The Three R's Saco ME

Reduce your Consumption and Waste

Although this is a basic premise with which most are familiar, it is a good place to start; reducing, reusing and recycling reflect the central concepts of going green in your apartment. In order to reduce your impact on your surrounding environment it is essential to reuse what you can and recycle as much as possible.

Reduce.org has a pretty comprehensive list of ways that will help you reduce the amount of garbage you dispose.

They highlight, in particular ways to reduce excess paper and packaging waste.

The average American household receives more than 500 Get off national marketing lists. You can reduce this excess mail by registering with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service, contacting individual mailers and asking them to remove your name from their mailing lists and calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT to stop the mailings of credit card offers.

Packaging comprises 30 percent of all municipal garbage. By purchasing items with less packaging you can drastically reduce the amount of waste. Buying in bulk and avoiding single serving packages.

The Green Your Apartment Blog also provides some helpful tips on living a greener lifestyle. When you are running errands, try to look for ways to group your outings. Make a list of all the things that you have to do so that you can take the most efficient route. This will cut down on the amount you will have to drive. Also, when you are grocery shopping, instead of using paper or plastic, use neither by bringing your own reusable bag.

When you are around your apartment, be sure to conserve electricity and water by using only the lights you need. When you leave a room, turn off the light. This is such a simple thing to do, but it often requires diligence to get into the habit. Taking shorter showers, washing dishes by hand and of course, turning off the faucet when you shave or brush your teeth are all things of which you should be conscious.

Paper towels are expensive and wasteful. By simply using a dish towel and sponge to clean spills and dry dishes, you will be able to save money and help the environment. Just having a paper towel roll on the counter can be enough of an incentive to use them to excess; instead, just keep a sponge for counters, a sponge for dishes and dish towels in convenient locations to reduce the temptation to use paper towels.

To read the whole article, visit MyNewPlace.com.