House & Home

Tips to make community sustainability work for you, #4

Tips for business to promote and advance community sustainability: environmental stewardship, social equity and economic prosperity.

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  • Keep the air pollution levels in your house or office as low as possible by switching your cleaning products to non-chemical cleaning solutions. They are comparable in price to traditional cleaners and can be found at almost every supermarket, but they only leave behind fresh scents not chemical residue and that can literally help you live and sleep better.
  • Get better gas mileage out of your car by going through the trunk and taking out all those items you carry around but hardly ever use. Those golf clubs or bowling ball don’t weigh that much by themselves, but add them all together and it’s like having extra passengers in the car; all that weight makes your car work that much harder which uses more gas than it really needs.
  • Ease up on the lead foot. According to the Department of Energy, accelerating quickly and speeding can reduce your gas mileage by up to 33%; also each mile per hour you go over 60 mph is like paying an extra 10 cents a gallon for gas.
  • An easy way to reduce your waste and save a few dollars every time you go shopping is to buy in bulk. A two liter of soda contains a lot less waste than a 12 pack – and it’s cheaper too!
  • Help your refrigerator and freezer cool their contents more efficiently by keeping them full. They will use less power to maintain the temperature if they are full then if they are nearly empty. Fill them with jugs of water if necessary – though be careful of exploding containers in the freezer.
Sustainability Tips Provided by the Foundation for a Sustainable Community. Look for new tips weekly on WRAL.com's Green Guide.

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