All Around Pennsauken

The Pennsauken Environmental Commission would like to wish all our residents a Happy Earth Day!

During these hard times we can also do little things around the house and neighborhood while abiding by the quarantine rules. Make sure to keep a safe distance of 6 to 10 feet, if you are expected to be in a close proximity of anyone always wear a mask and avoid large gatherings.

Some ideas for around your house and neighborhood: cleaning any loose trash laying on the street and sidewalk of your neighborhood; planting a bulb, an annual plant, or a bush while using the compost that is provided at the Pennsauken Municipal Pool’s parking lot; or just enjoying a nice walk or bike ride around your neighborhood.

Below is a checklist we would like to provide for anyone who would like to make everyday Earth Day:

✓ Use environmentally-friendly, non-toxic cleaning products.

✓ Replace inefficient incandescent light bulbs with efficient CFLs or LEDs. Reduce your carbon footprint by 450 pounds a year.

✓ Carpool, ride your bike, use public transportation or drive an electric or hybrid car. Reduce your carbon footprint by one pound for every mile you do not drive.

✓ Keep your tires properly inflated and get better gas mileage. Reduce your carbon footprint 20 pounds for each gallon of gas saved.

✓ Change your car’s air filter regularly.

✓ Teleconference instead of traveling. If you fly five times per year, those trips are likely to account for 75 percent of your personal carbon footprint.

✓ Stop using disposable plastics, especially single-use plastics like bottles, bags and straws.

✓ Recycle paper, plastic and glass. Reduce your garbage by 10 percent and your carbon footprint by 1,200 pounds a year.

✓ Donate your old clothes and home goods instead of throwing them out. When you need something, consider buying used items.

✓ Use cloth towels instead of paper ones.

✓ Change your paper bills to online billing. You’ll be saving trees and the fuel it takes to deliver your bills by truck.

✓ Read documents online instead of printing them.

✓ When you need to use paper, make sure it’s 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper.

✓ Set your office printer to print two-sided.

✓ Collect used printer, fax, and copier cartridges to recycle.

✓ Convince your school district or office building to choose reusable utensils, trays, and dishes in the cafeteria.

✓ Use reusable bottles for water, and reusable mugs for coffee.

✓ Bring reusable bags when you shop.

✓ Pack your lunch in a reusable bag.

✓ Organize to have healthy, locally-sourced food served at in your school district.

✓ Buy local food to reduce the distance from farm to fork. Buy straight from the farm, frequent your local farmers’ market, or join a local food co-op.

✓ Buy organic food to keep your body and the environment free of toxic pesticides. Support farmers and companies who use organic ingredients.

✓ Grow your own organic garden, or join a farm-share group.

✓ Reduce your meat consumption to curb carbon emissions from the livestock industry.

✓ Compost kitchen scraps for use in your garden — turning waste into fertilizer.

✓ Take a shorter shower and use a water-saving shower head.

✓ Fix leaky faucets and shower-heads.

✓ Run your dishwasher only when it’s full to save water and energy.

✓ Conserve water outdoors by only watering your lawn in the early morning or late at night. Use drought-resistant plants in dry areas.

✓ Wash your clothes only when necessary, use cold water and line dry.

✓ Form a “green team” at your office to find cost-effective ways to conserve resources and promote sustainability.

✓ Volunteer for a local environmental group and/or make a donation.

✓ Pull out invasive plants in your yard or garden and replace them with native ones.

✓ Turn off and unplug electronics you’re not using. This includes turning off your computer at night.

✓ Turn off lights when you leave a room.

✓ Install solar panels on your roof.

✓ Take the stairs instead of the elevator to save energy – and get exercise!

✓ Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer to reduce your carbon footprint by 2,000 pounds.

✓ Lower the temperature on your water heater.

✓ Contact your utility company and find out about renewable energy options.

✓ Use energy-efficient appliances and electronics.

✓ Recycle batteries from small appliances and your electronics. Use rechargeable batteries instead.