Practical Stewards
Practical stewards are people who have careers that do not directly involve them in environmental stewardship, but they show responsibility for taking care of the environment through their daily lives at work, school and at home. There are many ways to do this. Each person must decide what and how much he or she can do. Sometimes stewardship practices that require a bit of effort at first become easier when they develop into a habit.
Here are some ideas you can use at home, school or work:
- Keep cloth bags for grocery shopping
- Load the computer printer with scrap paper that has one clean side
- Recycle aluminum, glass, newspaper, cardboard and paper
- Buy products made of recycled goods or in recyclable containers
- Think before you buy. Do you need this? Mend and repair rather than discard and replace. Buy used.
- Use rags instead of paper towels
- Carry your water bottle or mug with you to avoid using disposable cups
- Compost food waste and yard debirs at home, school and work
- Use public transportation, carpool, bike, in-line skate or walk
- Drive a fuel efficient car and keep it well tuned
- Plant trees in your community
- Wear a sweater rather than turn up the thermostat
- Use fluorescent in place of incandescent light bulbs
- Turn off lights and appliances when not in use
- Plant trees to shade your house in the summer
- Hang your clothes in the sun to dry
- Install a space saver in your toilet
- Turn off the water between rinses when brushing teeth
- Water plants and lawn in the morning to minimize evaporation
- Plant drought tolerant plants
- Buy foods grown or produced locally
- Have your septic tank checked regularly and pumped when needed
- Use alternatives to toxic household products
- Never pour anything except clean water down a storm drain
- Visit a landfill, wasterwater treatment plant, resource recovery station or municipal compost to find out about the life cycle of different materials and products
- Ask municipal officials for a map and tour of the storm drain system in your town
- Call municipal offices for household hazardous waste collection events
- Call your county Cooperative Extension Office to see demonstration sites of forestry and agriculture best management practices (bmps) and to learn about bmps for lawn care.
- Contact a River Council or Office of State Planning for information about clean up events
- Get involved in local politics to influence local environmental policy decisions
- Write letters to your represenftatives supporting environmental action
- Take every opportunity possible to enjoy the natural environment