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Earth Day is Friday! 10 Things You Can Do to Stay Green

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Audrey Nelson Student Contributor, Skidmore College
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KWL Student Contributor, Skidmore College
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Skidmore chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Earth Day is Friday! For most Skiddies, this means a fun Saturday on the sunny South Quad green, but we should also keep in mind the message behind the holiday: To be more environmentally-friendly!

1. Turn off the lights when you leave the house. A lot of America’s electricity is powered by our coal resources. If we waste electricity, we cause more mountain-top coal mining, which is extremely damaging to our environment. The next couple of tips below also help conserve energy and reduce waste.

2. Unplug your computer/phone charger even when they are not plugged in.

3. Blow dry your hair less.

4. Only print when you need to–and always double sided, of course. More trees + less waste =better environment

5. Put your car in neutral when you are waiting at a long stop light. Sometimes it’s hard to reduce our driving usage, but there are still ways to prevent car fumes from releasing into the environment.

6. Bike or walk to school. With spring slowly but surely coming around the corner, it’s a great time to enjoy the outdoors and grant yourself (as well as the environment) some healthy benefits.

7. Eat less red meat. I’m not saying everyone has to become a vegetarian, but you should try to learn where your food comes from. Mass American farms that produce beef release unacceptable amounts of chemicals into the water stream and pollute our natural water reserves. The treatment of animals at these farms is also inhumane in contrast to smaller, grass-feed farms. Locally produced beef from Mack Brook Farm in Argyle, New York is a great example of environmentally-friendly meat.

8. Buy eco-friendly products! Convert your everyday items to environmentally-friendly ones at http://www.greenandmore.com!

9. Buy locally made things! Airplane transportation is one of the most polluting forms of transit on the planet. By mass producing and shipping across the country and world, we are polluting the air for everyone. Buying locally made items can cut down this issue.

10. If its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down. If you haven’t seen the bathroom readers, each flush uses about 1.6 gallons of water. Need I say more?

Don’t forget to do your part for the holiday and maintain these tips throughout the year. Happy Earth Day!

Audrey is a class of 2013 English major at Skidmore College. She has held several communications internships in her hometown of Nashville, TN, including ones at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, Nissan's North American Headquarters, and at Katcher Vaughn and Bailey Public Relations. In her free time, she loves to bake for family and friends, exercise by swimming, and loves all things Parisian. Audrey can't wait to continue her journalism experience with Her Campus as a campus correspondent. Having lived in Nashville, France and New York, Audrey has found a love for travel, and hopes to discover a new city after Skidmore where she plans to continue onto law school.