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GREEN Any time of year is a great time for all of us to do what we can to help the Earth. Here are a few ways you can help the planet by “going green” every day: Sustainable products. Invest in Reduce junk mail. Junk mail accounts sustainable products to use in your for cutting down one hundred million home such as reusable food storage trees each year. Switch to online containers, jars, cutlery, cups, mugs, payments for all of your bills and use a plates, straws, grocery and produce service such as paperkarma.com to help you opt out of catalogs, coupons, bags, and eco-friendly paper towels. credit card offers and other mailings. Compost. It’s the law in some municipalities, and just something you Buy local produce and eat “low on the should do. The most efficient way you food chain.” Increase healthy habits can make a difference is to compost and reduce your carbon footprint by with your waste pickup service if eating more fresh fruits and vegetables offered in your area. and buying your produce locally. Visit your local farmers markets to learn Recycle your e-waste. In 2019 6.92 more about buying locally produced million tons of electronic waste was food and supporting your local growers. generated in the U.S. alone and only 15 Fight food waste with an Imperfect percent of the waste was responsibly Foods subscription, imperfectfoods.com recycled. As a direct consequence, large amounts of hazardous materials Reduce energy use at home. We’ve such as lead, mercury and cadmium heard for years that we should use leach into our air and water, compact fluorescent or LED bulbs. contaminating our communities. Go to LEDs are more expensive but last e-stewards.org to find a facility that will longer and will save you money over help you to recycle your e-waste in a their lifetime. Use the auto brightness feature on your TV to lower the safe and responsible manner. brightness in low light (nighttime); Donate your old clothes. Much of wash clothes in cold water and spin at your old, unused clothing can be given the highest speed (removes the most a second life by others who purchase moisture, which means less time in the secondhand; regenerated into textiles dryer); completely unplug gaming for other products such as cleaning consoles and DVR players when cloths; or turned into fibers for you’re out of town, as these types of insulation. electronics are drawing power even when turned off.