Jane Goodall has given us over 50 years of ongoing efforts, support and commitment to the causes closest to her heart. To read more about this amazing award, go to http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/heart-of-green-awards/2011-heart-of-green-award-winners#fbIndex2.

Many dry cleaners use a toxin called perchloroethylene, or perc, and the plastic bags that they put over your dry cleaned clothes trap in this toxin and it can be harmful when inhaled. So, ask your dry cleaner if they use perc. If so, consider switching to one that doesn’t. Some cleaners are using liquid CO2 and this is fine. Another option is to remove the plastic cover and let your clothes hang outside (not in your house) for about an hour to get rid of the perc toxins. 

1. Use the cold washing cycle as often as you can. This can save as much as $60 a year.
2. Make your own cleaning products and save a ton. For example, baking soda has several cleaning uses and is an economical option. To learn more about the many uses of baking soda, click on www.armandhammer.com.
3. Begin to research alternative transportation options in your community. Consider taking the bus, biking to your destination, or ride sharing.
4. With gas prices on the rise, it's never too late to research alternative fuel options. To begin your research, go to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/current.shtml.
5. Take advantage of the home improvement and energy star programs. To find out your options, go to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/current.shtml.
6. Put green back in your pockets by cutting back. If you purchase bottled water on a regular basis, consider bottling your own from home. Instead of regular visits to the local cafes, brew your own coffee at home. Instead of buying a new book, go to the library and borrow one.

Determine your impact and then consider these easy steps:

• Stop buying bottled water and instantly save money. Just supplying Americans with plastic water bottles for one year consumes more than 47 million gallons of oil, enough to take 100,000 cars off the road and 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, according to the Container Recycling Institute. The federal standards for tap water are higher than those for bottled water.
• Convert 5 of your most widely used light bulbs into Energy Star bulbs and save about $60 a year.
• Conduct an energy audit on your house and instantly shed dollars off of your energy bill. Go to www.energystar.gov for more information.
• Make coffee at home and take it with you in your own to-go mug. This sheds dollars instantly. For example, if you drink 4 store-bought lattes a week at $3 each, that’s a total savings of around $50 a month. Plus think about all the plastic lids, stir sticks, and cups you’ll be keeping out of the land fills.
• Buy energy efficient appliances and get money back. Go to www.energystar.gov.
• Cut your shower time by just 2 minutes to save 10 gallons of water and money on your water bill.
• Fill your freezer up and save on your energy costs. It takes more energy to chill empty space so it’s costing you more to keep your freezer bare. Use boxes to fill in the empty space.
• Shut down your computer to save on energy costs.
• Make your own green house cleaning products and save.

Stay local. If you feel the urge to travel, consider exploring your local terrain while saving on gas, travel expenses, and stress.

Remove your name from receiving junk mail.  The following resources will assist:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/optoutalrt.htm
http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/optout.php
http://www.cpsr.org/prevsite/cpsr/privacy/junkmail.html

□   Bring your own water. Fill up a water bottle from your home and bring it with you.  The cost of bottled water is 240 to 10,000 times more than tap (according to http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0218-05.htm).

□   Start making it a habit of turning off the lights when you leave a room.

□   Reuse your grocery bags. We throw away over 380 billion plastic bags annually. Help by reusing the grocery bags you have and recycling the rest.

□   remove lint from your dryer during each load to increase efficiency in drying time

□   When buying ice cream, ask for a cone instead of a cup to cut down on waste

□   Let your lawn grow a little longer. Longer grass retains moisture better so in hot weather, let it grow to 1 ½”

□   If you’re not recycling, then start. Local recycling information can be found at www.ourearth.org