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Green Tips – March 2020

Ditching unnecessary chemicals, unhealthy foods, unfriendly Earth practices, and bad habits/routines can all add together to make an altogether healthier you, whilst boosting the environment and ecosystem.

We will be introducing four simple green tips each month, one for each week of the month as a reminder of steps that can be taken to help you create a safer and healthier future.

  1. When your light bulbs burn out, replace them with ENERGY STAR qualified products.  Replacing your five most frequently used bulbs helps the environment and can save you up to $70 PER YEAR on energy bills.  ENERGY STAR lighting provides bright, warm light; generates 75% less heat; uses about 75% less energy than standard lighting and lasts 10-50 times longer.  (Source: ENERGY STAR)

    Efficiency Maine
     works with lighting manufacturers, retailers and distributors to reduce the prices of energy-efficient lighting products statewide. Prices are marked down in participating locations. Check out the MaxLite display at Eldredge Lumber and Hardware for significant savings.
  2. When shopping, make all of your purchases intentional. Keep a running list going at home; it’ll help you plan your shopping so you’ll need fewer trips to the store, and you’ll be able to resist impulse purchases while you’re there. Purchasing only what’s really needed produces benefits on several fronts – you’ll consume less, create less waste, reduce auto emissions AND save money! (Source: Chartered Committee on Environmental Ministry)
  3.  Reduce food waste – leave the skins on potatoes, carrots and cucumbers, all of which are fine to eat with a good scrub. One-third of the food raised and prepared on the planet does not get consumed. By helping reduce food waste, you also help reduce landfill waste and the greenhouse gases it produces. (Source: Chartered Committee on Environmental Ministry)
  4. Use a reusable water bottle. It’s great to stay hydrated, and reusable water bottles can help your health, the environment AND your bottom line. Even at a cost of $1 per disposable bottle, saving that dollar every time you refill your reusable version can easily add up to hundreds of dollars saved each year. Not to mention the hundreds (or thousands!) of disposable plastic bottles it will keep out of the landfills. (Source: NC State Sustainability Blog: //bit.ly/2FNqZrM; Penn State Sustainability Institute: //bit.ly/2sdfMz3)

 

Thank you to the York First Parish Creation Care Committee for providing us with these tips.

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