Featured » 12 Ways to stay GREEN in your everyday life
on Monday April 20, 2009 1:28pm

In an attempt to honor and promote Earth Day internally at Onlineshoes.com, we recently polled our shoe crew for ideas on how they stay green in their everyday life.  We received over a hundred great tips and compiled a list of these ideas to email around the office with the hope to inspire each other to be more environmentally responsible and aware.

Here's a sampling of these environmentally sound and simple gestures.

1. Place your unwanted items on Craig's List in the ‘For free’ section; your item may become someone else’s treasure. - Allan E
2. Invest in a few remote-control power strips, switch out your old, hard-to-access power strips, and put a stake through the heart of vampire electricity suckers!  (Microwave oven, stereo and video components, computer, television, etc.) That way you can make sure when you leave the house or go to sleep at night, you’re really turning everything off! - Ginny M
3. Clean the lint screen in your dryer. This increases the efficiency of air flow through the dryer and could reduce your energy use by up to 30%.  - Stephanie B
4. Carry a reusable water bottle and drink from the tap.  Buying bottled water creates millions of unnecessary  plastic bottles and shipping water is a gas hog.  You can save the planet and about $1000/year if you stop buying bottled water.  - Gloria Y
5. At home I turn off lights when I leave a room and shut down my computer at night. I’ve been turning my work computer off completely. - Amy D
6. Unplug your phone charger when not in use.  They use a lot of energy when plugged in, but not charging your phone.  - Brian R
7. Shower together to save water and spice up your life - Michelle J
8. Compost.  Leaves, chopped stalks, flowers and grass all make great compost in a pile or bin. Vegetable scraps and coffee grounds can also be added to your bin. You can then spread your compost in garden beds, under shrubs, on your lawn, or use it as potting soil.  - Julie H
9. Inflate tires to the higher end of the manufacturer’s stated range to increase gas mileage and decrease tire wear.  Under-inflation of just 10% can cause a 5% mpg loss and increased tire wear due to more friction and drag on the road surface. - Mark S
10. Go out for dinner in your neighborhood – walk there - Geoff W
11. Shred your junk mail and add those shreds to the compost bin. - Lee S
12. Having my own chickens reduces my need to go to the grocery store and chickens make great garbage disposals. - Kristopher M

We hope everyone feels inspired do to do more everyday to help protect the amazing world we live in.  Please feel free to submit your tips on how to stay green in your everyday life below.

From renewable energy and recycled materials to animal friendly designs, shop our eco-conscious collection of shoes, bags, and apparel.