Buy Green - Environmentally Friendly Products and CompaniesTo get
current information about which products and companies show concern for the
environment - and which don't - look at The Green Guide.
Companies and organizations supported by the Sierra
Club are also a good bet.
Green Stores
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A huge
directory of Eco-Friendly products.
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Abundant Earth -
A variety of environmentally sensitive products and
services for people and pets.
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Downbound -
Organic hemp clothing; accessories; vegan foods; organic
coffee; vegan cat & dog foods and more.
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Gardens Alive! -
High quality environmentally friendly lawn and garden
products to help you maintain a beautiful and healthy lawn or garden.
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GreenFeet.com -
Natural, Recycled & Sustainable Products, Gifts,
things for the home, yard and garden, bedroom, bathroom, personal care,
kitchen, cleaning.
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Kalyx -
Herbs, Natural Foods. Supplements, Bath, Aromatherapy,
more, A big green store! Bulk herbs, capsules, extracts, Chinese herbs;
foods, mushrooms, spices, natural sweets; teas, coffees; bath & body, hair
care, skin care, oral care, first aid; aromatherapy; cleaning and laundry
supplies; kitchenware, house wares.
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Only Natural Pet Store -
Healthy supplies for dogs and cats—a
holistic approach to pet health; incl. natural dog food, cat food, treats,
supplements, medicine, shampoo, and herbal remedies.
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DolphinBlue Office Supplies - "Your order is an investment in a
sustainable world."
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Other Eco-Friendly Alternatives
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Patch or repair old clothes before purchasing
new items.
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Shop at thrift stores or other used clothing establishments.
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Reuse plastic bags whenever possible.
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Use cloth napkins to prevent paper waste;
these can be purchased or easily handmade.
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Instead of buying wrapping paper, decorate
gifts creatively with newspaper or other household items. For
family holiday gifts, cloth gift bags can be made (or
bought) and reused for
years, with less cost and elimination of the hassle of wrapping!
Try a certain pattern for each member of the family. It's the
same principle that applies to stockings, only amplified!
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Use digital photography if you can afford
it. The extra bucks for a long-use camera eliminate the waste of
disposable, and with digital, the pictures can be stored on the
computer and will thus avoid the risks of physical deterioration over
time. Plus, you can print only the pictures you like and not
waste paper on bad photos.
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To save energy, use florescent light bulbs (more
information).
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Buy used books, and resell them to the
bookstore when you're through, or even utilize a local library if the
situation allows. (Though, will the use of a library book be offset by
the fuel used to both borrow and return said book? This is a
certainly a variable in play.)
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Purchase mesh or any other type of reusable
shopping bags.
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Sell or donate any items that are not broken
but would otherwise be thrown away or not used, that way fewer new
items will be made to satisfy demands (or, at least, that is what we
hope).
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Buy in bulk to cut the price and limit the
waste from extra packaging.
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Buy organic food. It may not be
cheaper, but it's healthier and better for the environment.
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Shop at local farmer's markets.
Economically, you eliminate the middle man and put money directly back
into your community. Often, fresh fruits and vegetables are
cheaper.
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It may be cliché, but walk or bike whenever
possible. If you have to drive, make as few trips as
possible. If you're going somewhere that someone else is going,
try to carpool. If available, use public transportation before
personal automobiles; you save the gas and you don't have to park.
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When a personal automobile is necessary,
instead of just gas powered vehicles (both because there is a limited
supply of fossil fuel and because the prices are so high), try hybrid
or other alternative fuel vehicles (more
information).
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Certainly more to come!
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Need More Information?Visit some of the websites listed on our
More Green page. Did You Know?
Eastern U.S. estuaries have common environmental problems: degraded water
quality, loss of wetlands and riparian zones, sea-level rise, sedimentation,
coastal erosion, declining fish and wildlife populations, loss of
sub-aquatic vegetation (SAV) and increased algal blooms. Population growth,
urban sprawl, intensified agriculture, and climate change exacerbate these.
Source:
U.S. Department of the Interior |