Eco-Tip 16

Every week we'll post another easy tip to help you be environmentally friendly.

Eco-Tip 16

Buy locally and buy seasonally. Anytime you (or your parents) are shopping at the supermarket, check to see where the produce came from . It's not always going to be possible to find wholesome, organic food grown right across the street but a good rule of thumb is to try to buy food grown both in the United States and in this time zone. Along with this advice comes the importance of buying seasonally. You're not going to find a lot of locally grown squash this time of year because it's a winter crop, so opt for tomatoes and other summer vegetables; in the winter, rather than buying plums grown in Argentina, opt for some Northeastern apples or oranges. This produce should also be fresher because the time between when it is picked and when it's eaten is much shorter.

Eco-Tip 15

Every week we'll post another easy tip to help you be environmentally friendly.

Eco-Tip 15

Keep the fridge full, but not too full. Food retains cold better than air so a fridge full of food uses less energy than an empty one. There's a catch though: don't fill it up too much. There still has to be enough room for air to circulate. You really need to eyeball it and see if you can find that sweet spot where it's not empty but not totally packed. What if you don't have enough food to keep it full? Buy lots of water (preferably in jugs rather than bottles since they use less plastic per unit volume) and keep them in the fridge.

An interesting solution to a popular dilemma

We do not endorse this message. See Eco-Tip 13.

Eco-Tip 14

Every week we'll post another easy tip to help you be environmentally friendly.

Eco-Tip 14

Do NOT buy your summer reading books! If you're being assigned a book to read for English over the summer, there is an overwhelmingly good chance that it's a classic, and if it's a classic, it's at your library. Be realistic, do you really think you will ever read the book again? Even if the answer is yes, you should still borrow the book first to assure you don't waste money (and paper) on a book that you hate. That's the idea of renting movies: don't waste as much money to own a movie you just might hate. The library provides that convenience without you having to pay anything (unless you return the book late.) Admittedly, some books simply do not exist at the library. I personally had to search a six-story bookstore in London before I could find a copy of Pedro Paramo. Don't feel too guilty in these cases... it is for academics, after all.

Eco-Tip 13

Every week we'll post another easy tip to help you be environmentally friendly.

Eco-Tip 13

Download music online! No, this isn't some spam advertisement and we're not telling you to do anything illegal. We're saying use online stores like iTunes to purchase music rather than buying from a music store. Why? It creates less waste! You can buy all the music available on iTunes and still waste less material than buying one CD. And because online stores are available right in your own home, you save the carbon footprint of driving to the record store (unless you walk or bike, and if you do, bravo!) This is commerce of the future!