TEACH YOUR PARENTS WELL

[Kris Wilson]

Have a kid swap party - Don't buy more clothes or toys, host a kid swap party and swap toys and clothes with other parents. Use your voice If you or your child is concerned about an environmental issue, sit down and write a letter together. "One letter sent the old-fashioned way, as opposed to e-mail, can greatly influence your congressperson or senator," says Moore. You can find contact information for your elected congressional representatives and senators online. Paper towels or electric dryer? There's no contest. Did you know electric dryers are twice as energy-efficient as paper towels, even towels made from recycled paper? Although the production of the electricity that powers electric dryers generates greenhouse gases, the production of paper towels is twice as energy-intensive and creates more greenhouse gases overall. Also, the manufacture of paper towels emits pollutants, including chlorine, and many paper towels are made from virgin wood rather than recycled material. Your small choice can make a big difference. Online-banking can improve financial control while eliminating the paper bills, statements and checks that harm the environment -- saving 17 million trees and avoiding 4 billion tons of greenhouse gases a year Fill an empty soda bottle (or two) with water and place it in the toilet tank away from the operating mechanisms. This will save water with every flush, by reducing the amount of water it takes to refill your tank. (This is meant for older toilets, not new high-efficiency ones.) Rethink the baby wipes - They're definitely not eco-friendly as most baby wipes take centuries to biodegrade. Switch to washcloths instead. More and more local utility companies are giving customers the option to choose alternative sources of energy. If your power company isn't one of them, speak up and let them know that you would like the choice. Plug several electronics onto one power strip and switch it off. As for small gadgets like cell phones, digital cameras, and hand-held vacuums — once they're charged, keep them unplugged until needed. Plug several electronics onto one power strip and switch it off. As for small gadgets like cell phones, digital cameras, and hand-held vacuums — once they're charged, keep them unplugged until needed. Fix drips and leaks A leaky faucet? Time to call the plumber. That slow but steady drip, drip, drip can waste up to 20 gallons of water a day. Extra credit: Replacing standard faucets and showerheads with low-flow versions will help a family of four save 20,000 gallons a year. Bring your own bag It takes 12 million barrels of oil, and 14 million trees, to make all the paper and plastic bags Americans go through each year. Next time you shop, take cloth bags (keep a few in the trunk to have on hand). Or just reuse — sturdy plastic bags or double-bagged paper ones hold up for months, and they're free. Extra credit: Reuse plastic produce bags, or pick up a few cloth ones (you'll find them at Reusablebags.com). Break the bottle habit Making and even recycling plastic water bottles uses energy and releases pollution, and every year, millions of them wind up in landfill. It's not worth the waste, argues Gina Solomon, senior scientist for the National Resources Defense Council. "Bottled water is often just tap water with a fancy label and a high price, and it's not any better for you," she says. In fact, Consumer Reports found that about a quarter of bottled water comes from the tap. Buy recycled paper Yes, it costs more. But the paper industry is the third largest contributor to global warming, according to StopGlobalWarming.org. If your budget doesn't allow for it, try to reuse. For instance, take home used paper from the office and use the clean side for to-do lists, phone messages, and art projects — and then toss it in the recycle bin. Recycle It sounds old-fashioned to mention recycling — until you consider that an incredible 69 percent of Americans still don't do it. For tips, including what's recyclable in your town, go to Earth 911. Extra credit: Try to steer clear of food and toys wrapped in excess packaging. Have a kid swap party No, we're not suggesting you trade in your temperamental toddler. In the spirit of community and recycling, Grist president Chip Giller swaps kid items with other parents. "All our friends are having kids now, and we pass clothes and toys from one person to another," he says. If you make a party out of it, you get a twofer: new duds and toys, plus plenty of fun. Involve your family Grow a garden "Mucking about in the garden is a great way for kids to interact with nature in a meaningful and rewarding way from an early age," says Yarrow. Even urban kids will enjoy planting seeds in flowerpots for a windowsill garden Instead of meeting a friend for lunch at a restaurant, meet for a picnic in a park or outdoor area. Reconnecting with nature will make the rest of your day brighter and remind you why you are making an effort to implement green solutions in your everyday life. Build your own rain barrel! Now you can not only enjoy the rain from inside the comfort of your own home, you can also know that you are saving money on your water bill and reducing water pollution. For easy instructions on how to build your own rain barrel, check out the Center for Watershed Protection's step- by-step guide here (pdf). Concerned about chemical exposures? Then it’s time to mothball those, er, mothballs. In early 2005, the government listed naphthalene, the primary ingredient in mothballs, as a carcinogen. To keep moths out of your drawers safely, sprinkle a few drops of cedarwood oil inside. Or make your own natural moth-repellent bags with this recipe from Care2: Mix 2 ounces of dried rosemary and mint, 1 ounce dried thyme American ginseng, and 8 ounces of whole cloves. I love to travel overseas at least once a year, as well as occasionally taking shorter flights to domestic destinations. However, air travel is a major contributor to pollution and the overall toll it's taking on our environment. So now I reduce my carbon footprint by making a donation to one of the 17 tree-planting organizations listed on http://www.americanforests.org/ prior to every flight I take. Donations as small as $10 are accepted, and every dollar donated plants one tree. Imagine that -- $1 plants new life that will combat pollution. Shine your shoes with natural alternatives to toxic shoe polish. Try rubbing the inside of a banana peel on your leather shoes, then buff them with a clean cloth. Or rub a bit of vegetable or olive oil into the leather until it’s clean and shiny. And make sure to contact your sanitation department to learn how to dispose of any old shoe polish safely. Americans tend to toss their outdated jeans as styles change, but old pairs can be cut into shorts, made into book covers or bags, used as cleaning rags, worn for yard work, tied in a knot and used as a doggie chew toy, or kept around for another 10 years when they’ll be in style again. The possibilities for reuse are endless. These boots were made for…tossing? Americans buy 2.3 million pairs of shoes each day. Instead of throwing your old shoes out, clean and donate gently used ones and keep grubbier ones around for yard work. Nike will take worn-out athletic shoes (of any brand) and recycle them into new surfaces for basketball courts, running tracks, and playground turf.