What are consumers already doing that they aren't giving themselves credit for in a positive way?
Full: Running the dishwasher or laundry machine when it's full is more convenient in our busy lives, and it also saves energy and water.
Air Dry: You may hang-dry some of your laundry because it keeps them from shrinking and helps them look nice longer. This also saves lots of energy (and money!) because often the dryer is the appliance that uses the most energy in your house.
Hand-me-Downs: We've always had little sister reuse big sis's clothes. Now people are passing down clothes to their friend's kids too. And Freecycle is a way people are doing it in neighborhoods with all kinds of stuff. Then the next stop is Goodwill with that great tax refund. It always made sense not to waste perfectly good clothes, and that's good for the environment too.
Experiences as Gifts: Sometimes we run out of time to find the perfect gift for that friend. And we never seem to get any one-on-one time with her. So when you suggest that dinner "just the two of us" as a birthday gift, you're creating quality time as well as minimizing your environmental impacts from buying a product.
Car maintenance: Keeping your car maintained makes sense because it's a big investment you want to last a long time. Regular tune-ups, clean air filters, and keeping tires properly inflated helps you use less fuel, saving money and helping the environment.
No time for idling: When you park your car rather than idling when waiting to pick up your kids, you're taking time to relax and literally breathe easier. Starting your car uses the same amount of fuel as idling for 6 seconds, so if you idling for longer than that, you're burning cash.
Smooth ride: You drive well, which probably means safely and without those fast starts and stops. This also means you save fuel and reduce pollution.
Carpool: Saves you half the commute headaches and half the environmental impacts.
About Erin Carlson:
As Director of Yahoo! for Good, the company's Social Responsibility department, Erin's job is to inspire Yahoo!'s audience of over 500 million people to be more "green" in their daily lives through use of Yahoo! products. She holds a BA in Human Biology/Environmental Management from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley.
>> For more information on Erin Carlson and Yahoo! For Good go to http://green.yahoo.com/
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