a guest post from Collin Garvey (my son)

#1 Use less water by taking shorter showers and turning off the water when you brush your teeth. Repairing leaks saves water too. Also, try to avoid disposing tissues and insects in the toilet. Use a trash can or wastebasket instead. You can also try only running the dishwasher when it is full.

#2 Use less electricity by turning off lights, radios, computers, TVs, and anything else that uses electricity when you are done using them. Installing compact fluorescent light bulbs can help save electricity too.

#3 Use less paper by using both sides of a sheet of paper when possible and by coloring on blank pages in coloring books.

#4 Recycle by finding out what items your city’s trash company will recycle. You can also recycle plastic shopping bags at many supermarkets (such as Schnucks and Shop n’ Save) and batteries at some electronic stores (such as Radio Shack).

#5 Save gas by taking a bike instead of your car to any place possible. For example, if you are going to somebody’s house who lives just a mile away, and you are bringing nothing, take a bike!

Thank you, Collin!

If you have a tip for going green, I’d love to hear it. (And I’m sure Collin would, too!) Happy Earth Day!