Water: don’t take excessively long showers, sweep rather than hose down the patio and drive way, and don’t leave water running while brushing teeth or doing dishes.

Fabric: If you can’t give old clothes and linens to a charitable organization or people in need, jeans can be converted to shorts, fabrics can be used for gift wrap, t-shirts make great dust rags and window washers, and worn out towels are good for clean up duties around the house.

Recycle at Home
Less than half of the homes in the U.S. have curbside recycling. But that shouldn’t prevent you from doing your part. Take glass back to the grocery store for redemption, and collect all bottles, aluminum cans, plastic and paper so you can take them to the nearest recycling center. To make this an activity your kids are eager to participate in, consider using the money you get back from turning in recycled goods to buy a treat that day. If “recycle day” equals “ice cream day,” they’ll be enthusiastic about their recycling efforts.

Recycle at School
Encourage local schools to adopt recycling programs and help organize fundraisers to buy recycling containers they can use. Educate kids on the benefits of recycling with instruction and field trips to science centers, state parks, or recycling processing plants.

Walk or Bike:
Let’s face it, all of us need the exercise, so why not leave the car in the garage and, instead, walk or bike more places around the neighborhood. Less car exhaust means fewer carbon emissions and better air quality to enjoy.

Plant a Garden:
When you grow fruit, vegetables and herbs at home, you’re not only getting fresher, more flavorful food, you’re helping to reduce emissions caused by transport to market, and you’re reducing the amount of resources needed to grow these items commercially.

Compost:
Composting is the decomposition of organic materials to make an earthy, dark, crumbly substance that is excellent for adding to houseplants or enriching garden soil. It is the way to recycle your yard and kitchen wastes, and is a critical step in reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent to landfills. There are dozens of books and websites dedicated to composting if you’d like to learn more. These common household items are great candidates for composting:

• Coffee grounds
• Fruit peelings
• Tea leaves
• Egg shells
• Grass
• Hay
• Leaves

Clean Naturally
Many household items can be used to clean the house. Not only do natural cleaners keep you from breathing noxious chemicals, they are safe for the environment when rinsed down the drain.

• Baking Soda is a great non-abrasive cleaner you can use to scour countertops and ovens, or add to the laundry for odor removal.
• Vinegar or Lemon Juice works well to remove hard water deposits, dissolve build-up of dirt on wood, and remove tarnish on silver.
• Essential oils such as lavender, tea tree and clove are natural fungicides.
• Coarse salt works great to scrub copper pots and ceramic baking dishes.

To see what Nestlé Waters North America is doing for the environment, click here.