Some Simple Tips to Help Mother Earth

I love April! Not only is the weather starting to get warmer, but plants are starting to green up and the environment is celebrated with Earth Day and Arbor Day activities.
With so much focus on planting trees and taking care of our Earth, I thought this would be a great time to give you some easy ways that you can help protect our planet.
Here are just a few:
1) Do a home energy audit to find out how you can make your home more energy efficiency. As a green Realtor in Parker, Colo., this suggestion is one of my favorites. If you want ideas on how to make your home greener, just give me a call at 303-810-5757. I’ve got a background in energy alternatives and love to help!
2) Use your car less. If you have errands and shopping to do, save them up for one trip on one day instead of multiple trips throughout the week. If you drive to work, ask if you can work from home at least some days. If that’s not possible, try to use public transportation, carpool, walk or bike. The Environmental Protection Agency says that leaving your car home twice a week can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1,600 pounds per year.
3) Recycle your electronic devices. This not only relieves the landfills, but it also helps avoid land, air and water pollution by capturing and reusing hazardous substances, such as lead and chromium.
In Colorado, you will be required to recycle most of your electronic devices, beginning in July 2013, when it becomes illegal to toss them into landfills. Those devices include TVs, computers, tablets, readers, radios, stereos and video-game consoles.
Retail outlets, such as Best Buy and Staples, will recycle some devices for free. You also can find an e-recycling center near you at http://greenergadgets.org/.
4) Use water wisely. This is especially true during these times of drought. Run your dishwasher only when it’s full.  Take a short shower instead of a bath. A full bathtub uses about 70 gallons of water, while a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons.  Fix leaky faucets. It doesn’t make sense to send all that unused water down the drain.
5) Try to reuse items you would normally throw in the trash. This takes some creativity. Some ideas include planting seeds in an egg carton and giving cardboard tubes to pet hamsters or gerbils. Even old newspapers and phone books can be put to use by birds. In the Parker area, there’s a parrot sanctuary that would love to take your old phone books and newspapers. You can drop them off at FIKA Coffee House, 19559 E. Mainstreet, in Parker, Colo.
It’s that easy. It just takes a few simple changes to your lifestyle to make a difference.