Taking action to live more sustainably as individuals is an important element in creating a more sustainable world. Not only does eco-friendly living directly affect our environment (especially when we consider everyone’s collective efforts), but it also builds momentum for a shift to a more ecologically sound mainstream culture.
You can use the suggestions provided here for “going green” to think about how you impact your environment. In examining the topics, consider what suggestions make sense for your situation.
Feel free to e-mail us with questions, comments, and your own ideas for “going green” in NYC.
1) Shop at farmers’ markets. Buying your food from local farmers helps to strengthen the local economy and preserve small regional farms. Local food requires less transportation (reducing needs for fuel in the transport process), and many farmers at NYC markets are certified organic. Most NYC farmers’ markets are coordinated by the city’s Greenmarket program. Find a market convenient to you with their 2007 Greenmarket schedule and map.
2) Join a CSA. With Community Supported Agriculture, you purchase a “share” of a regional farmer’s produce for the year. Each week, the farmer delivers your share to a site in the city for you to pick up. Most NYC CSAs are coordinated through Just Food. Learn more about their organization and find a CSA convenient to you with their CSA program map.
3) Eat less meat. Meat yields less usable protein per acre than any other type of food, but it requires many more resources to produce (1 kg of soy beans require about 2000 liters of water for production, but 1 kg of beef requires about 100,000 liters of water).
4) Grow your own food. Perhaps you can’t grow your entire food supply in the confines of your apartment, but what about growing a few vegetables or herbs on a windowsill? Green Thumb, the city’s botanical gardens, and many community gardens offer regular workshops on container gardening. Your local garden might even have space for neighborhood residents to cultivate for their household.
ENERGY & WATER: CUTTING YOUR IMPACT
Refrigerators
5) The coils on the back of a refrigerator should be slightly away from the wall and should be kept clean (air circulation around the coils is what dissipates the heat drawn out from the inside of the refrigerator).
6) The refrigerator door should be airtight. If the seal isn’t firm (if you feel any cold air leaking out), you may want to replace the seal.
7) Adjust the temperature in your fridge so that you’re not overcooling (anywhere below 40 degrees F is ok). If you can adjust your freezer temperature as well, anywhere below 0 degrees F is fine.
8) Keep the fridge and freezer relatively full (the mass in liquids and solids retains the cold temperature better than air), but with enough room for air circulation. Containers filled with water can be stocked in an otherwise empty fridge to increase the available thermal mass.
9) Open the door sparingly, and close it quickly to keep cold air inside. Know what you’re going for before opening the door.
10) Let food cool before putting it into the fridge or freezer. The refrigerator would use more energy in cooling warm leftovers.
Other Electrical Usage
11) Switch your light bulbs to CFLs. CFLs use up to 75% less power than incandescent bulbs, and also last 10 times longer.
12) Eliminate ghost loads. Your DVD player, stereo, microwave oven and other appliances often draw power whenever they’re plugged in (even when you’re not using them). You can prevent these ‘ghost loads’ by placing these appliances on a power strip or by unplugging them between uses.
13) If you’re in the market for a new appliance or electronic, research a brand’s energy efficiency as part of your decision.
14) Optimize your computer’s energy settings. Make sure to shut your monitor off if you’re taking a break from your computer for more than a minute or two, and allow the computer to enter a sleep or hibernate mode if left idle.
15) Switch to a renewable energy provider. You can purchase green energy through a number of available providers (including some that will bundle your monthly bill with your ConEd statement). Check out NYPIRG’s Consumer Guide to green energy for more information on making the switch.
Water Consumption
16) Get a low-flow shower head and make sure all your sinks have aerators (the mesh screens on the faucets). These can reduce water usage in a household by 50%.
17) Don’t let the water run when you’re washing dishes or brushing your teeth.
18) Using cold-water detergents, wash your clothes with cold instead of hot or warm water. Around 90% of the energy used in washing clothes is from heating the water.
19) Get dripping water fixtures repaired. Leaking fixtures can waste around 30 gallons of water each week. Dripping faucets outside of the home can be reported to 311.
Heating & Cooling
20) During the winter, close curtains at night to help keep warm air inside. Adjust your radiator valve or thermostat to a lower setting when you’re not at home.
21) During the summer, prevent solar gain from heating your apartment by closing curtains during the day. Use window and ceiling fans for cooling rather than air conditioners, especially after dark when outside temperatures are cool.
WASTE: REDUCING, REUSING, RECYCLING
22) Avoid unnecessary throw-away packaging. Carry your lunch or snacks in reusable containers rather than one-use bags. Bring cloth bags with you when shopping.
23) Compost. Compostable materials can be brought to some community gardens, botanical gardens, and farmers’ markets for drop-off. Check with the locations convenient to you to see if they accept compostables. You can also start a vermicomposting bin in your apartment. The Lower East Side Ecology Center and the city’s botanical gardens offer regular workshops on urban composting (including vermicomposting).
Recycling
24) Recycle your paper and cardboard. Almost all paper products are accepted for recycling by the Department of Sanitation in NYC. Magazines, envelopes (even if they have a plastic window), pizza boxes; all of these can be placed with your paper and cardboard recycling. Do not include heavily soiled paper products (like used paper cups or plates, paper towels and napkins, or chinese food containers).
25) Recycle your metal, plastic, and glass. Almost all metal products are accepted for recycling as well. This includes empty and dry paint cans, empty aerosol cans, old pots and pans, and old clothes hangers. Glass jars and bottles are recyclable. For plastics, all jugs and bottles are accepted for recycling, regardless of the number found on the plastic product. If the mouth of the plastic is thinner than the body, it can be considered a jug or bottle for recycling. Do not include any plastics other than jugs or bottles (like yogurt containers, toys, and plastic packaging).
26) Recycle your batteries. All household batteries can be brought to any Department of Sanitation Self-Help Special Waste Drop-Off Site. Since standard alkaline batteries no longer contain mercury, these could also be placed in your regular trash. Small button batteries are often accepted for recycling by jewelry stores, watch repair shops, and camera stores. Any rechargeable batteries must be recycled by law. Retailers that sell rechargeable batteries must accept up to 10 batteries for recycling (so long as they sell batteries of the same size and shape).
27) Recycle your electronics. Old cell phones can be brought to any cell phone retail outlet for recycling. Other electronics can be brought to a e-waste collection events held regularly by the Department of Sanitation and the Lower East Side Ecology Center. They can also be brought to Per Scholas at their Bronx location.
28) Recycle your plastic bags. Plastic shopping bags are accepted for recycling by all Whole Foods outlets, the Park Slope Food Coop, and AAA Polymer.
TRANSPORTATION: SHRINKING YOUR FOOTPRINT
29) Use public transportation. Using NYC’s subways, buses, and ferries is becoming increasingly green. Read here about the MTA’s efforts to make a more sustainable transportation system for the city.
30) Bike and walk when possible. Take a look at the NYC bike maps from Tranportation Alternatives to find routes to your home, to work, and to Hunter.
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells