This is the 2nd part instalment.
IN YOUR HOME - REDUCE TOXITY
1. Eliminate mercury from your home by purchasing items without mercury, and dispose of items containing mercury at an appropriate drop-off facility when necessary (e.g. old thermometers, batteries).
2. Learn about alternatives to household cleaning items that do not use hazardous chemicals.
3. Buy the right amount of paint for the job.
4. Review labels of household cleaners you use. Consider alternatives like baking soda, scouring pads, water or a little more elbow grease.
5. When no good alternatives exist to a toxic item, find the least amount required for an effective, sanitary result.
6. If you have an older home, have paint in your home tested for lead. If you have lead-based paint, cover it with wall paper or other material instead of sanding it or burning it off.
7. Use traps instead of rat and mouse poisons and insect killers.
8. Have your home tested for radon.
9. Use cedar chips or aromatic herbs instead of mothballs.
IN YOUR YARD
1. Avoid using leaf blowers and other dust-producing equipment.
2. Use an electric lawn- mower instead of a gas-powered one.
3. Leave grass clippings on the yard-they decompose and return nutrients to the soil.
4. Use recycled wood chips as mulch to keep weeds down, retain moisture and prevent erosion.
5. Use only the required amount of fertilizer.
6. Minimize pesticide use.
7. Create a wildlife habitat in your yard.
8. Water grass early in the morning.
9. Rent or borrow items like ladders, chain saws, party decorations and others that are seldom used.
10. Take actions that use non hazardous components (e.g., to ward off pests, plant marigolds in a garden instead of using pesticide).
11. Put leaves in a compost heap instead of burning them or throwing them away. Yard debris too large for your compost bin should be taken to a yard-debris recycler.
IN YOUR OFFICE
1. Copy and print on both sides of paper.
2. Reuse items like envelopes, folders and paper clips.
3. Use mailer sheets for interoffice mail instead of an envelope.
4. Set up a bulletin board for memos instead of sending a copy to each employee.
5. Use e-mail instead of paper correspondence.
6. Use recycled paper.
7. Use discarded paper for scrap paper.
8. Encourage your school and/or company to print documents with soy-based inks, which are less toxic.
9. Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of a disposable cup.
CREATE LESS TRASH
1. Buy items in bulk from loose bins when possible to reduce the packaging wasted.
2. Avoid products with several layers of packaging when only one is sufficient.
About 33 of what we throw away is packaging.
3. Buy products that you can reuse.
4. Maintain and repair durable products instead of buying new ones.
5. Check reports for products that are easily repaired and have low breakdown rates.
6. Reuse items like bags and containers when possible.
7. Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
8. Use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.
9.Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminum foil and cling wrap.
10. Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.
11. Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.
12. Reuse packaging cartons and shipping materials. Old newspapers make great packaging material.
13. Compost your vegetable scraps.
14. Buy used furniture - there is a surplus of it, and it is much cheaper than new furniture.
For more : http://seql.org/100ways.cfm
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