Happy Earth Day from the MSOE Team!

While most places will be holding Earth Day celebrations this weekend (though technically Earth Day is April 22nd), we thought we'd share some eco-friendly tips from the team, as well as some eco-friendly items!

* Use felted dryer balls to aggitate in the clothes dryer to speed up drying; this uses less energy, and you can avoid fabric softener!
* Use a door snake to avoid drafts!
* Dress warmly during cold weather, instead of turning up the heat!
* Make sure your home is well insulated - this helps not only during winter months, but summer as well!
* Use alternative transportation such as walking, biking, or public transit.
* Carpooling is another great way to save money as well as lower your carbon footprint - many cities now have websites set up where carpoolers can find one another to set up car sharing!
* Buy local, especially food. If everyone ate at least one meal a week using only locally sourced food, we'd save thousands of gallons of oil a year!
* Use a surge protector/power bar for appliances, it not only provides surge protection in case of lightening, but you can easily switch off everything when you go out, to avoid the power eaten even in idle state.
* Use tote bags when shopping, and recycle those plastic bags (most grocery stores have recycling bins you can drop them off in!)
* There are many alternatives to commercially available household cleaners, such as vinegar and borax, that are eco-friendly. Check out new lines of eco-friendly commercial cleaners that are becoming more available.

And check out these great handmade, eco-friendly team items in our Earth Day treasury on Etsy!



You can visit the treasury, click and comment at
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bd10692521d8eef77a99f38/earth-day-every-day

Happy Earth Day! And remember to celebrate it year round!