Green Week!!

I`m sure you all know that this week is Green Week, and we all know that Toyota is doing it`s part by producing enviromentally safe and fuel efficient vehicles. So, what can we do? I thought I`d give you some tips on how to live green, it`s alot easier than you`d think! Here are some ideas on how to reduce your carbon footprint!

What we can do to be green at work:

-Re-use office paper by printing on the other side for interoffice documents.
-Purchase only acid free recycled paper for everyday photo copies.
-Use of recycled, brown paper large document envelopes
-Offering invoices by email
-Limit mailings by inserting occasional small flyers with our billing invoices
-Using energy star light bulbs as much as possible. LED bulbs do not contain mercury
-Turning off computers and monitors over nights and weekends whenever possible

At Home:

-Buy locally produced goods as much as possible. This cuts down on carbon emissions and helps support your local economy.
-Are you in the market for a new car? Consider a slightly used car with efficient fuel economy.
-Buy organic food and other organic products as much as you can
-Reuse cloth or other strong bags at the grocery and other retail stores. Keep bags in the trunk of the car (I love Trader Joe's bags, they are very strong and sturdy). Support companies that are trying to make a difference environmentally.
-Consider purchasing more products sold in metal or glass containers.
Reuse a non bacterial metal or plastic drinking bottle. Refill with a larger plastic water container that you can refill or at the filtered tap
-Reuse containers and reduce consumption waste. Ask yourself, "Does that product that I want to buy really need to be packaged in all that plastic?"and "Do I really need it?"
-Wrap your water heater in a special made blanket that you can find at your local hardware store to insulate, save energy and save money on the electric bill.
-Take shorter showers and conserve water use in the kitchen and garden whenever possible
-Use cold water and biodegradalbe, phosphate and petrochemical free soap for laundry
-Use more natural, biodegradable cleaning products. Unplug chargers and small appliances that aren't being used.
-Keep the thermostat between 65-68 degrees and wear layers in the winter months