Happy Earth Day!

I started this last year and know that some people have actually used my tips, so here's 25 more simple ways to help save the Earth.

1) Shop for a cause. Many websites sell eco-friendly products or help contribute to the environment. One of my favorite places to shop is the Greater Good Network because not only can you help purchase rainforest with all your shopping, but if the environment isn't your thing, you can also help contribute to literacy or animal rescue or several other causes.

2) Buy bamboo. Bamboo grows really quickly. Today you can buy everything from pajamas to furniture to bowls made out of it. I have a pair of bamboo socks and they're really soft and nice.

3) Keep the refrigerator door closed! This is one of my pet peeves. At work people open the refrigerator, make themselves a sandwich, then ten minutes later put the mustard or whatever back and finally close the door. Do you know how much energy you just wasted!

4) Choose matches over lighters and cardboard matches over wooden matches. If all the cigarettes smoked every day around the world were lit with cardboard matches instead of wood, 5.5 million trees could be saved.

5) If you use dry cleaning, take your hangers back. Most dry cleaners will reuse or recycle the hangers.

6) Borrow instead of buying. Having a party and don't have enough chairs? Borrow some from a neighbor rather than buying some that you will probably never use again.

7) Use fewer paper napkins. I just bought really cute cloth napkins that I use at home. But you don't have to go that far, just don't grab a whole stack next time you're eating out.

8) Subscribe to your favorite magazines rather than purchasing them at a newsstand. 60% of most magazines at a newsstand aren't sold and are hauled off to the landfill.

9) Get high speed Internet! This save time and ultimately gets your computer turned off that much faster.

10) Put your lunch items in reusable containers rather than plastic bags or foil.

11) Use both sides of the paper. I keep all my fliers, etc. that I get in the mail in a pile so that I have scrap paper available whenever.

12) STOP SMOKING! Not only is it bad for you, all those cigarette butts are bad for the earth.

13) Eat vegetarian every once in a while. I like meat as much as the next person, but every once in a while skip the meat on the salad or in the burrito or whatever. Not only will it be cheaper, but it saves an enormous amount of water. It takes about 2500 gallons of water to make one pound of beef!

14) Skip the plastic stirrer. Pour your sugar and milk in first and then add your coffee. Magic! It stirs itself.

15) While on the note of sugar, use containers of loose sugar rather than individual packets.

16) When faxing stuff at work, avoid using the cover page wherever possible. If they know the fax is coming, do they really need that extra sheet of paper?

17) Buy fresh fruit rather than canned. The canning process is at least 10 times more energy intensive than picking fresh fruit.

18) Use old shopping bags for trash rather than buying trash bags. Your spending money on something that's purpose is to be thrown away, does that seem weird to anyone else?

19) At parties, use actual plates, silverware, and cups rather than disposable. Because honestly, how difficult is it to throw that stuff in the dishwasher.

20) Rechargeable batteries. Nuff said.

21) Burn 100% beeswax or soy candles. They burn cleaner and last longer. Plus the crude oil used to make a 16 ounce paraffin candle contains enough energy to power a 60 watt light bulb for 100 hours.

22) Skip the disposable razors. Not only do they tend to rip your skin to shreds, but they're not eco-friendly. Buy a quality razor with refillable blades.

23) Don't ask for a receipt. Whether getting gas or at an ATM, when it says would you like a receipt, hit no.

24) Visit an eco-friendly website for more tips. One of my favorites is treehugger.

25) Spread the word. Now, I'm not talking about being obnoxious about it, but maybe mention why you bring your own lunch bag to work and where you got it to help others out.

A lot of the tips and facts that I've included I took from The Green Book. A great book that had tips in it that I never even thought about before. Highly recommended. Let me know if you want to borrow it.