Advice for a green life

(Information from Oregon Metro)

Cut the junk

About 675 pieces of junk mail are sent to each mailbox a year. Opt out from direct mailing through the Direct Mail Association Choice Web site at www.dmachoice.org/consumerassistance.php.

Bottle your own water

Plastic water bottles are almost always thrown in the trash. Cut down on waste by buying a reusable bottle and using tap water or self-filtered water.

Buy secondhand

Many items can be purchased pre-used, such as clothes, toys and books. Check out garage sales and the classifieds.

Buy in bulk

The more products you buy in bulk (and actually use), the less wasted packaging you produce.

Transportation

(Information from the UK Department of Transportation)

Watch out for idling

Whenever you are at a standstill, your car is burning off fuel needlessly. If you think you will be idling for three minutes or more, turn off your engine to save on gas.

Clean it out and air it up

The more junk you have in your car, the more fuel it takes to make the thing go. By cleaning out the clutter, you can increase efficiency. Also, making sure your tires are inflated will help save gas mileage, because under-inflated tires will make your car work harder and eat up more fuel.

Use other travel means

When at all possible, it is best to travel by foot, bike or on a mass transit system. Walking or biking will also help with physical health.

Food

(Information from sustainanomics.unst.pdx.edu)

Think about where your food comes from

Food that has to travel long distances to get to your plate will use more fuel. Buy locally grown products to cut down on fuel usage and to keep your money local.

Eat at home

Cooking dinner at home will let you control which products you use and how much packaging is used in the food products. Also, not driving will save on gas usage.

Join Community Supported Agriculture

You can purchase foods from a farmer in advance with a CSA, subsidizing them and cutting costs for both parties.

Utilities

Get new bulbs

Buy energy-saving bulbs like those from ENERGY STAR, www.energystar.gov. They can save 75 percent more energy and last 10 times as long.

Lose the drip

Make sure to fix dripping faucets and plumbing problems. You can waste 212 gallons of water a month from one dripping hot-water faucet.

Out with the old…

Replace older appliances with new energy-saving models. A refrigerator that is 10 years old can use double the electricity than an ENERGY STAR model.

Check the dial

Setting your furnace at 68 degrees or lower, and air-conditioner at 78 degrees or higher, saves 3 to 5 percent more energy than when they are set at other temperatures.

Campus sustainability resources

PSU Sustainability Office

Science Building 2, room L10=Noelle Studer, Facilities and Planning Sustainability [email protected]

PSU Recycles!

Christel Eichner, resource management coordinator [email protected]

Academic sustainability programs

Jennifer Allen, associate director of the Center for Sustainable Processes and [email protected]

Elizabeth Lloyd, program administrator of the Center for Sustainable Processes and [email protected]

City sustainability resources

Metro Recycling Information hotline-Information, recycling and disposal in Portland503-234-3000 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday

Office of Sustainable Development-Furthers advancement in city waste reduction, sustainable economic development, green building practices and reducing global warming emissions721 N.W. Ninth Ave., Suite 350503-823-7222www.portlandonline.com/osd

Sustainability online

Sustainanomics-PSU capstone-created sustainable guide to living green inexpensivelysustainanomics.unst.pdx.edu

Metro: Sustainable living-Tips on simple ways to live more sustainablywww.metro-region.org/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=24199

New American Dream-Ways to make an environmental impactwww.newdream.org/

Consumer Consequences-Game to find out if your life is sustainablesustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences