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September 5:
Cook More Efficiently
August 29:
Use Cold Water for Laundry
August 22:
Find New Uses for Old Phones
August 8:
"Bee" Kind to Pollinators: Limit or Avoid Pesticide Use
August 1:
Reduce Waste: End Junk Mail!
July 25:
Encourage Pollination: Help Bees!
July 18:
Use Less Oil: Walk or Bike at Least Once this Week Instead of Driving
July 11:
Water Lawns and Outdoor Plants in the Morning or Evening Only
July 4:
Practice Safe Souvenir Buying
June 20:
Reuse Paper Scraps
June 13:
Safely Dispose of Hazardous Wastes
June 6:
Give New Life to Old Stuff
May 30:
Make Your Own Non-Toxic Cleaners
May 23:
Find Ways to Consume Less
May 16:
Reuse your food scraps and yard waste: make compost!
May 9:
Make Sure Your Seafood's Sustainable
May 2:
Use a Low Flow Showerhead
April 25:
Reduce Weight in your Vehicle
April 18:
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
April 11:
Switch to Fluorescent Bulbs
April 4:
Buy in Bulk
March 28:
Unplug Your Appliances When They're Not in Use!
March 21:
Turn Off Your Engine Instead of Idling Your Car
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Reuse your food scraps and yard waste: make compost!
What to do:
Reuse your food scraps and yard waste: make compost! Whether you live in a house, condo, or apartment, whether you have a yard or not,
you can still compost. Composting can be done inside or out, and composting containers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. If you don't have
a garden waiting for your nutritious compost, try using it for potted plants—or give a gardening friend a special gift!
Alternatively, if your local waste collectors give you a bin for food and yard waste, use it—they'll compost your waste for you!
For more information about what and how to compost, visit the EPA's composting page and read their Backyard Composting: It's Only Natural brochure.
Why it Helps the Earth:
Composting may seem redundant. Why compost when food and yard clippings will just decompose in a landfill anyway? In reality, though, natural waste
doesn't just take up space in landfills. It also releases the greenhouse gas methane as it decomposes. (Home composting—when the proper
guidelines are followed—releases some carbon dioxide instead of methane, and carbon dioxide is considered a weaker greenhouse gas than methane.)
Furthermore, composting reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
For a straightforward discussion of composting's benefits, you can read Compost vs Landfill:Does it Really Make a Difference? on Sustainablog.
What the Research Says:
According to the EPA, food waste accounted for 12.7% and yard trimmings for 13.2% of solid waste in the United States in the year 2008:
Facts and Figures Fact Sheet.
For a comparison of methane and carbon dioxide, check out The OTHER Greenhouse Gases on Slate.com.
Why it Helps You:
You can save money on fertilizer, and reduce your household waste. And, anyway, what else were you going to do with those dead leaves and drier lint?
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Last Revision: July 6, 2010