It may not be practical to give up your car entirely, but you can still take action by reducing your use of your car. For example, instead of driving to the grocery store every other day, make one trip every week or week and a half, stocking up on everything you need all at once. Carpooling with your neighbors or signing up for a car share program are also great ways to reduce your car use.
Taking a bus or train to work, school or any other activity has a lot of advantages. Aside from doing your part to reduce air pollution, you’ll have extra time to read, knit, do crosswords, or people watch. Taking public transportation is also safer than driving, and will probably help reduce your anxiety level since you won’t have to deal with rush hour traffic.
Use an energy-conserving motor grade oil. Fill your gas tank in the early morning or late evening, when it’s cool outside. This helps prevent as much gas from evaporating in the heat of the day. Take care not to let gas spill when you fill your tank. Instead of letting your car idle in long lines at fast food restaurants and bank drive-thrus, park your car and walk inside. Inflate your car’s tires to the recommended pressure. This will produce the best performance for your car and reduces fuel usage.
You can buy carbon offsets from environmental organizations.
Food, of course! If you tend to buy a lot of pre-packaged food, then making your meals from scratch is a good place to start. Eliminating convenience foods and creating dishes with raw ingredients is healthier and better for the environment. For example, if you love spaghetti, make your sauce from raw tomatoes and garlic rather than buying a can of pre-made sauce. You can make your own pasta, too! Did you know you can make your own household cleaners? Instead of buying dish soap, laundry detergent and bathtub cleaner, make your own using nontoxic ingredients. Store your concoctions in glass jars. The same goes for homemade shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant and lip balm. Clothing is a bit trickier to make on your own, but if you’re feeling ambitious and want to give it a try, start with basics like shirts and pants. If you’re interested in becoming a full-time maker, look into the art of homesteading. Soon you’ll be growing the tomatoes and garlic you need to make that sauce.
Shop at farmer’s markets. This is the best way to shop for food grown and sold locally. Check the tags of clothing items. Try to buy items that were manufactured close to where you live. Though it can be quite expensive, consider buying items that were handmade by someone living close to you. If this isn’t an option, getting secondhand clothes is another good way to cut down on consumption. Don’t buy stuff online. Getting a book or clothing item online is extremely easy on the consumer’s end, but think about the boats, planes and trucks required to deliver that item to your door. It should be something you only do sparingly.
Take your own cloth shopping bag to the store instead of choosing paper or plastic. Shop in the bulk food section instead of buying individually packaged items. Buy loose, fresh produce instead of canned or frozen produce. Buy extra large containers of items you use often so you don’t have to purchase many smaller containers.
Try to buy items that come in glass containers so you can reuse them over and over again. Plastic is reusable, too, but be careful reusing it too often to store food, since chemicals can leach from the plastic into the food over time. Recycle your plastic, paper, aluminum, and other recyclables according to your city’s guidelines. Make a compost pile in your yard, into which you can throw your vegetable peelings and other food scraps. After you’ve tended your pile for a few months, you’ll have rich, black compost you can use to feed your garden.
Follow manufacturers’ recommendations to use and properly seal cleaners, paints, and other chemicals. Carefully following the instructions ensures that smog-forming chemicals can’t evaporate.
Take advantage of natural light. Set up your work or study space near a window that gets bright light all day, so you won’t have to switch the lights on. Have one room in the house be the “bright room” at night, rather than lighting up the whole house all the time. Your family can gather in the brightest room to read, study, or watch a movie before bedtime, rather than spreading out. Unplug your appliances when you aren’t using them. That goes for big appliances as well as small ones - TVs, computers, toasters, coffee makers, etc. Even a phone charger left plugged in can sap energy all day long. Replace outdated large appliances with models that are designed to conserve energy. Buy your electricity from low or zero pollution facilities. Look into the options available in your area.
When you’re at work or away on a weekend trip, make sure to adjust your thermostat so that it’s not pumping in cool or hot air the entire time you’re away. [5] X Research source
Turn your water heater to 120 °F (49 °C), so that the water never heats beyond that temperature. Use the cool setting on your washing machine.
Look online, read the newspaper, and ask around for information. If you’re in school, your teachers might be able to point you in the right direction. Start talking about air pollution with people in your life, instead of glossing over the problem. Discussing the issue could lead to bright ideas or courses of action you wouldn’t have thought up on your own. Calculate your carbon footprint here.
Many cities have programs geared toward planting trees, like New York’s MillionTreesNYC. [6] X Research source Find out if there’s a similar program where you live. If you can’t plant a tree yourself, partner with an environmental organization that can plant trees on your behalf, such as the Carbonfund. org Foundation.
