper products, from responsibly managed forest sources. Buy recycled paper products and recycle them again. For certified wood products, see www.certifiedwood.org. For product evaluations, see www.buildinggreen.com.
3. Support green industries. For example, build or remodel using green architecture, which incorporates materials that are taken with least harm to the environment and can be reused. For help with a green renovation, see the U.S. Green Building Council's REGREEN Green Home Guide at www.usgbc.org.
4. Help preserve ocean resources and diversity by buying fish that were sustainably caught. Check for healthy fisheries at Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program.

Waste:

1. To reduce food waste, be mindful of buying only food you need. For more information on food production and consumption in the United States, see the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service at www.ers.usda.gov.
2. Consider packaging when making purchases—plastics never biodegrade. Read what the Environmental Literacy Council has to say about plastics at www.enviroliteracy.org.
3. Use reusable shopping bags instead of paper or plastic ones.
4. Recycle and reuse things when possible, and if you can’t use them, pass on to someone who can. For U.S. recycling centers, visit www.earth911.org.
5. Keep toxic chemicals out of the waste stream in waterways by using environmentally friendly cleaning products. Better cleaning products are listed at www.thegreenguide.com/products. Dispose of chemicals, aerosols and batteries properly. For tips on how to do so, visit www.epa.gov and www.earth911.org.