Simple things you can do to respect the interdependent web of life

Conserve Energy

1. When you’re not using a computer or room light, turn it off.
2. Turn down your water heater to 130 degrees. This is hot enough to kill bacteria and save energy.
3. Buy the most fuel-efficient tires as possible. Make sure they are properly inflated.
4. Set your refrigerator temperature between 38-42 degrees. Set the freezer between 0-5 degrees. This can reduce energy consumption by 25%.
5. Use a warm water wash (instead of hot) with a cold rinse and save up to 90% energy!
6. Keep your car tuned up.
7. Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones.
8. Get your furnace tuned up. A simple tune up can increase efficiency by 5%, saving 8,000 cubic feet of gas! Turn down the heat and put on a sweater.
9. Properly insulate your home. Check for energy leaks everywhere in your home. Caulk and weather-strip your windows.
10. Carpool, ride a bike, or walk instead of jumping in the car every time you go somewhere.

Save a Tree

1. Stop junk mail! To get off mailing lists, write to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, 6 East 43^rd St., New York, NY 10017. Or see their website at http://www.the-dma.org/consumers/offmailinglist.html. Recycle the junk mail you already get.
2. Recycle newspapers, magazines, office paper, paper bags and cardboard.
3. Use a cloth bag when you shop instead of paper or plastic ones.
4. Buy products that come in recycled packaging.
5. Support rainforest conservation organizations. Consider alternatives to tropical hardwoods in furniture, lumber and plywood. Drink shade-grown coffee.
6. Plant a tree and take care of it.
7. Use both sides of scrap paper. Photocopy on both sides instead of one.
8. Use re-useable lunch boxes instead of paper bags.
9. Use cloth towels and napkins instead of paper ones.
10. Take books out of the library instead of buying new ones. Donate used books or give them to a friend.

Be Water Wise

1. Use a phosphate-free laundry detergent. Phosphates cause algae to grow out of control, killing lakes and streams.
2. Use low-flow faucet aerators in your kitchen and bathroom. A single family can save up to 3,300 gallons of water per year!
3. Turn off the tap when you’re brushing your teeth, shaving or doing dishes. A running faucet puts 3-5 gallons of water down the drain every minute!Use a toilet dam to save 1-2 gallons per flush, or replace old toilets with low-flow ones.
4. Install a low-flow shower head.
5. Eliminate pesticides on your plants and lawn and try alternative techniques. Of the 36 most commonly used lawn pesticides, 13 cause cancer, 14 cause birth defects, 15 have been linked to kidney or liver disease, and 21 damage the nervous system.
6. Don’t dump hazardous waste! Paints and thinners, batteries, drain cleaner, pesticides, etc. need to be disposed of properly – not just in your trash. Use rechargeable batteries.
7. Run your dishwasher and washing machine only with a full load.
8. Fix leaky faucets to conserve water.
9. Don't pre-rinse dishes. Check to see if your dishwasher can clean dishes without pre-rinsing them. Most newer dishwashers don't require pre-rinsing.

Stop Pollution and Litter

1. Don’t top off the tank when filling your vehicle up with gas. This lets vapors into the air that create smog.
2. Avoid buying products that contain CFCs.
3. Use latex paint. Oil based paint is toxic and the by-products of manufacturing it are nasty pollutants. Dispose of excess paint properly.
4. Don’t use styrofoam, it is entirely non-biodegradable. If you do use styrofoam, recycle it!
5. Wherever you go, pick up litter. Leave every place cleaner than you found it.
6. Don’t smoke – help keep the air clean for everyone.
7. Recycle glass, aluminum, plastics – and everything else you can!
8. Limit your use of loud machinery or radios outdoors to prevent noise pollution.
9. Replace your gas-powered lawn mower with an electric or manual one.
10. Use environmentally-friendly ice melting pellets this winter.

Stay Educated and Become Involved

1. Pay attention to the news to stay on top of what’s happening in our world.
2. Vote with the environment in mind. Know your candidate’s position on the issues.
3. Join or support an environmental group, either locally or nationally. A few to consider are:
• The Sierra Club, Mackinac Chapter, 109 East Grand River, Lansing, MI 48906

  Website: http://michigan.sierraclub.org

• The Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasury (Web/Support), 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203, USA 1-800-628-6860. Website: http://nature.org
• Chippewa Nature Center, 400 S. Badour Rd., Midland, MI 48640 (989) 631-0830

  Website: www.chippewanaturecenter.com

• Little Forks Conservancy, 110 E. Grove St., Midland, MI 48640. (989) 835-4886.
4. Read a book or watch a show about conservation or environmental issues.
5. Make investments and patronize environmentally responsible companies.
6. Make purchases at the store with the environment in mind (choose organically-grown produce, by minimally packaged goods, buy items that come in recyclable containers, etc.)
7. Call your local electric and water utilities to find out if they offer any free information on saving energy and water.
8. Volunteer for the Midland Volunteers for Recycling (989) 631-1668.
9. Promote energy-efficient measures at your school or workplace.
10. Provide backyard wildlife with food and shelter.

Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland is recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a Welcoming Congregation. We welcome, affirm, promote and celebrate the full participation of all persons in all of our activities without regard to age, gender, sexual orientation, race or any other such category of exclusion.

Please feel free to contact us with any feedback, corrections or questions at jaham1729@gmail.com