“The Earth is what we all have in common.”
—Wendell Berry

My plan was for this blog to go green and eco-friendly in 2020, but why not start now?  I don’t know why I put a timeline on it. I’m weird like that. Green healthy sustainable living starts today. There are 2 more months in this decade, lets make the best out of them. Pick a few numbers off this list and start adding them to your daily life.  Then when that gets easy, add a few more.  Every little bit helps.

100 Easy Ways to Go Green

1. Join the “walking school bus” movement: recruit neighbor parents and take turns walking the kids to school. 
2. Pack lunches in reusable containers.
3. Choose Your Diapers Wisely.
4. Have a vegetarian day.
5. Opt for a short shower.
6. Use cruise control on your car.
7. Do errands in batches.  
8. Regularly maintain your vehicle.
9. Limit “screen time” including T.V., video games, computer etc.
10. Turn “garbage” into art and crafts.
11. Re-use wrapping paper or use newspaper comics to wrap presents.
12. Spend more time outside.
13. Choose activities that have a minimal impact on the environment.
14. Teach children to be environmentally aware. Model eco-friendly practices and then explain why you do them.
15. Teach your children not to litter. It may seem obvious, but school playgrounds are often dirty with litter.
16. Wash your clothes in cold or warm water rather than hot. Doing this every load = CO2 savings of 600 pounds. The rinse temperature doesn’t affect the quality of the cleaning.
17. Wait until you have a full load of laundry or dishes before you start the machine.
18. Avoid using too much detergent. Call your water utility and ask them how “hard” or “soft” your water is, use your instruction manual to see how much you need.
19. Do not use chlorine bleach or other harsh chemicals, avoid dry cleaners.
20. Hang your clothes to dry rather than using a dryer. 
21. Make your freezer more efficient. During winter, freezer space often goes unused. Your refrigerator continues to use energy, however, to freeze this space. Take empty milk jugs, or other plastic containers, and fill them with water. Place them outside until they freeze, then put them in your freezer. 
22. Make your fridge more efficient. Vacuum the coils in the back of your refrigerator twice a year to maximize efficiency. Clean the door gasket occasionally to be sure the seal isn’t broken by debris or caked on food. 
23. Make your stove more efficient. Use the burner which is the closest match to pot size. Heat is lost and energy is wasted if burner size is larger than pot size. Use lids on pots and pans so you can cook at lower settings. Only preheat when baking. Turn oven off a few minutes before food is ready, and let oven heat finish the job.
24. Buy energy–efficient appliances. 
25. Choose a laptop if you’re buying a new computer. Laptops use 10 per cent or less of the electricity consumed by typical desktop.
26. Choose an inkjuet printer if you’re buying a new printer. Inkjet printers have low energy consumption.
27. Reuse or Recycle your old computer. Many manufacturers, give you coupons to recycle them. 
28. Use rechargable batteries or recycle your old batteries.
29. Recycle your mobile phone. 
30. Go organic. Do not use pesticides on your lawn or plants. 
31. Use a push mower instead of a gas or electric mower. 
32. Clover and other “weeds” in your yard use less water and stay greener longer.
33. Water your outdoor plants in the early morning or in the evening – not in the heat of the day.
34. Plant more native trees, bushes, flowers etc. 
35. Start a family “go-green fund.” Review your previous water, gas and electric bills. Motivate the family to use fewer of these resources by tracking the savings together. Spend the money you save on a fun, family vacation to Walt Disney World.
36. Create your own wrapping paper or gift bags out of magazines, newspapers or brown grocery bags.
37. Make it a contest. Give everyone their own trash-can for a weekend, and the family member who creates the least amount of trash wins!
38. Plant trees together.
39. Adopt a road or park, and pick up litter.  In our case, the beach.
40. Build a compost bin together. Keep a smaller one in your kitchen for easy disposal of food scraps.
41. Plant a garden. Even a small container garden will help save on trips to the store and packaging materials. 
42. Wooden furniture — a fresh coat of paint or stain gives what’s old a new look.
43. Containers — repurpose old containers for planters, craft storage or kitchen storage. 
44. Frames — leave them vintage or spray paint for a new look.
45. Building materials such as doors and windows — turn a door into a desk or tabletop or windows into a greenhouse.
46. Found objects — with a little creativity, any found object can become decorative art in your home. 
47. School supplies — donate to camps, schools or local nonprofits.
48. Outgrown toys — pass down your old bike, skates and other toys or donate to a local charity.
49. Books — donate to the library, used bookstore or neighborhood children. There are also a lot of fun crafts you can try with worn versions.
50. Outgrown clothes — give to a friend with smaller children or donate to a charity.
51. Halloween costumes, have a costume party swap.
52. Household items — donate hygiene products to a local shelter.
53. Pet supplies — give to your local animal shelter.
54. Choose cloth napkins instead of paper.
55. Pack leftovers in reusable containers rather than a throwaway wrap.
56. Skip the rinse step before using the dishwasher.
57. Wash clothes in cold or warm rather than hot water. Skip the dryer sheet.
58. Make your own detergent, and store in reusable containers.
59. Dry clothes on a clothesline.
60. Use a timer to take shorter showers.
61. Don’t use the tap for shaving. Try a cup of warm water instead.
62. Clean with what you have in your pantry — you’d be surprised what lemon juice, baking soda and vinegar can do.
63. Bring the car to a professional car wash that uses recycled water.
64. Water wisely —If you must water plants, do it early in the morning before the sun causes evaporation. Collect and use rainwater for your garden.
65. Assess your house every fall for drafts. Replace or winterize doors. 
66. Map errands — accomplish the most by traveling the fewest miles.
67. Pack drinks in a thermos or reusable water bottle.
68. Bring your own shopping bags. 
69. Create a recycling container for your vehicle for bottles and cans.
70. Stay close to home. Choose shopping and dining destinations that are nearby whenever possible.
71. Replace an evening out with an evening in. Try this for date night or family dinner once a month, and you may start a new, earth-friendly tradition.
72. Use public transportation when possible. One less car on the road saves gas and cuts back on air pollution.
73. Ride a bike or walk — it’s great exercise and great for the environment!
74. Hit the gym with a workout partner and either carpool or, better yet, walk, run or bike to the gym and skip the drive altogether.
75. Take your own coffee mug to your local coffee shop.
76. Make your own baby food.
77. Drink water out of a reusable container rather than always buying water bottles.
78. Take your own cloth bags or backpack when you go grocery shopping. 
79. If you do use plastic/paper bags, reuse them until they’re worn out and then recycle them. Many grocery stores now have a recycle bin for plastic bags.
80. Compost. 
81. Recycle as much as possible. Recycle aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic, cardboard and newspapers = CO2 savings of 850 pounds.
82. Use cloth napkins (and cloth handkerchiefs for that matter)
83. Cool your house with a ceiling fan during warm months. Ceiling fans are efficient and use little electricity.
84. When turning on your air conditioner, avoid using the coldest setting. Let the air conditioner warm up for a while before lowering the temperature setting. The room will cool just as fast.
85. Shut gas supply to fireplace and heaters. The pilot light generates a considerable amount of heat, and should be off during warm months. 
86. Paint your home a light color if you live in a warm climate, or a dark color in a cold climate. This can contribute saving up to 5000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
87. Buy less stuff. If something’s broken, repair it rather than replace it.
88. Share. Send things you no longer use to charity or friends. Give books to the library.
89. Choose to give “green” gifts to friends and family. 
90. Avoid anything “disposable” such as paper towels, take-out food containers, diapers, razors, dusters, contact lenses, etc.
91. Buy eco-friendly products and avoid products made with harmful chemicals. 
92. Patronize businesses with good environmental records and avoid companies with bad environmental records.
93. Buy locally-made products when possible. Craft fairs are great places to get unique, local gifts.
94. Vote for politicians who are aware of environmental issues and have a commitment to take action. And hold them to it! Hi Joe! 
95. Reduce your junk mail, call or email and ask to be taken off the mailing list for those catalogs.
96. Pay your bills online, cancel the paper statements.
97. Used paper based straws or even qtips.
98. Use e-tickets for everything.  It’s more convenient anyway.
99. Don’t use coffee stirrers, use a spoon or the Italians are now using pasta sticks.
100. Share the knowledge, share this blog, write your own.  Copy Paste all of these ideas. I don’t care, just get the word out! 

The post 100 Ways to Go Green With Your Family first appeared on Green Family Blog 2022.