WHATS YOUR 1 THING?

ALL of the light bulbs in my house and outside are the low energy bulbs(11watts) I use less bulbs in all the rooms esp. the bath -Kaye, Hemet,Ca

I buy organic, local food whenever possible to support farming and food transport that is best for my family and our world. -Ardel, Snohomish, WA

I've given up plastic grocery bags altogether. I have about 7 reuseable ones which can fit just about everything I need. -JenF, West Seattle

I turn the heat dry cycle off on my dishwasher to save energy. -Amy, Bellevue

Use a commercial car wash - like Brown Bear, that recycles their waste water instead of washing your car at home. -Janet, Seattle

I try yo use my lights as little as possible and always turn them off when i leave a room. -Aleena, Carnation

I use a non-disposable coffee filter and use the grounds in my garden. -Jill, Renton

I bought a BPA-free water bottle and take it to work every day, instead of consuming several bottled waters a week. -Stacey, Renton

I recycle my Aquarium water after a change and use it to water my garden. -Ray, Renton

I use the new mesh grocery bags instead of paper or plastic -Danica, Seattle

I started a blog to help green parents reduce their energy use and exposure to toxins. -Kathleen R., Seattle

I drive my motorcycle as often as possible instead of my car - 50 mpg helps some. -Bruce, Lake City

Dry clothes outside as often as possible! -Jennifer, Redmond

Turn off water while washing my hair in the shower and between hand washed dishes. -Mila, Seattle

Changed jobs so now I'm only 3 mi from home. -MB, Seattle

I put food scraps (mostly unwanted vegetable parts) into the yard waste. This way it gets composted. -Monica, Redmond

While waiting for hot water to get to the tap, I fill a pitcher and use it to water my plants. -Debbie, Kingston

Make sure the car is running as efficiently as possible -Laura, seattle

Changed all my home bulbs to the new hallogen ones. -Todd, Seattle

When shopping, if I can carry my purchase out with my two hands I always refuse the bag. Recycling's good too :) -Candice, Des Moines

Ive switched jobs in construction to a company that builds green homes!They can save ya hella cash-ola! -JD, seattle

I have compact florescent bulbs in most of my light fixtures at home -Anne, Seattle

I use cloth shopping bags. PCC has some $10 bags made by envirosax that fold up so small, I even took one to the mall. -Joni, Seattle

I buy as much as I can from local farmers and practice being a 'locavore' as much as possible. -Sean, Camden, SC

I've stopped using plastic cutlery when I bring my lunch to work. -Liz, Bremerton

We got chickens and reuse other peoples' egg cartons to disperse our extra eggs to family and friends. Commercial eggs, blech! -Heather, Clinton

I used a refillable water bottle instead of disposable ones. -Amiee, Seattle

I signed up for a food PLUS+ compost recycling bin and cut our trash way down. -TJ, bellingham

I use as much wood as possible as it a renewable resource and the global demand for wood does not exceed the annual growth rate. -Ed, Portland Oregon

I use a skim of toothpaste on my toothbrush. My teeth get just as clean and less pollutants go down the drain. -Susanne , Bellevue

I re-use almost everything I buy at least once and if I cant, I dont buy it. -Faith, Everett

I collect everything in the house that can be recycled and I take it down to a designated drop-area to have it sorted. -Antonie Moffett, Lakewood

Nutri lawn helps me keep my yard chemical free. Salmon spawn in the river by my house and we want to keep them from being harmed -Dana, Issaquah

I work @ home, so have flexibility. From May-Oct, I try to line dry all but 3X/month. I save 100 hours of dryer time a year! -Deirdre, Vashon

I use a drying rack for my thinner clothing instead of the dryer. Cuts my elec bill and drying time! -Erin, West Seattle

I turn my old clothes into new clothes so i won't have to go out and buy many -laree, portland

Water barrels, CFlightbulbs, organic gardening, mulching, composting, recycling, natural pet food. The Johnsons - Steilacoom -Joyce, Steilacoom

I buy biodiesel for my VW Golf TDI at Dr. Dan's Alternative Fuelwerks in Ballard! -Maggie Pettit, Seattle

I use biodegradable bags for my dog's waste. -Monica, Seattle

I re-use my travel mug instead of accepting disposable coffee cups. Some places even offer a discount when I do this. -Bill, Issaquah

I recycle paper towel and toliet paper core tubes and take my own bags to grocery shop. -Rick , Evergreen, CO

At work I buy 100% post consumer paper for our office printing & copying needs. -Averie, Bellevue

We are diligent to ensure that our recycling meets the guidelines provided. -M, Redmond

Whenever I find it on, I turn off the light in my company's conference room. -Jill, Seattle

I bike to work -Linda, Anacortes

I only drive when absolutely necessary. Biking, walking or busing is 1Thing I do to help reduce my impact on our planet. -Jenny Konway, Seattle

we raise quarter horses and one thing we do is catch rain water and use it to spray down the arena. -Leah, Freeland

Follow my kids around shutting off lights and making sure the water is shut off.Sounds funny but my house saves elec/water. -Michel Brooks, Auburn

I recycle all the garbage I can and compost food scraps. I try to buy organic products with minimal or biodegradable packaging. -Megan, Tacoma

I have a cardboard box that I use to gather all of my veggies in at the grocery store. No more plastic bags!!! -Scout, Bainbridge Island, WA

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Zip Car

April 7, 2008 - 10:24am — clybecker

Becoming part of a car-share program like Zip Car is a great alternative to owning your own personal vehicle. Not only are all maintenance and insurance issues covered by the program, but you also get access to over twenty different car models of all shapes and sizes located all over the city.
The benefits of Zip Car reach beyond the transportation realm, though. By creating a shared community resource, Zip Car helps to promote a deeper sense of community as members within a small geographic area share a common resource and the money saved, reported by members to be over $5,000 per year, gets spent locally.

Car-share programs also score high in terms of helping communities reduce their impact on the environment. For example, prior to joining the Zip Car program, members reported driving an average of 5,295 miles per year. After joining, that number dropped down to a mere 370 average miles per year per person! Translated into gallons of gasoline saved, the average is 220 gallons per person. Pretty impressive, don’t you think?

So, you might be asking, if all of these folks aren’t driving to all the places they want to go, how are they getting around? The answer is that they use any other means necessary. Members of Zip Car and other car-sharing programs report an average usage increase of 47% for public transit, 10% increase in trips done by bicycle and a 26% increase in trips completed by walking. Members use cars only when they need to and as a result of all the increased walking and biking, they are generally happier, healthier community residents.

Other benefits of joining the Zip Car program:

-Once becoming a member, over 40% choose to either sell their cars or not buy one in the first place.

-Each Zip Car replaces about 15 personal vehicles, meaning:

-Older cars are replaced with newer, more efficient ones

-Green space is preserved as fewer parking spaces are needed to meet the driving needs of the same number of people.

-Reduced strain on urban parking infrastructure

-Lower fuel consumption means fewer GHG emissions

-Less congestion on the roads.

How does it all work? http://www.zipcar.com/how/