Water

·         Turn off the water when brushing your teeth, face or shaving
·         Save dishwasher water by soaking dirty dishes before rinsing them off
·         For clothes washers with variable settings, select the proper water level
·         Water lawns in the morning to reduce the effects of evaporation
·         Collect water from showers/sinks while waiting for the temperature to heat up, and use it to water plants
·         Fix leaky pipes – a pipe that leaks as little as 5 drips per minute can waste over 21 gallons of water in one month

·         Florescent light bulbs use 66% less energy than other bulbs and last an average of 10 times longer
·         Computer monitors consume twice the energy of a computer’s processor – always turn monitors off when possible
·         Turn off lights when you leave a room, an office, a classroom

·         Latex paint is toxic to the environment and must be disposed of properly http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/publicwrks/paintdisp.htm
·         Computers are made with a variety of elements, like plastics, glass, steel, gold, lead, mercury, cadmium and fire retardants that can be recaptured through recycling and used again. Recycling the resources in computers also eliminates the need to obtain these elements from nature, decreasing production impact on the environment. http://www.ibm.com/ibm/environment/products/pcrservice.shtml
·         DeKalb county’s Seminole landfill accepts vehicle tires from DeKalb County Residences.

·        Donate reusable items to local causes:

·        St. Vincent de Paul Society – clothing, toys, furniture, house wares, appliances
·        Atlanta Community Tool Bank – tools, hardware, working appliances
·        Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta - mattresses/box springs dressers, tables, chairs, small appliances, housewares, linens

·        Join Freecycle
http://www.freecycle.org/ - free, online exchange of useable goods within local geographic area

·         Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market – magazines, newspapers, glass bottles, plastics (#1 & #2), aluminum beverage containers, cardboard
·         DeKalb fire stations take accept aluminum cans and proceeds go to burn victims
·         Sneakers – Reuse a Shoe   Converts old sneakers to athletic flooring
o         Niketown Phipps Plaza
·         Packing peanuts – Most UPS stores take these for re-use
·         Currently, DeKalb county residents can recycle aluminum cans and newsprint – see county details for more information http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/publicwrks/sanitation/2005_Collection_Procedurel.htm
·         Coming Soon! – Starting Aug. 1 – DeKalb county citizens can participate in an optional curbside recycling program whereby the county will pick up various materials at your door. More details will be mailed out to residents.