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Partnership for a Green City

What you can do today.

Being green and making a difference is easier than you think. Small changes of your routine are a major step in the right direction. These opportunities are second nature to many people, schools and businesses that serve as an example to others. You can start today by choosing one or two items from this list of easy opportunities. Add a new item from the list every month or so, and before you know it, you will be leading by example too.

There are many low cost/no cost opportunities to be green at home, school and work.

  • Carpool, van pool or school pool. Whenever possible, ride a bike or take public transportation.
  • Set thermostats at reasonable temperatures for each season.
  • Turn the lights off when we leave the room. Don’t leave them on overnight.
  • Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL).
  • Recycle your spent CFLs at Home Depot.
  • Purchase Energy Star® rated appliances, electronics and computers.
  • Set computers on “stand by” or “hibernate” mode to conserve energy.
  • Recycle your old computers.
  • Recycle paper, newspaper, magazines, cardboard, aluminum cans, tin cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles, toner and ink-jet cartridges, etc. Louisville Metro Solid Waste has great information.
  • Use rechargeable batteries rather than disposable batteries.
  • Buy locally grown produce, meats and poultry. Food grown and sold locally saves the resources needed to ship and preserve fresh food and also helps support local jobs and businesses.
  • Conserve water. Consider changing to low-flow shower heads and toilets when replacing these items. Don’t run water while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing dishes.
  • Buy items with post-consumer recycled content.
  • Reduce our solid waste in a variety of ways.
    • Use reusable items like coffee mugs and drinking cups rather than using disposable plastic or polystyrene cups.
    • Use reusable grocery bags instead of paper or plastic.
    • Use a reusable furnace filter instead of disposable filters.
    • Purchase products with less packaging.
  • Compost vegetable wastes and other organic matter such as coffee grounds, egg shells or yard waste.
  • Cut paper use in half by duplexing / printing or copying on both sides
  • Do not print all the e-mails that come to our computers.
  • Donate usable items to a charity or non-profit organizations.