Do Your Part, How to Be and Live Green in Charlotte, NC

Terri explains Do Your Part

When it comes to protecting our environment and preserving natural resources many of us want to do the right thing. Many of us already know about recycling the newspaper, soda cans and plastic bottles, and we already know that we should keep harmful materials out of our water supply and the air we breathe. But without better information about what we should do, and more importantly, how to do it, many of our good intentions turn into wishful thinking.

That's what the Do Your Part message is all about:

    Simple solutions to reducing waste

    Practical strategies to save energy

    Innovative ways to reuse items you already have

    Empowering you with so many ways to do your part to reduce your eco-footprint on this world, and... you'll save money at the same time.

That's the kicker, you'll live a healthier more eco-friendly life and save money. It's a no brainer and it's easy.

Every day you'll find a featured Do Your Part story in one of these categories:

    At home

    At work

    At play

    Kids

    and On the Road

Let me show you a super easy idea from each of the categories.

At home, clean without chemicals. A 50/50 vinegar and water mixture is a non-toxic solution for cleaning bathrooms, kitchens, wood and laminate floors, mirrors, windows and so much more. Plus it’s cheap! Compare a gallon of vinegar at $2.00 to the bottles of all the other products that you would need. Cleaning with vinegar saves you money, it reduces the amount of chemicals in your home and buying one large jug cuts down on the energy and resources needed for the packaging of all the other individual cleaners.

You can Do Your Part at work by printing on both sides of the paper. Many printers have the option for double sided printing. Or, create a stack of paper that's already been used on one side for printing drafts and non-official business. This is a great tip for home offices with kids that like to print coloring pages and games.

Teach your kids the value of doing their part by giving new life to one of their favorite old t-shirts. Turn the tee inside out, sew the bottom of the shirt closed and cut off the sleeves to create handles. In just minutes you have a great one of a kind bag you can use for shopping, sleep-overs or the pool.  It's a cool way for your kids to reduce their eco-footprint.

And Do Your Part on the road by maximizing your fuel efficiency. Need I mention the money you'll save on gas! A clogged air filter and the wrong motor oil along with improperly inflated tires can reduce your vehicle's fuel efficiency by 15%. If gas is $3.50 a gallon, that's $0.52 of every gallon. Plus you'll keep hundreds of pounds of pollution including greenhouse gases out of the air we breathe.