Turn off lights at night to help birds
According to the Audubon Society, exterior lights turned on at night are light pollution to animals like migrating birds. The artificial light spatially disorients the birds and gives them a false horizon; birds often will fly toward backlit windows in order to correct their flight, ultimately ending in death. At least 100 million birds are killed every year by exterior lights. How can you help? Turn off your exterior lights between midnight and dawn (which are peak migration hours for birds) and close your blinds and drapes to keep interior lighting indoors. Use timers if turning the lights on and off becomes burdensome.
NATURAL SCRUBS
Some beauty products like face washes and body scrubs can use microbeads — microscopic plastic beads that act as exfoliating agents. The problem is actually huge: Microbeads do not biodegrade, so they end up in waterways like lakes and oceans, where they become part of the microsystem, to disastrous effect. Fish can mistake the beads for food and ingest them; the beads can also absorb and concentrate chemical compounds that pollute waterways.
The solution? Avoid plastic microbeads and use natural scrubs like sugar, coffee and salt to keep your skin glowing.
TANK WATER
Filtered water is good for us to drink, but have you thought about using it to fill the tank of your pet fish? Tap water can have high levels of chlorine and ammonia, both of which often are used in water treatment plants. This can affect the pH levels of the water, which affects fish. Using filtered water in your fish tank can go a long way toward giving your aquatic friends a healthy, long and happy life.
TRASH TIP
An old wives’ tale suggests pouring a capful of ammonia into your trash bag before putting it on the curb. The theory is that if an animal like a raccoon or dog rips open the bag, they’ll get a strong whiff of ammonia gas and run away. One problem: Ammonia is a strong irritant and can cause lightheadedness and burning of the throat, nose and respiratory tract. If you want to prevent animals from getting into your trash, utilize wildlife-resistant trash cans with tight-fitting lids. And if you have to put bagged trash out on the curb, do it on the morning of your trash pickup.
VENT USE
One of the easiest things you can do to create a healthy kitchen is to make use of the range hood vent. Ventilation can help remove air pollution, airborne fat particles from frying food and, of course, strong odors. To make the best use of your kitchen vents, cook on the back burners of your cooktop, where your vents are at their maximum performance. And don’t turn off the vents too early; keep them on until the pans you’re cooking with are cool to the touch for maximum air-cleaning efficiency.
WRITE OFFS
The nonprofit organization Goodwill is a great place to donate a variety of household items to be resold to help fund their charitable works. The list of accepted items is long and varied: everything from lightly used cookware to electronics, and even cars in any condition. But when you donate, you can also write off your donation as a tax deduction. To make it easy, Goodwill offers a “donation value guide” that generalizes what most items in a certain category are worth. For example, winter coats have a tax-deductible value of $12.99, and children’s books are worth around 59 cents each. It all adds up.
GARAGE SAFETY
One of the biggest sources of air toxicity in your home is your garage. Attached garages can lead to air pollution leaking into your home. A Canadian health study found that homes with attached garages had high levels of benzene (a chemical from gasoline), while homes without garages had little to none. To keep toxins out of your home, avoid starting your car in a closed garage, but don’t start lawnmowers, motorcycles or chainsaws, either. Keep the door from the garage to your home closed, and make sure the seal is as tight as possible.