1. Do you and your family recycle?
Many local municipalities offer a recycling pick-up service. To find out where you can recycle and to learn about recycling collections, visit www.eriecountyrecycling.com.

2. Do you use re-useable shopping bags?
This trend is catching on in Erie County. Most local stores (Wal-mart, Wegmans, Giant Eagle, etc.) are offering re-usable shopping bags that you can purchase for $1 each.

3. Do you use energy-saving light bulbs to light your home?
Choosing these bulbs not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, it also saves you money. Although the bulbs cost more to purchase than regular ones, they last much longer and save you money in your electric bill as well.

4. Do you limit driving trips whenever possible?
You can save yourself precious gas money and reduce pollution by choosing to carpool, take public transportation or walk whenever possible. You can also help by consolidating driving trips to get everything done at once instead of making multiple trips.

5. When gardening, do you choose natural (non-chemical) fertilizers and pesticides?
Many natural and non-harmful gardening products are available on the market today. You might also consider starting a compost pile. Composting allows you to use waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill and to create your own natural fertilizer.

6. Do you carry reusable eating utensils with you to work?
Our landfills are filled to the brim with plastic silverware, water bottles and Styrofoam cups. You can make a difference by carrying your lunch in a reusable lunch bag, keeping a coffee mug at your desk, using and washing metal silverware every day, and carrying a refillable water bottle.

7. Do you wash all non-white laundry loads on cold?
By choosing the cold setting on your washing machine instead of the warm setting you can save up to 75% of the energy used per load. This is a good way to save energy without compromising the cleaning results.

8. Do you choose locally grown produce whenever it is available to you?
Although Erie’s cold winter months make it impossible to do this year-round, an abundance of locally grown produce is available to us in the warmer months. Choosing these products not only supports our local economy, but also reduces the use of fossil fuels used to transport out-of-state produce to our community.
Did you know the Erie Farmers' Market opens in Perry Square on Wednesday, June 4? For more information about other local markets, visit www.buylocalpa.org.

9. Do you unplug electronics in your home when they are not being used?
You can save tons of energy by shutting down and unplugging your computer, television and other electronics when you are not using them. Also unplug your phone chargers when they are not being used. You can also upgrade your appliances so they are more energy efficient. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov.

10. Have you cut down on your water usage?
Even though we live by a large body of water, every drop of tap water used requires energy to filter, purify and transport. You can help by turning off the faucet when brushing you teeth and using your dishwasher instead of hand-washing dishes.