Here are eight handy tips for treating earth's ozone the right way.
1. Buy local foods first, organic second. Buying local foods cuts down emissions from transportation costs. And organic food means harmful pesticides never enter the air.
2. When you leave a room, flip the switch off. Using CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) cuts down on energy consumption as well. Also, leaving unused cell phone and computer chargers plugged in uses electricity - unplug it!
3. Ride a bike or take public transportation. It's a no-brainer. Living in a city like D.C. means that getting around isn't too difficult with just a little patience and some good walking or biking legs.
4. Recycle, or at least reuse. Find a recycling bin, and if there isn't one, ask why.
5. Speaking of plastic bottles, It takes a whole lot of petroleum to produce that one bottle each year and it can sit for hundreds of years in landfills. Buy a reusable bottle and refill it for free.
6. Tone down the meat-eating. Hard for many to understand, but the animal production industry is a leading contributor to CO2 emissions. Try eating meat alternatives or fruits and vegetables.
7. Raise the temperature on your thermostat two degrees during the warmer months and lower it two degrees during the cooler months. Your power bill and the environment will thank you.
-ANDREW GARDNER
