We all call ourselves environmentally smart, but with all the recent events regarding our Earth’s well-being and Earth day coming up quickly, here are some easy tips you can follow to help make a healthier planet.

• Bring a water bottle to school– Instead of using countless plastic water bottles, bring your own water bottle to school you can fill up and re-use throughout the day, thus preventing the chance that your plastic water bottle will end up some place other than the recycling bin
• Carpool– Many students love driving themselves to school, it’s a sign of freedom and maturity but all those miles can add up. So next time you go to a sports game or school play or just daily classes, consider catching a ride with a friend that lives near you or offer to drive a few people.
• Power it down– Your laptop or computer can use more energy than you think. Consider changing the settings on your device to allow the computer to power down or sleep after a certain time of inactivity. That way if you accidently leave it on or fall asleep during a marathon study session your computer won’t continue using energy.
• Launder with care– Try your best to minimize the amount of laundry you do a week. With the sweaty clothes from daily practices or the piling up of day to day outfits, reducing to one or two load of laundry a week could save some serious water and even some time.
• Cut back on bath time- The average bathtub takes 50-80 gallons of water while most showers only use about 15-20 gallons so next time you are debating between a soaking in the tub and taking a hot shower- take the shower, your earth will thank you.
• Bike- Not only is it a fun, social and healthy activity, but summertime is a great time to ditch the cars and bike with your friends. Biking to get Froyo on the B&A trail or just around Kinder can make for an enjoyable afternoon- and a green one.