Everyone is busy these days. It isn't a surprise people become a little wasteful. Hectic life leaves little time to stop and really look at what we waste. If it only took a few moments to cut down on your wastefulness would you make an effort? Below are some tips to do your part without cutting into too much of your time.



Put a Water Bottle in Your Toilet Tank

In the average home, the toilet accounts for 28% of water use. Weight a bottle with an inch or so of sand or pebbles and fill it the rest the way with water. Seal it and place in your toilet tank away for the operating mechanisms. You will be saving water on every flush! Make sure there is at least 3 gallons of water left to ensure proper toilet use. Most toilets have more than enough room unless they are already low flow.

Switch to Low Energy Florescent Bulbs

Compact florescent bulbs can replace incandescent light bulbs in almost every instance. A 22 watt compact florescent has about the same light output as a 100 watt incandescent and use 50-80% less energy. They are a little more expensive but last up to 4 times longer and save electricity which saves you money on your monthly bill.

Totally Shut Down Appliances

Up to 10% of your monthly electric bill could be attributed to appliances on 'stand by' or not in use. These are appliances that have the power button pressed but are still plugged into the wall. While not in use, a standard television can use between 5 and 20 watts of electricity. The same for dvd players and stereo. Your entertainment system could be using 100 watts or more while everything is seemingly off. To stop this energy drain try putting all of your gadgets on a power strip or surge protector strip. Simple shut of the switch on the strip when not in use. Also, it always makes sense to shut off the lights and televisions in a room when not in it.

Recycle

This is an old one. It doesn't take long to put a box next to the garbage for cans. While your at it put a box there for paper, too. My family used to create three whole bags of garbage a week. Now we barely fill one since we have added the paper and can containers next to the trash. You were going to get up to throw your can in the garbage anyway so it takes no extra time to place it in a box next to it. It doesn't end at home. If the place you work doesn't have a recycling program in place suggest that they look into one.

Individually Wrapped Food

Stop and really think about how much waste is created by individually wrapped American cheese slices. If you stop buying items that are packaged individually you could significantly cut down on the waste you create in the first place. Buy in bulk when you know you are going to use it.

There are just a few ways, with minimal effort, you can be on your way to living a little greener. If you are looking for a larger step consider composting with fermentation or worm farms. If you have the financial stability consider investing in a tank-less water heater or solar voltaic panels.