What You Can Do to Sustain the Environment

Doing Your Part to Sustain the Environment

Below is a list of things that Patrick R. McElhiney does to reduce his environmental impact of his daily activities, and we are sharing this list with you so that you can do these things, too! Because saving the environment won't happen because of the actions of one person - it will happen because of the actions of billions of people, and we want to do our part to help people understand how we help to save the environment.

• Reduce Refuse - you should reduce your trash output to a minimum by not buying things that you don't need, using recyclable products instead of refuse products, recycling things that you no longer need, and using every last bit of products that you're just about out of.
• Don't Buy Unnecessary Products - this helps to cut down on waste, because buying unnecessary products will wind up putting them in the landfill. If your family is sending you gifts that you don't like and won't use, instead let them know what you do like, so you won't be throwing away great presents!
• Use Every Last Bit of Consumables - using every last drop or gram of every product that you buy helps to cut down on waste. This can be done with products such as toothpaste, deodorant, soap, food, medicine, and many other consumable products. It may not be as glamorous to use every last drop, but those last drops will add up to an entire product container if you do it enough times.
• Use a Compost Pile - if you own your own home, or live in a location that allows you to create and manage a compost pile, you really should. All of the organic waste, like corn husks, cut up vegetables, left over food, and coffee grounds with filter in general can all be turned into a rich compost that can be used in your gardens! You can also add shredded paper to the mix. Also, you can add leaves, hay, or straw, and dry things from the garden. Worms and other bugs will eat the left over food and turn it into compost soil that you can then sift through a screen and spread in your yard under trees and bushes to give them nutrients to grow. Patrick's family has been doing this for years - and it really does benefit the Earth. It saves what would ordinarily go into the landfill and take up space with other junk that can't be re-used, so instead you're using the nutrients out of this waste to feed the plants and the planet! Note: You cannot put meat and dairy in your compost, nor trash or plastic, nor wood ashes, nor invasive plants or weeds like poison ivy.
• Eliminate Single-Use Plastics Use - when Patrick's grandparents were little, plastic didn't even exist! Yet today, you can find plastic in just about everything, including the food we eat, and the air that we breath. If you're going to do your part to reduce your impact on the environment, you've got to eliminate the purchase of plastic products and products that use plastic packaging. If there are enough people that do this, the companies will change their ways and will start packaging their products in non-plastic alternatives.
  • Use Metal or Bamboo Straws - you can purchase these on Amazon or eBay. This helps to ensure that we are not throwing away plastic straws when we go out for fast food and to other restaurants and events that use single-use plastic straws. Keep metal or bamboo straws in your car, so you'll have them to sip your soda wherever you go. You can clean them at the end of your day, and put them back in your car. Whenever you go somewhere that is offering a plastic straw - just say NO!
  • Don't Use Plastic Drink Lids - this is another single-use plastic product that we have all used, and they have all ended up in the dump at the end of the week. If you really need a lid for your drinks, you can purchase reusable lids, such as "silicon stretch lids", that fit different sizes of cups, that can be washed and re-used.
  • Don't Use Other Single-Use Plastic Items - this means to not accept any single-use plastic items from restaurants, or any other business that you shop at, such as single-use cutlery from fast food restaurants. Instead, either bring your food home to eat, or bring your reusable cutlery from home with you to wherever you go out to eat. Then all you have to do is wash your cutlery, instead of throwing away single-use plastic items that could end up in the stomach of some poor animal.
  • Use Reusable Shopping Bags - you can purchase these at just about any grocery store, and they replace the single-use plastic bags that you use for your groceries. You can also get "reusable produce bags" to put your produce in when you're at the grocery store, and bring it home and store optionally store it in the reusable bags. They are mesh bags that hold your produce, so you don't have to buy produce using plastic bags. Kroger's grocery store chain is phasing out plastic bags in the State of Washington, for the eventual elimination of all plastic bags used for produce and at the checkout line at all of its stores. More stores will follow suit.
  • Don't Buy Products Packaged in Plastic - this is definitely a more bold action, especially if your favorite products are only available with the plastic packaging. Reducing or eliminating the amount of single-use plastic helps to reduce the amount of plastic waste that goes into the landfill, thus helping to save the environment. If your favorite products aren't available without the plastic packaging, and you still have to buy them, consider writing letters to the manufacturers to request that they stop using single-use plastic products in their packaging.
  • Purchase Drinks in Aluminum Cans - rather than purchasing soda pop and other drinks out of plastic bottles, buy them in aluminum cans, that can easily be recycled without polluting the environment. Even when plastic is reused, the process of recycling it emits tons of chemicals into the atmosphere that can cause cancer and other health problems to the surrounding populations.
  • Don't Purchase Bottled Water - the use of plastic as a carrier for water and other drinks is harmful to the environment. Instead, use your own water bottle from home, and fill it up whenever and wherever you need water. It's a lot cheaper, too! You're not getting anything special out of that fancy bottle of water out of the soda dispenser that you can't get out of the tap. If you're really picky about what type of water you drink, try out a water bottle that has a water filter in the lid, so it filters out harmful contents as you drink it. If you're picky about what you put in your bottle, request that the taps that you use have water filters installed on them, if they aren't already. If you're filling up your bottle at home, just use a regular water filter to get the impurities out of it.
  • Don't Use Plastic Wrap - plastic wrap didn't even exist, historically, and nearly all of it just ends up in the landfill after it is used once. Instead, you can use wax paper, or aluminum paper to cover up food. For containers of food, use "silicon stretch lids" instead of plastic wrap.
  • Don't Use Diapers Made From Plastic - use cloth diapers, and wash them carefully. The only reason people use disposable diapers is because they don't have it in them to deal with the mess - but you can flush the solids down the toilet and wash the cloth diapers. Only use disposable diapers in an emergency, or when you are travelling and don't have access to a washing machine. Thoroughly wash the cloth diapers in a wash bin to get all of the solids out before you put them in the washing machine.
  • Don't Use Single Use K-Cups - instead use a K-Cup filter. There are other ways to quickly make a single cup of coffee as well, such as an Espresso Press, that you put a small amount of hot water in, and press it through the espresso coffee. It tastes better than Starbucks. Plus you're not wasting gas to get to Starbucks. Plus you're not spending $5 on a cup of coffee that you can make at home for $0.05.
• Reduce New Paper Product Use - use of paper products results in trees getting cut down to make the paper, in most cases. Even if it is recycled paper, there may still be new tree product that is introduced into the paper products to make it more white in color. Patrick R. McElhiney's grandparents didn't grow up using tons of paper products like Americans use today, because they didn't exist when they were young. Even toilet paper didn't exist historically - your grandparents, or at least your great-grandparents (depending upon your age) probably used corn cobs and corn husks to clean themselves after going #2. Ouch! That isn't to say that we should go back in history, but we can't keep cutting down trees to fuel our obsession with throw-away paper products. We need to choose sustainable ways to keep our dignity in modern America, while at the same time saving the trees that we have left, and thus save the environment from becoming unlivable to humans and animals alike.
• Use Rags or Dish Cloths Instead of Paper Towels - rags or dish cloths are better to use than paper towels, because they don't end up in the landfill. After you use a rag or dish cloth, which can be made from old shirts and other clothing, or old towels that you no longer use, you can wash them to make them clean again. Sure, this could be embarrassing to use old clothes in this way... i.e. we wouldn't suggest cleaning the house with an old pair of underwear, but old shirts and other clothing will do the trick. Old towels that you no longer use can be cut up into dish cloths. If you're really finicky about the fashion of your kitchen, then buy yourself some new dish cloths - but just don't throw things away the first time they get a stain. The point is to re-use these items until they are no longer usable. Dish cloths and rags should last for at least 5-10 years.
• Use Handkerchiefs Instead of Tissues - historically, tissues didn't exist before we had the environmental problems that we have today. People used handkerchiefs instead of tissues, and there's no reason we can't do this today, as well. Think about it - every time you use a tissue that is made from new trees, you're supporting deforestation. How many boxes of tissues do you use in a year? That probably adds up to a lot of trees that you could be saving if you used handkerchiefs, and just washed them after they get dirty.
• Use Products Made from Bamboo - this is a great alternative to paper products, such as toilet paper and paper towels, that are made from cutting down trees. Bamboo grows quickly within a few months, and there's always plenty more of it to use for making tree-free paper products. It can be a bit more expensive, but you're saving cute lovable animals' habitat by not cutting down their canopy. Also, you don't have to worry about loss of strength or loss of softness. These bamboo products are sometimes even stronger than tree-made products, and they are extra soft. You can also get reusable paper towels made with bamboo fibers that you can wash and re-use again and again. You can actually save money by using these products!
• Use Recycled Paper Products - toilet paper, paper towels, product packaging, and other paper products can be made from recycled paper. It's always best to use products with a very high concentration of recycled materials, to reduce the number of trees that are being cut down as a result of your purchase. Even if the product says it's made from recycled paper products, it may still have some new trees in it - usually to make it more white in color. Recycled paper products can tend to be rather brown in color, but if you don't mind this, please use the 100% recycled paper products to maximize your savings towards the environment!
• Remember - Reduce Your Refuse! - even if you're using recycled paper products, or bamboo paper products, if the products are going into the trash to the landfill, you're still contributing to the degradation of the environment, so use alternatives to paper and fibrous products whenever possible! Paper products take a great amount of time to decompose in the landfill, so use reusable products as much as possible! If you continue to add to the trash problem, it will become a much bigger problem for future generations that try to go and develop the land where the landfill was, or have to deal with the chemicals and gasses that are emitted from the landfill into the air above, and the water below.
• Recycle Everything You Can - this helps to reduce the amount of reusable waste that goes into landfills. Check in your community, and find out where you can go, or if you have curb-side pickup of recyclables. Use these services - it helps to save the environment! Recycle when you're at work, and when you're at school, and anywhere else you go! You need to do your part to recycle resources - and not just paper, glass, and plastic. You can recycle metals, electronics, machinery, and other equipment and appliances as well! Check with your community recycling center. Sometimes there are charges associated with recycling appliances such as televisions, but it's much cheaper and better for the environment than sending it to the landfill.
  • Recycle Plastic Bags - it may be possible to recycle single-use plastic bags from your shopping at your local grocery store, including bags that serve as mailers for packages, and the blow-up bubbles and bubble wrap that comes in packages, and any other plastic materials that are in bag or wrap form - including plastic wrap.
  • Purchase Products Made From Recycled Materials - this is just common sense. The more products you purchase that use recycled materials, the more waste you will reuse and re-purpose. This saves our planet from more landfill space, it saves our oceans, and it saves trees and other resources.
    • Polywood - buy this outdoor furniture made from recycled plastics. Made in the USA in Syracuse, Indiana. They process 30,000 milk jugs per hour, over 400,000 a day. 99% of their waste stream is recycled - not just the plastic lumber, but everything. There's a 20-year warranty on the furniture. They've launched a second company in North Carolina, which will provide 750 new American jobs by 2022.
• Eat Chicken, Not Beef - when you eat beef, you're polluting the environment more, and who doesn't love a nice steak once in awhile? It's worse for the environment, because of the amount of land that is displaced to feed each cow, versus just bugs and a small amount of corn for a chicken. Also, cows emit a lot of methane gas, which is flammable and is worse than CO2 to the environment. This is why U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has suggested that people should stop eating beef as part of the New Green Deal. Even though the New Green Deal costs more than America can afford, it does have a lot of really good ideas in it to fight climate change!
• Don't Use Central A/C - living in a smaller home without a central A/C unit saves power and the environment – instead use window A/C units that use less electricity to cool the rooms that you use most often. Let the rest of the house get warm during the summer.
• Renovate Your Home to be Energy Star Compliant - not just your appliances, but also your home its self can be certified to be energy star complaint. This pertains to how much air pressure your home can hold, which can be tested by introducing smoky air into a blower in your main entry doorway, to determine where the air is getting out, and patch up those holes and gaps. Sealing your home so that the heat and cool air don't get out will save on electricity and save the environment. It will save you money as well!
• Save Power - don’t run the dishwasher until it’s full, and don’t use the heating function to dry dishes, to reduce electricity use. Don’t do partial loads of wash, to reduce electricity and natural gas use.
• Car Pool - reduce your trips, and car pool whenever you can to cut down on CO2 emissions into the environment.
• Drive Hybrid/Electric Vehicles - this helps to reduce CO2 emissions into the environment, and will save you money at the pump.
• Use Good Driving Habits - you should have good driving habits, including going easy on acceleration, and going easy on braking, and also not using the A/C in your vehicle unless you absolutely have to. You can roll down your window instead of using the A/C to save on fuel costs and reduce CO2 emissions into the environment.
• Combine/Eliminate Trips - this helps to combine your trips when you go out to shop, and eliminate unnecessary trips, such as single-purpose trips to go shopping at a specific store or restaurant. Instead, combine all of your trips on a single day, and stay home on other days. If you're running a business, don't make trips that you're not generating revenue on - stick to the basics of your business. Make sure you get your work done on the first trip, so you don't have to go back a second time, even if your service covers a second or third trip.
• Volunteer in the Community - if you can contribute to keeping your community clean, it can cut down on the amount of machinery that is used to conduct those tasks otherwise, and also you'll feel good that you're doing something good for the community. If you're a college student, check out Volunteer America and other organizations that will actually pay you to volunteer in the community.
• Turn Lights and Appliances Off - when you're not using them, or you're not in the room that they're in, turn them off. There may be certain appliances or computers that you can't turn off - make sure they're Energy Star devices, so that you're not overcharging batteries, and that the devices go into power saving mode when they are not actively being used.
• Fill Prescriptions on the Same Day - if you can, fill all of your prescriptions on the same day, so you're not making multiple trips to the pharmacy during the same month. Also, if you can, fill your prescriptions for 60 or 90 day supplies, to also cut down on trips to the pharmacy. You can also use mail order pharmacies to cut down on trips.
• Buy From Environmental Conscience Companies - buy your products and services from companies that are conscience of the environment and their company's impact on it, such as car manufacturers that have a zero-waste policy, companies that have done environmental impact studies, and companies that cut down on their environmental impact.
• Telecommute to Work - your employer may allow you to setup a home office, that would allow you to work from home a certain number of days per week. This will allow you to spend more time closer to your family, as long as you can stay focused while you are working. It's a great savings for the environment to work from home, at least part of the work week, to cut down on trips to work and cut down on company expenses that impact the environment when you are at work, such as electricity use.
• Work for a Company That Is Environmentally Conscience - it's important to do your part at home, but also it's important to work for a company that does its part to protect the environment. This can include having an environmental department of the company that deals with environmental issues, such as recycling programs at work, and saving resources such as electricity. Installing PLCs or Smart Plugs on IT Equipment that isn't in use at certain times of the day can help to save the company money, and help to save the environment. Having the right HVAC settings is important to reduce your company's impact on the environment. If your company is a retailer, it should reduce the amount of bad products that it stocks, such as products that customers won't buy, because they will have to be shipped back to the manufacturer, which will impact the environment even more. Also, bad products will eventually end up in the trash, so doing business with companies that strive to recycle everything they possibly can is important.
• Set Your Thermostat Right - it's important to have your thermostat set to the correct values, to ensure that your A/C and heater aren't working overtime. If your house is too hot, or too cold, then it's probably costing you a lot more to heat/cool your home than the average consumer. 68-degrees is the usual setting that should be used during the winter. You may want to set your thermostat higher during the summer to save on electricity costs of running your A/C unit.
• Configure Your Smart Home - it's important to ensure that your home is protected from incidence of fire or flooding or any other disaster with security and an alarm system that can detect carbon monoxide. Saving you and your home saves the environment - because disasters are costly to the environment, both in terms of resources consumed and in terms of resources lost. Ensure that your smart home saves you on electricity costs by controlling your climate and lighting, as well as alerting you when something isn't right in your digital meshed environment. 

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