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Use a carwash instead of washing your car at home

Washing your car at home rather than taking it to a car wash can actually be much more harmful to the environment. Washing a car at home tends to use 80 to 140 gallons of water, as compared to a commercial car wash which uses about 45 gallons. Many car washes even have water recycling systems which significantly reduce their water usage. If you do wash your car at home, minimize harmful effects by using phosphate-free soap and washing your car on the grass rather than the driveway. Phosphate is a nutrient that can run directly into drainage inlets connecting to the Chesapeake Bay, resulting in algal blooms and low dissolved oxygen. Washing your car in the grass helps to minimize run-off of gasoline, oil, and exhaust fumes from your car.

To learn more, check out this article on eco-friendly car washing.

Pick up litter in your neighborhood

Not only is litter unpleasant to the eye, it also degrades water quality and endangers wildlife. Recycle the materials you pick up when possible, and ask your family, friends, and neighbors not to litter.

Manage mosquitoes using natural methods

There are several preventative measures that you can take to manage mosquitoes and prevent the spread of West Nile Virus. Make sure that there is no standing water in your yard. Turn buckets, kiddie pools, garbage cans, flower pots, old tires, and other containers upside down so that rain water does not collect. Keep garbage and recycling bins covered to prevent the collection of stagnant water and scrub the insides if you suspect mosquito eggs were laid. If you have a bird feeder, inspect it often for larvae. Learn more about backyard mosquito management.

Bats and certain bird species such as the Baltimore Oriole, bluebirds, chickadees, “gnatcatchers”, catbirds, cardinals, and other songbirds feed predominantly on flying insects. Bats are especially good at eating mosquitoes because they are nocturnal, and mosquitoes are most active in the evening hours. Build a bird house or a bat house to encourage nesting of these helpful creatures.

Refrain from using fertilizers on your lawn and gardens

The overuse of lawn fertilizers is a large contributor to nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Excess nutrient loading, or eutrophication, can cause algae blooms, leading to low dissolved oxygen and high water turbidity, or cloudy water. Excessive use of fertilizers can also damage beneficial soil life that helps plants grow. Learn more about proper fertilizer use and lawn maintenance from our Tips for Green Leaders Lawn Maintenance Fact Sheet, the EPA GreenScapes program, or the University of Maryland Extension.

Use recycled paper with at least a 30% post-consumer content or tree-free fiber content

According to the EPA, paper comprises 28% of the solid waste generated by Americans. Paper recycling helps to direct this common waste away from the landfill and lessens the burden on virgin forests.

Currently, 90% of the paper made in the world is produced from wood pulp, but several tree-free fiber alternatives exist, including agricultural wastes like husks and straw, fiber crops such as hemp, textile wastes such as rope and linen scraps, and wild plants like bamboo.

Program your machines to photocopy and print on both sides automatically

Automatically printing your documents double-sided can cut paper use in half. Use these instructions to change your printer’s default settings to print double-sided. For individualized instructions on changing photocopy and print settings, search for instructions specific to your printer model.