Fact #1: Use the "Off" Switch

Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need. And remember to turn off your television, stereo and computer when you're not using them. Don't leave chargers plugged into the wall!

It's also a good idea to turn off the water when you're not using it. While brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog or washing your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You'll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a vital resource.

Fact #2: Did you know...Over 100 million plastic water bottles are dumped into America's landfills-every day!

That's nearly 40 billion plastic bottles per year, each taking over 1,000 years to biodegrade. By simply using a reusable water (Nalgene, SIGG), you can take better care of the planet.

You are what you drink...don't be plastic!
-- Environmental Protection Agency website

Fact #3: Change a bulb.

Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat.

If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road.

Isn't it worth it?

Fact #4: Compost to help the environment and local farmers.

Did you know that according to the EPA if all food scraps in this country were composted rather than land-filled, the decreased amount of greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere would be the equivalent of taking a million cars off the road?

Fact #5: Why should we compost food waste in George School's Dining Hall and at home? Because it...

• Reduces Garbage: Up to 30% of the garbage we throw out each week can go in the compost pile. Cutting domestic waste generation means a longer life for landfill sites and better environmental management for the entire community.
• Keeps Plants Healthy: Your lawn, garden and house plants can never get too much compost. It gradually releases a variety of nutrients just when they're required by the growing plants. Insects and diseases don't seem to do as much damage where the soil is enriched with plenty of decayed organic matter. And there's another bonus: dark compost draws the sun's heat to warm the garden soil, making our short growing season a few days longer.
• Builds Up The Soil: Plenty of compost added to the soil acts like a sponge, soaking up water when it rains and releasing it in dry spells. It improves the texture of both sand and clay soils, protecting them against drought and erosion.

Did you know that the grounds crew composts all of the leaves and grass clippings from campus? Did you know that the kitchen staff composts all of the vegetable peels and egg shells? It's time to do our part!

Composting uses nature's own recycling system. Weeds and leaves, grass clippings, vegetable peels, and various other organic wastes are turned into humus. That's an essential soil conditioner richer than anything we can buy. Therefore, composting not only gives people a chance to do positive things for the environment, but with just a little effort the results can be very satisfying.

Fact #6: Plastic bags are made from nonrenewable petroleum resources and require the use of toxic chemicals during production and processing.

Plastics production produces 14% of toxic air emissions in the US, and each plant emits an average of 300-500 gallons of contaminated waste per minute.

So the next time you're going to the store, bring a canvas bag!

Fact #7: Trash to Cash.

Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 trees, 2 barrels of oil (enough to run the average car for 1,260 miles), 4,100 kilowatts of energy (enough power for the average home for 6 months), 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space, and 60 pounds of air pollution.
-- Information provided by ecocycle.org