SEED's Tips for Sustainable Living
Buy Local and Buy Smart!
Buy socially and environmentally responsible goods as often as you can – including recycled or used items, and Energy-Star™ electronics or appliances. Above all, however, try to buy locally produced goods and support local businesses while cutting the need for long-distance transportation.
Avoid Driving as much as possible!
Utilize Utah’s mass-transit system by riding TRAX or the bus whenever possible – it’s free for U students! Walk or bike to school/work as often as you can – it’s a great way to enjoy fresh air while relieving some school-related stress. If you must drive, try to carpool with others making the same trip to school. Visit UTA for more info on mass transit or the Bike Collectivefor info on biking & the U!
Change A Light Bulb!
By replacing your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents, not only will you save money on your electric bill and change bulbs less often, but you can drastically reduce the amount of energy that needs to be produced!
Watch Your Water Usage!
Conserve water by avoiding running taps, fixing leaky faucets, doing only full loads of laundry, watering lawns as infrequently as possible and doing so only in the morning or night.
Save Paper & Save Trees!
Conserve paper by reading & editing electronically as often as possible, reduce margins and print double sided or on used paper. Also avoid paper plates/cups whenever you can. (There’s a discount when you bring your own coffee mug!) Stop junk mail and switch to paperless bills when you can. When you do use paper products, try to only buy and use recycled paper goods!
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!
Try to reduce what you use and to use as few things as possible. Try to reuse as much as you can – like the back side of paper or plastic bags, and finally recycle the things that you can’t reuse. Be creative with how you can reuse things! For more information and tips on how to reduce, reuse, and recycle – or where you can go to recycle – visit Earth 911or Utah Recycles!
Add Your Own Thing Here!
Above all else, educate yourself on what you can do. Research the facts and make your own conclusions, then you’ll be able to find something important for you that you can do! There are hundreds of things that we can all do in our personal lives to make this a better place to live – so find yours! Organize with others, reach out to the community, and make a positive impact! Start by identifying where you are by taking the eco-footprint test. Good Luck!