Five Simple Steps

OK, so you want to change the world, but may not want to completely change the way you live in it. Simple. Here are five things you can do today and everyday to make a big difference in helping the Bay.

1. Paper or Plastic?

It's the age old grocery store question. Should you choose paper or plastic bags? The best answer is neither. Paper and plastic bags both use tremendous amounts of natural resources and cause significant pollution. In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to make the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year alone! And plastic bags are thought to take about 4,000 years to degrade in a landfill. The best solution is to carry re-useable bags for your groceries and other shopping trips. 

2. Pack Greener Lunches

And we're not just talking veggies. Use re-useable containers instead of plastic bags and throw-away bottles. Students using disposable lunch items generate more than 67 pounds of waste per school year. Multiply that number by all the students in your school and you can see how much waste your school could save. Check out our lunch-kits that are an easy way to start packing greener lunches. Veggies not included, but feel free to add!

3. Have a Bright Idea

Switch over to compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs instead of regular incandescent bulbs. The CFLs save you money, reduce carbon emissions by saving energy, and reduce waste since they can last up to 10 years. CFLs are up to 75% more efficient than other bulbs, so even if they cost a little bit more, you will more than make up for that difference in electric bills and replacement bulbs. These aren't the same fluorescent bulbs you might be used to either, newer CFLs provide bright, white light very similar to regular bulbs.

4. Slow Water Runoff

The more you can slow water from running off your property, the less sediment and other pollutants it will carry into the Bay. Installing rain barrels and rain gardens are great ways to do this. Rain barrels not only help the Bay, but they're an attractive addition to your landscaping and provide water for your outdoor needs. The barrels, connected to your downspouts, hold up to 60 gallons of rainwater. A rainstorm producing about one-quarter inch of rain can produce more than 700 gallons of water off an average size rooftop. Take a look at our rain barrels made out of recycled wine barrels. We can even customize the fittings to match your home.

5. Get Involved!

One of the best ways to get involved and learn more about how you can help the Bay is by joining a local watershed group. You can also just spend time on the Bay, its creeks and rivers, and even the non-wet areas within the Bay watershed. Get to know the Chesapeake right outside your own door, even if there's no water there. And pass it on! Let your friends, family, and elected officials know how easy it can be to help the Bay. Send them to our resources section for more information.

And Remember,

By purchasing products from us, you are supporting Bay restoration. Ten percent of our profits support Chesapeake Bay restoration.

More Ideas

Have you already checked out our list of 5 Simple Things and ready to move onto the next level? Here are a lot of tips for ways you can help protect the Bay.

Conserve Water

Water, water everywhere? Despite the fact that we live near streams, rivers, and the Bay, water conservation is still important. We all learned about the water cycle in school, so if it is all one big loop, why do we need to worry about how much water we use? It's because we are using freshwater faster than the water cycle, and water treatment plants, can keep up. Western states are already facing water crises with limits on water usage, so if we can all do our part to use less water now hopefully we can avoid a similar crisis.

Some tips to save water outside:

• Landscape using native plants that require less water
• Water lawns in early morning or early evenings, when temperatures and wind speeds are lowest, to reduce evaporation
• Use a soaker hose instead of a sprinkler system to better target the water to your plants
• Use mulch generously to help retain moisture
• Set your lawnmower blades to three inches, to encourage your lawn to grow deeper roots and hold moisture better.

Tips to save water inside:

• Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when water hasn't been run in your home. If the reading isn't exactly the same, you've got a leak somewhere
• A leaky toilet is often overlooked as a water waster. So, place a few drops of food coloring into the toilet tank. If the color leaks into the bowl, replace the flapper
• Check for leaky faucets, they can usually be fixed easily with new washers
• Install faucet aerators to slow the flow of water in sinks, and use low-flow showerheads in the tub

Reduce Pollution

Unfortunately, much of what we do simply by living is produce waste and other pollution. When we heat our homes or drive, we release carbon dioxide, nitrates, and other pollutants into the air. These not only make their way into the Bay where they fuel algal blooms, lead to low dissolved oxygen, and less clear Bay water, but those pollutants are also in the air we breathe. When we fertilize our lawns and gardens, walk our pets, or mow our yards we also release pollutants. That's the bad news. But the good news is that we can take steps to drastically reduce that pollution. Here are a few ideas:

• Limit your driving whenever possible. Consider carpooling or even buying a hybrid or other fuel-efficient car the next time you shop for cars
• Consider reducting fertilizer usage, and fertilize lawns and gardens in the fall when they are less likely to wash into the Bay and cause problems
• Use rainbarrels, plant buffers, and other means to reduce run-off from your property. Even if your yard doesn't border a water-body, water and pollutants from it still make their way into the groundwater or drainage pipes that do enter the Bay.
• If you have a septic system, maintain it. Pump it out regularly to make sure those nutrients are seeping into the Bay
• Save money and energy in your house. The less electricity you use, the less the power plants have to create which reduces air pollution.Turn off lights when rooms aren't in use, choose Energy Star appliances, set your thermostat to 68 degrees F in the winter and 78 degrees F in the summer to save hundreds on your electrical bill each year