Using Paper the Smart Way
• Using double-sided copying, reusing single-sided
paper, using electronic mail, and circulating docu-
ments with routing slips can save an organization a
significant amount of energy and natural resources.
• Purchase paper products containing post-consumer
recycled paper. One ton of recycled paper uses: 64
percent less energy, 50 percent less water, 74 percent
less air pollution.
Shopping the Green Way
• Buy products that contain recycled materials.
• Buy in bulk when you can to avoid excess packag-
ing. Use concentrated products which use less pack-
aging.
• Use herbs, set
out a small dish
of vanilla or leave
an open box of
baking soda in
the room as an air
freshener.
• When improving or remodeling your home, try to
salvage materials or buy recycled products. Floor-
ing, insulation, plastic lumber, woodwork, shingles,
and many garden/lawn products can be made from
recycled materials.
• Reduce waste with reusable shopping bags.
• Use cat litter or sand instead of salt on icy walks.
• For further information on reducing waste visit:
www.epa.gov/wastewise/
Using Water Efficiently
• Install a water-efficient shower head (2.5 gallons or
less per minute) to reduce water consumption and en-
ergy use.
• Run only full loads in the washing machine or dish-
washer.
• Turn off water while brushing your teeth and shav-
ing.
• Replace your clothes washer, the second largest wa-
ter user in your home. ENERGY STAR rated washers
that also have a water factor at or lower than 9.5 use
35-50 percent less water and 50 percent less energy per
load.
• It's usually not necessary to water grass every day.
Instead, test your lawn by stepping on a patch of grass;
if it springs back, it doesn't need water.
• Do not dispose of gasoline, oil or weed killers and
other lawn and garden pesticides down the drain, into
surface water, onto the ground, or in the trash. Check
with your local household hazardous waste collection
agency for safe disposal for these types of products.
• For more information on water use and ways to save
money contact the EPA Water Resource Center at
1-800-832-7828 or visit the WaterSense Web site:
www.epa.gov/watersense/.
March 2009
EPA-742-F-09-001
For more pollution prevention tips,
please visit EPA's Pollution Prevention
Web site: www.epa.gov/p2/
EPA's Web site has many resources:
www.epa.gov
Tips for
Preventing
Pollution
Office of Prevention, Pesticides and
Toxic Substances
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Save Money,
Help the Environment
Driving Smarter
• Leave your car at home at least two days a week -
walk, bike, or take
the bus or subway
to work instead.
You'll reduce
greenhouse gas
emissions.
• Check your tire
pressure regularly.
Under-inflation
increases tire wear, reduces your fuel economy by up
to 3 percent and leads to higher greenhouse gas emis-
sions.
• Recycle used motor oil — it can be re-refined into
new oil, processed into fuel oils and used as raw
materials for the petroleum industry. One gallon of
used motor oil provides the same 2.5 quarts of lubri-
cating oil as 42 gallons of crude oil. Recycle it at a
"quick lube" shop, gas station, or auto store that ac-
cepts used motor oil.
• Combine errands into one trip when possible.
• Topping off the gas tank wastes money and pollutes.
• Make informed fuel economy choices and achieve
the best fuel economy possible from your car. For tips
visit www.fueleconomy.gov/.
Dealing with Pests
• Many plants and insects can serve as natural deter-
rents to weeds and garden pests. Introduce ladybugs to
eat aphids, plant marigolds to ward off beetles.
• Before using insect repellant on your skin or in
III
READ
-LABEL
FIRST
your yard, read the label first! Visit www.epa.gov/
pesticides/label for
more information.
• If your excess pesti-
cides cannot be prop-
erly used, dispose of
them at a local house-
hold hazardous waste
collection program.
• Never pour harmful household products down a
sink, toilet or bathtub drain unless the label indicates
it is safe to do so.
Eating Sustainably
• Eat a locally-produced diet when possible. You'll
save money, eat quality foods, create jobs, increase
farmlands, and strengthen your community.
• Buy food in bulk and buy products with reusable
or recyclable packaging instead of those in non-
recyclable packaging when possible.
Saving Energy
• Some home electronic products use energy even
when they're off. Those that have earned the
ENERGY STAR rating use as much as 60 percent
less energy when off. Less energy means you pay
less on your energy bill.
• Buy ENERGY STAR
electronic equipment from
manufacturers with take-
back programs.
• Ask your power com-
pany to switch all or some
of your electricity to
green power.
ENERGY STAR
• Get a programmable thermostat and set the tem-
perature up in the summer and down in the winter
when you are at work.
• Keep your home appliances running at peak effi-
ciency. Remove lint and dust from your refrigerator/
freezer coils.
• Install a renewable energy system (e.g. solar, heat
pump, geothermal, wind). Some states will pay for
part of the installation cost.
• Paint your exterior and interior walls a light color
so more light is reflected. Utilize daylight instead of
turning on lights.
• If your cooling system is more than 10 years old,
now is the time to consider upgrading to a new unit
that has earned the ENERGY STAR rating.
• For more ways to save energy and money visit
www.energystar.gov or call the ENERGY STAR
Hotline: (888) STAR-YES / (888-782-7937).
Landscaping the Green Way
• Use a variety of native plants. Native plants are
more likely to thrive
with minimal care and
that means more re-
sources, energy and
money are saved.
• Small engines con-
tribute significantly
more air pollution per hour of operation than cars.
Use hand tools when possible.
• Consider reducing your lawn to the minimum size
needed. You may find you can even do away with a
lawn entirely.
• If you don't use a mulching mower, compost excess
grass clippings in your yard and add the compost to
your soil.
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