Air fresheners

Air fresheners contain many harmful chemicals such as dichlorobenzene, naphthalene, and formaldehyde. They are both detrimental to us and the environment. Instead of using them determine the source of the odor and eliminate it by throwing it away, hanging it on the clothesline, opening a window, or washing it.

Make money by recycling

From candy wrappers to cell phones, TerraCycle Inc will pay you to recycle. Checkout their websit at http://www.terracycle.net/

The Ecoological House

This solar house can be found at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal. It was designed by students from McGill University, the Université de Montréal and the École de technologie supérieure for the 2007 Solar Decathlon, which is an international competition that took place in Washington, D.C. If you go see this house you can get a guided tour and learn about the construction of the building and other new environmental innovations.

Garbage and recycling bins

The U.S. EPA estimates that 75% of our waste is recyclable. However, in many municipalities it is very common to only see garbage bins. If your town or city is one of them you can contact your local town hall and suggest they adopt a recycling program where recycling and waste bins are placed side by side, such as shown in the figure. When there is only waste bins, citizens have little choice but to toss any waste, even if it is recyclable in the garbage. These garbage bins will then be emptied and sent to a landfill, where the waste will sit and very slow decompose.


From Penn State University, here is a list of items and how long they take to decomopose.
Paper - 2 to 4 weeks
Leaves - 1 to 3 months
Orange peel - 6 months
Milk Carton - 5 years
Pastic Bag - 10 to 20 years
Pastic Container - 50 to 80 years
Aluminum Can - 80 years
Tin Can - 100 years
Plastic Soda Bottle - 450 years
Glass Bottle - 500 years
Styrofoam - Never

Laptops VS Desktops

By using a laptop instead of a desktop computer you can reduce the electricity used by a whopping 75%. However, don't forget to turn off your laptop at night.

Reduce speed and increase fuel efficiency

According to National Geographic, you can increase your fuel efficiency up to 23 percent by reducing your speed from 70 mph to 55 mph (or approximately 110 km/h to 90 km/h).

Biking

I love to bike. Here in Canada we have a long winter which means no biking for about 5 months of the year. So when April 15 comes around each year and the bike paths open I can't wait to hop on my bike again. Not only is biking an environmentally friendly activity it is also great exercise and you get to explore new uncharted territory. Many cities are now becoming more bike friendly by building new bike paths, so check out what your city has to offers. Maybe there is even a bike path that connects where you live to where you work. It is also fun to just get on a bike path a see where it leads you. Maybe you'll end up at a beautiful lake or park. You will be amazed at the new places you can discover by just getting on a bike path and seeing where it leads, just don't forget to bring your camera and some water.