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278 lines
8.7 KiB
Plaintext
278 lines
8.7 KiB
Plaintext
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101 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO CONSERVE RESOURCES AND
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PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
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IN YOUR HOME
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Recycle everything you can; newspaper, cans, glass, aluminum foil and pans,
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motor oil, scrap metal, etc. In the Portland area, many recyclables get
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picked up at your curb.
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Investigate local recycling centers that take items your garbage hauler
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doesn't (scrap paper, plastics, appliances).
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Save your kitchen scraps for the compost pile.
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Avoid the use of household pesticides. Fly swatters work very well.
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Clean your windows with vinegar and water instead of chemical products.
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Use cold water in the washer unless it's necessary to use warm or hot.
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Use washable rags, not paper towels, for cleaning spills and other household
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chores.
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Crumpled newspaper are great for washing windows.
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Use cloth diapers. The plastic in disposable diapers doesn't break down in
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landfills.
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Use cloth, not paper napkins.
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Don't put hazardous substances down your drain or in your trash (paint thinner
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furniture polish, etc). Dispose of them on designated hazardous-waste
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collection days.
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Don't use electrical appliances for things you can easily do by hand.
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Reuse brown paper bags to line your trash can instead of plastic liners.
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Reuse bread bags, butter tubs, etc.
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Use reusable containers to store foods - not plastic wraps and foil.
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Write to companies that send unwanted junk mail...ask them to take you off
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their list.
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Save your coat hangers and return them to the cleaners.
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Take unwanted, reusable items to a charitable organization or thrift shop.
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Don't leave water running needlessly.
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Install a water-saving shower head.
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Set your water heater at 130 degrees.
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Have your water heater insulated free of charge by your utility company.
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Turn the heat down and wear a sweater.
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Lower your house temperature by one degree per hour every hour you'll be
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away or asleep.
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Turn the lights off when you're out of the room. Ditto with the TV.
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Get a free energy audit from your utility company.
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Burn only seasoned wood in your wood stove or fireplace.
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IN YOUR YARD
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Start a compost pile.
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Plant shrubs and trees that provide food and shelter for birds and other
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creatures.
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Feed the birds; put up birdhouses and baths.
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Pull weeds instead of using herbicides.
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Learn about natural insect controls as alternatives to pesticides.
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Landscape with plants that aren't prone to insect and fungus problems.
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Ignore caterpillars and most native leaf-chewing insects. Let birds and
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insect predators take care of them.
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Use beer traps for slugs instead of baiting with poisons.
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Use organic fertilizers...manure or Zoo Doo helps condition your soil and
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fertilize at the same time.
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If you use pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides, don't throw leftovers in
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the trash, down your drain, or into a storm sewer. Dispose of them on a
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hazardous-waste collection day.
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Compost your leaves and yard debris or take them to a yard debris recycler.
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Burning them creates air pollution and putting them out with the trash is a
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waste of landfill space.
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Use mulch to conserve water in your garden.
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Plant things that don't require a lot of water.
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Take extra plastic and rubber pots back to the nursery.
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Large expanses of lawn are not good habitat for other creatures, plus they
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usually must be maintained with chemicals and extensive watering. Dig up
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some of your grass and plant native shrubs and trees instead.
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Plant short, dense shrubs close to your home's foundation to help insulate
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against the cold.
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ON VACATION
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Turn down the heat and turn off the water heater before you go.
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Carry reusable cups, dishes, and flatware.
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Make sure your plastic trash doesn't end up in the ocean.
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Don't pick flowers or collect wild creatures for pets...leave animals and
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plants where you find them.
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Don't buy souvenirs made from wild animals.
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Watch out for wildlife...give consideration to all living things you see
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crossing the road.
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Build smaller campfires.
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Stay on the trail.
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IN YOUR CAR
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Drive sensibly...dont't waste gas.
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Keep your car tuned up.
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Carpool. In the Portland area call 227-7665 for information.
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Use public transit.
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Ride your bike or walk instead of driving.
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Buy a more gas-efficient car.
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Recycle your engine oil.
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Keep your tires properly inflated to save gas.
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Recycle your old tires.
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Keep your wheels in alignment to save your tires.
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Don't litter.
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AT YOUR BUSINESS
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Start an office recycling program for office and computer paper, cardboard,
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etc.
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Use scrap paper for informal notes to yourself and others.
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Print things on recycled paper.
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Print or copy on both sides of the paper.
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Use smaller paper for smaller memos.
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Reuse manila envelopes and file folders.
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Hide the throw-away cups and train people to bring their mugs to meetings.
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Route things around the office or put non-urgent communications on a bulletin
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board rather than making multiple copies.
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Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
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Office building landscape doesn't have to be sterile lawns and bedding plants.
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Plant trees and shrubs the birds will like.
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Put a bird feeder outside your office window.
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WHEN YOU'RE SHOPPING
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Don't buy food or household products in plastic or styrofoam containers if
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there is an alternate (milk and egg cartons, vegetable oils, butter tubs,
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etc.) They can't or are difficult to be recycled and they don't break
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down in the environment
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Don't buy "disposable" anything. Paper plates and towels and foam cups are
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extravagant wastes of the world's resources.
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If you must buy disposables, buy paper products rather than plastics or
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styrofoam. The manufacture of styrofoam depletes the ozone layer.
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Buy durable products and keep them a little longer. Cheap furniture, clothes,
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and appliances often have short life spans.
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Check the energy rating on major appliances you buy.
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Read labels and buy the least toxic product available for cleaning, pest
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control, and other jobs.
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Put your parcels into one big sack instead of collecting several small ones.
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Don't buy things with excess packaging (individually wrapped cheese slices,
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apples on a paper tray wrapped with cellophane, etc).
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Buy in bulk; reduce pollution that comes from the manufacture and disposal
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of many small packages.
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Ask questions...don't buy products that are hazardous to the environment or
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that were manufactured at the expense of important animal habitat.
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Buy locally grown food and locally made products when possible.
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Don't buy products that come from endangered animals.
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Don't keep exotic pets.
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PERSONAL EFFORTS
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Join a conservation organization.
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Volunteer your time to conservation projects.
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Give money to worthy conservation/environmental causes.
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Check your lifestyle...think about effects of your daily actions on the
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environment.
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Take advantage of the non-game wildlife checkoff on your Oregon tax form.
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Vote for candidates who share your sentiments.
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Read books and articles on wildlife and environmental issues.
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Watch nature programs on TV (and call your local Nature BBS).
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Subscribe to conservation or environmental publications. Purchase them
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as gifts for others.
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SPREAD THE WORD
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Convert by example...encourage other people to save resources too.
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Tease, cajole, persuade, or shame your family, friends, and neighbors for
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not recyling, not being energy conscious, etc.
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Complain to merchants about excess packaging, use of plastics, etc. Write
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letters to companies. Patronize merchants who are environmentally conscious.
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Write your legislators when you have an opinion about pending legislation
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on environmental, land use, or other issues.
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Teach children to respect nature and the environment. Take them on a hike,
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help them plant a tree or build a bird house, buy them a nature book or
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subscription to a wildlife magazine.
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X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
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Another file downloaded from: The NIRVANAnet(tm) Seven
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& the Temple of the Screaming Electron Taipan Enigma 510/935-5845
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Burn This Flag Zardoz 408/363-9766
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realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 510/527-1662
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Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 801/278-2699
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The New Dork Sublime Biffnix 415/864-DORK
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The Shrine Rif Raf 206/794-6674
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Planet Mirth Simon Jester 510/786-6560
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"Raw Data for Raw Nerves"
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X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
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