Happy Earth Day!!!

10 ways to live greener

1. DITCH GROCERY STORE BAGS!
More than 380 billion plastic bags are used in the North America every year. Of those, approximately 100 billion are plastic shopping bags, which cost retailers about $4 billion annually.

Good for you: reusable is cool and now stylish.


2. Change a Light Bulb
Installing a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) is the quickest, easiest way to save energy — and money.


3. Unplug Things That Glow
Anything that has an LED (light emitting diode) that glows even after you turn it off continues to draw power (that you pay for).

Good for You: Unplug appliances and electronics that glow and you could save $200 a year.


4. Support Local Farmers
Typical grocery store produce travels nearly 1,500 miles before it ends up on your plate. All this traveling burns fossil fuels and results in carbon emissions — a fancy term for pollution. Buying from local farmers means you’re not only getting the freshest food possible, you’re saving energy.


5. Fix That Drip
When you next fill your water glass, think about this: We each use about 100 gallons a day, enough to fill 1,600 glasses. Household water consumption has increased by 200 percent since 1950.


6. Let Your Grass Grow
Spending less time tending to your lawn actually makes it greener — in every sense of the word. Most grass species fare best when they’re kept at least 2 1/2 inches tall. The length creates more surface area to absorb sunlight, which creates thicker turf and deeper roots, which means you won’t need to water as often.


7. Look for the Label
A household with Energy Star products uses about 30 percent less energy than the average household — an annual savings of about $570.


8. Do Full Loads
Whenever you wash just a few clothes or dishes at a time rather than waiting for a full load to accumulate, you’re wasting water, power, and money. The average Canadian family of four washes about 540 loads of laundry a year, which consumes up to 21,000 gallons of water, and more than 150 loads of dishes, which uses about 1,500 gallons. Let’s face it.. who likes laundry anyway?


9. Cut back on shower flow
Installing a low flow showerhead is a great way to save water and energy.

10. Recycle Your Electronics
North American's tossed out a whopping 5.5 billion pounds of electronics — TVs, stereos, cell phones, and computers.