WHATS YOUR 1 THING?

I educate my neighbors about surface water run off to the Puget Sound and encourage them to properly dispose of pet waste.  -Jacqui, Snohomish
I put a watering can under the faucet while I am waiting for the water to get hot.  -Holly, Seattle
I switch OFF the print option on my calculator at work. Eliminating the register tape on 99% of the caluations I do.  -Dawn, Marysville
I turn of the water while brushing my teeth and doing dishes  -michela, vancouver
My home now runs on 100% wind power--the bill is a bit more but I hardly notice considering the impact it makes.  -Tasha, Vancouver
I buy as much as I can from local farmers and practice being a 'locavore' as much as possible.  -Sean, Camden, SC
Water barrels, CFlightbulbs, organic gardening, mulching, composting, recycling, natural pet food. The Johnsons - Steilacoom  -Joyce, Steilacoom
While waiting for hot water to get to the tap, I fill a pitcher and use it to water my plants.  -Debbie, Kingston
Buy "green" products and try to gradually influence as many of my friends as possible. It's working so far!  -Marian, Lacey
I started a blog to help green parents reduce their energy use and exposure to toxins.  -Kathleen R., Seattle
I recycle @ home & work; and use boxes wine comes in for many crafts. Also I educate every one I can to recycle.  -Freilah Allen-Sonn, Renton
we raise quarter horses and one thing we do is catch rain water and use it to spray down the arena.  -Leah, Freeland
I have a chemical free yard and recycle faithfully. Also I grow my own vegetables.  -Lauri, Seattle
save the planet  -bill Sather, monroe
I have a cardboard box that I use to gather all of my veggies in at the grocery store. No more plastic bags!!!  -Scout, Bainbridge Island, WA
instead of throwing out old things, i find someone who can use them, i even rehome the things my neighborhood puts on the curb.  -C.P., poulsbo
i started recycling like crazy. my husband and i even set up recycle bins at work and bring them home everyday.  -C.P + A.P., poulsbo
My partner and I take showers together  -L, Everett
I have a beautiful, locally made coffee mug I use every day at work instead of paper or Styrofoam.  -Michelle, Redmond
I have carpooled my whole life as I have never owned a car.  -Faith, Everett
I re-use my travel mug instead of accepting disposable coffee cups. Some places even offer a discount when I do this.  -Bill, Issaquah
I now bike everywhere i used to go in a car to get to friends houses.  -Steven , Sammamish
Replace bath towels with half sized hand towels, plenty of towel to get the job done. Reduces laundry/energy/water/soap 1/2.  -Michael, Quilcene
I only use naturally derived cleaning products in my home. No chemcals. They smell fantastic!  -Mina, Kirkland
My boyfriend and I ride our bikes to school everday, a gas tank lasts us about two weeks. Take that gas prices!  -Caitie, Bellingham
At work I buy 100% post consumer paper for our office printing & copying needs.  -Averie, Bellevue
I try yo use my lights as little as possible and always turn them off when i leave a room.  -Aleena, Carnation
I ride my bike as much as possible rather then drive my car. I can easily put 150 miles on my bike a week this time of year.  -Lyn, Kent
Turn off water while washing my hair in the shower and between hand washed dishes.  -Mila, Seattle
I collect everything in the house that can be recycled and I take it down to a designated drop-area to have it sorted.  -Antonie Moffett, Lakewood
I have a Klean Kanteen stainess steel water bottle that I carry with me instead of constantly buying plastic disposable ones!  -Laelle, Tacoma
I use cloth instead of paper:cloth napkins, cloth kitchen towels, bandanas for runny noses, cloth bag instead of paper/plastic  -Tara, Shoreline, WA
Alot of people forget about being green at work, put an extra garbage can next to your desk for recyclables.  -Tim, Seattle
I don't drive anywhere one day a week and one weekend a month.  -Charlotte, Vashon Island
Being a vegetarian has more of an eco-friendly impact then buying a hybrid.  -Morgan, Seattle
I re-use almost everything I buy at least once and if I cant, I dont buy it.  -Faith, Everett
I use a "GREEN" product called Eximo to remove oil stains from my driveway to prevent toxic water runoff.  -Derek, Issaquah
wearing flip flops. (no socks to wash!)  -S, Renton
We've changed nearly all our ligh bulbs to the new compact type..they may not look beautiful but it's worth the savings!  -Angela, Black Diamond
I use as much wood as possible as it a renewable resource and the global demand for wood does not exceed the annual growth rate.  -Ed, Portland Oregon
I bought a BPA-free water bottle and take it to work every day, instead of consuming several bottled waters a week.  -Stacey, Renton
I started commuting by bike a year ago -- not only do I get some exercise, but it's a great stress reliever :)  -LB, seattle
I bike to work  -Linda, Anacortes
Built our "chicken condo" and children's tree fort out of recycled wood from local demos.  -Vicki, Puyallup
I turn my old clothes into new clothes so i won't have to go out and buy many  -laree, portland
I use cloth shopping bags. PCC has some $10 bags made by envirosax that fold up so small, I even took one to the mall.  -Joni, Seattle
When I see a light turn yellow, I turn off the ignition and coast up to it.  -Erin, West Seattle
My one thing is to walk more and drive less.  -Nikki, Seattle
I've stopped using plastic cutlery when I bring my lunch to work.  -Liz, Bremerton
I recycle all the garbage I can.  -Sheldon, Orting, WA
 

DID YOU KNOW?

The production of 1 kilogram of beef requires 16,000 liters of water. Conserve water! Eat less beef, better yet, don’t eat any!

Western Europeans use public transportation for about 10% of their urban trips, compared with Americans at only 2 %.

Glaciers in the North Cascades have lost 18-32 percent of their total volume since 1983.

Native plant landscapes do not need pesticides or fertilizers better for kids and pets.

A running faucet leaks up to 3 gallons per minute.

The King county Wastemobile travels to many communities providing household hazardous waste disposal services for King County residents.

Native plants control erosion by holding the soil with their roots

For every mile you drive below 65 mph, your car’s fuel efficiency increases by 2%.

Every person in the Puget Sound region uses an average of 80 gallons of freshwater every day.

Composting does more than save water it also binds itself to polluting metals, pesticides and other contaminants to prevent them from washing into waterways or being absorbed by plants.

Reusing just one computer with a standard CRT monitor prevents emission of over 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide

EarthCorps provides volunteer opportunities for individuals and/or groups to work on trails, remove invasive plants, and plant native species.

A leaky sink can waste 2,400 gallons of water a year by only leaking one drop per second.

More than 118,000 acres of agricultural land in Washington State were lost to development between 1992 and 1997.

26 out of 52 salmon and steelhead populations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California are either threatened or endangered.

Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours.

Farmed Salmon are dyed pink to look more natural, otherwise they would have grey colored flesh.

If you could harness the energy saved from recycling one aluminum can, you could operate a television for 3 hours.

Every ton of recycled paper we use saves almost 400 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill and 17 trees.

In 2004, food scraps and compostable paper from homes and businesses made up 26% of the trash in King County’s regional landfill.

The average shower or bath uses 45-50 gallons of water.

Transportation accounts for 95% of oil consumption worldwide.

The average American consumes five times more energy the average global citizen.

Recycling at our current rate saves U.S. the equivalent of over 5 BILLION gallons of gasoline, reducing dependence of foreign oil by 114 million barrels.

An estimated 53 glaciers have disappeared in the North Cascades since the 1950’s

Using a faucet aerator can save you up to 400 gallons of water a year.

Over 60 animal species depend on the Cedar River Watershed. The same place that provides drinking water to 70% of Seattle’s residents.

For every ton of wood that is reused in construction or remodeling, we avoid creating 60 pounds of greenhouse gasses.

If you replace toilets installed before 1994 you can save more than $1,000 in water and sewer charges over the next 10 years.

Washington is the 2nd highest consumer of organic food in the nation.

Use laptops instead of desktops. They use more than 50% less energy and require less resources and energy to produce.

To produce 1 cup of coffee we need 140 liters of water.

In one year, an average tree is able to absorb 10 pounds of pollutants from the air and convert 330 pounds of carbon dioxide into oxygen. So go plant some trees!

Native plants are great for creating drought-tolerant yards.

Transportation is the fastest growing form of energy use, accounting for nearly 30% of world energy.

The U.S. devotes 17% of its fossil fuel consumption to the production and consumption of food.

Over the past 10 years U.S. oil consumption has increased by 2.7 million barrels a day.

Setting your thermostat two degrees lower than you normally would in winter and two degrees higher in the summer will save 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and around $98 a year.

CFL light bulbs use 75% less energy and last longer than incandescent bulbs.

The Water Smart Technology Program (WSTP) provides financial incentives and technical assistance to help commercial, industrial, and institutional customers upgrade operations and equipment.

Pesticides and herbicides damage soil and lawn health and pollute our waterways.

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