Senator Gaylord Nelson started Earth Day way back in 1970 as a political movement to demonstrate popular support for environmental regulation. Thirty-seven years later, Earth Day is not only a day of political reflection, but a reminder of your power as a consumer.

Your Earth Day challenge from us is to remember Earth Day tomorrow, and the day after, and so on. It’s not as cheesy as it sounds. As individual consumers, we have tremendous power. We have the ability to vote with our dollars, a vote highly coveted by every corporation. If you truly want to celebrate Earth Day, make your spending match your values.

After the jump, forty-three conservation tips, endorsed by the Bush Administration, that can help make every day, Earth Day.

From the EPA:

Save energy

Use the Energy Star program to find energy efficient products for your home. The right choices can save families about 30% ($400 a year) while reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases. Whether you are looking to replace old appliances, remodel, or buy a new house, the can help. ENERGY STAR is the government’s backed symbol for energy efficiency. The ENERGY STAR label makes it easy to know which products to buy without sacrificing features, style or comfort that today’s consumers expect.

Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.

Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)

Purchase “Green Power” for your home’s electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)

Have leaky air conditioning and refrigeration systems repaired.

Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.

Insulate your home, water heater and pipes.

Keep in mind that every trip adds to air pollution.

Replace incandescent light bulbs with Energy Star qualified Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL). If every household in the U.S. replaced one light bulb with a CFL, it would prevent enough pollution to equal removing one million cars from the road.

Use less water

Look for the WaterSense label to identify water-efficient products and programs. The WaterSense label indicates that these products and programs meet water-efficiency and performance criteria. WaterSense labeled products will perform well, help save money, and encourage innovation in manufacturing.

Don’t let the water run while shaving or brushing teeth.

Take short showers instead of tub baths.

Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool.

Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.

Wash only full loads of laundry or use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine.

Buy high-efficient plumbing fixtures & appliances.

Repair all leaks (a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons a day).

Water the lawn or garden during the coolest part of the day (early morning is best).

Water plants differently according to what they need. Check with your local extension service or nurseries for advice.

Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only – not the street or sidewalk.

Use soaker hoses or trickle irrigation systems for trees and shrubs.

Keep your yard healthy – dethatch, use mulch, etc.

Sweep outside instead of using a hose.

Learn how to plant trees, build a pond, compost…

Reduce:

Buy permanent items instead of disposables.

Buy and use only what you need.

Buy products with less packaging.

Buy products that use less toxic chemicals.

Reuse:

Repair items as much as possible.

Use durable coffee mugs.

Use cloth napkins or towels.

Clean out juice bottles and use them for water.

Use empty jars to hold leftover food.

Reuse boxes.

Purchase refillable pens and pencils.

Participate in a paint collection and reuse program.

Donate extras to people you know or to charity instead of throwing them away.

Reuse grocery bags as trash bags.

Recycle:

Recycle paper (printer paper, newspapers, mail, etc.), plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. If your community doesn’t collect at the curb, take them to a collection center.

Recycle electronics.

Recycle used motor oil.

Compost food scraps, grass and other yard clippings, and dead plants.

Close the loop – buy recycled products and products that use recycled packaging. That’s what makes recycling economically possible.

— CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Take Action at Home [EPA]

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