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In just about any daily activity, you can make simple choices that greatly reduce your impact on the environment. Make informed decisions about your clothing, furniture, food and even pet purchases. (You just know little Scruffy would love to chew all day on an organic, dye-free wool ball.) Learn how to reduce your waste and clean with nontoxic ingredients. These little changes can make your whole family happier and healthier—especially little Scruffy.
Reduce waste
Free online bill pay – Money-saving tip
Use free online bill pay from Columbia Credit Union and save paper, time, postage and that gummy aftertaste. If all U.S. households viewed and paid their bills online, every year they would save 16.5 million trees.*
Electronic statements and newsletters – Pocketbook neutral
Sign up to receive electronic statements from Columbia Credit Union and e-newsletters. For every 170 members receiving e-statements, one tree is saved each year.
End annoying junk mail – Worth the extra cash
Register with the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service at www.dmaconsumers.org to get off junk mail lists and reduce your paper waste. It costs only $1 to register, and it’s money well spent.
Go duplex! – Money-saving tip
Configure your home or office printer to print on both sides of the page, saving paper and money.
Shopping
Trendy tote – Worth the extra cash
Purchase a re-usable, recyclable shopping bag at the Vancouver Farmers Market. Use this tote, sponsored by Columbia Credit Union, once a week for two years and keep 416 plastic bags out of landfills. You’ll spend $3.25 for the bag, but you’ll save the planet enough petroleum to drive a car for 30 miles.
Shop at farmers markets – Pocketbook neutral
Support local agriculture and art — plus reduce the impact of product transportation — by shopping at local farmers markets, such as the Vancouver Farmers Market downtown on Esther and 8th streets.
Don’t dispose — recharge! – Worth the extra cash
Use rechargeable batteries to avoid pollution from the chemical substances used inside disposable batteries.
Choose organic cotton – Worth the extra cash
In the United States, 25 percent of all soil-contaminating insecticides go into growing cotton (Domino, March 2007.) Spend a little more for clothing made with organic cotton to decrease the crop’s environmental impact.
Buy certified wood furniture – Worth the extra cash
It may cost more, but choosing furniture made from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council will help ensure timber is harvested in a land- and habitat-friendly way.
Clean green
Nontoxic cleaning – Money-saving tip
Clean your home with nontoxic household ingredients, such as lemon, vinegar and baking soda. Check out our cleaning page for great ideas.
Freshen the air – Money-saving tip
Instead of using commercial air fresheners, ventilate your home by opening windows or doors, or boil cinnamon and cloves for a pleasant, more natural aroma.
Eliminate smoky smells – Money-saving tip
To remove lingering smoky odors from clothing, fill your bathtub with hot water, add one cup white vinegar and hang garments above the steaming bath water.
Remove sweat stains – Money-saving tip
Don’t sweat your perspiration stains — just sponge them with a weak solution of white vinegar or lemon juice.
Ditch the pesticides – Money-saving tip
Plant mint around your home to repel flies, or plant basil to repel both flies and mosquitoes.
Pets
Fido-Friendly Toys – Pocketbook neutral
Shop at www.purrfectplay.com for organic, dye-free dog and cat toys. Try a wool ball, fleece mouse, hemp flying disc or rope tug and delight your furry friend.
Out, Spot! – Money-saving tip
When Spot leaves his mark on the carpet, vinegar will kill the odor and prevent staining if applied immediately. Absorb moisture with paper towels, rinse with warm water, and then apply a vinegar and soap solution. After 15 minutes, rinse with a damp towel and blot dry.
*Copyright 2007, Javelin Strategy and Research—www.javelinstrategy.com. Online Banking and Bill Payment Reports: Trends, Forecasts, and Strategies for Reinvigorating Growth and Adoption. All Rights Reserved. |
