Downloads | Do It Green! Minnesota

Energy Trivia Questions/ Preguntas de Energía (English & Spanish)

April 13, 2016March 4, 2016

Energy Trivia Questions/ Preguntas de Energía (English & Spanish)

Seed Saving

April 13, 2016March 4, 2016

Seed Saving (PDF 900 KB) Want to learn more about choosing or saving seeds? Download our handout.

Lista de Auditoria del Uso Doméstico del Agua (Spanish)

April 13, 2016March 4, 2016

Lista de Auditoria del Uso Doméstico del Agua (Spanish)

Seed Labels

April 13, 2016March 4, 2016

Seed Labels (PDF 1.2 MB) 2″ x 4″ labels Want print versions of our seed saving resources? Contact Gardening Matters: www.gardeningmatters.org, (612) 821-2358

Renewable Energy Alternatives (English)

April 13, 2016March 4, 2016

Renewable Energy Alternatives (English)

Lista de Energìa (Spanish)

April 13, 2016March 4, 2016

Lista de Energìa (Spanish)

Home Water Audit Checklist (English)

April 13, 2016March 4, 2016

Home Water Audit Checklist (English)

Swapping Made Easy (English)

April 13, 2016March 4, 2016

Swapping Made Easy (English)

Energy Checklist (English)

April 13, 2016March 4, 2016

Energy Checklist (English)

Low Carbon Food Print Shopping Guide (English)

August 3, 2016March 4, 2016

Low Carbon Food Print Shopping Guide (English)

Green Tips

Swapping is a great way to eliminate waste and engage in reuse. Instead of throwing away items that you no longer want, you give them to someone who does, and instead of purchasing brand new items, you can reuse items you receive from others. Swapping can also be a way to provide items to people who cannot afford to purchase them, and it is a wonderful way to meet new people and build a sense of community.

Check out Swapping Made Easy for a full list of tips to hosting your own swap!

Think Twice About Bottled Water

If you live in an area with clean drinking water, fill a reusable bottle with tap water and bring it with you wherever you go to avoid buying bottled water. The U.S. sends 2 million tons of plastic water bottles to landfills each year—and producing those bottles requires oil and emits carbon dioxide. Some restaurants in the Twin Cities feel so strongly against bottled water that they refuse to sell it. Learn more.

Shop to Strengthen Our Food System

Each time we choose to find out the source of our food, we not only learn about our food supply, but we also have the opportunity to make a choice. Turning over a package of food or checking out those little stickers on our apples can open our eyes to the size and scope of the food supply. Gardening, farmer’s markets, food co-ops, and community-supported agriculture (CSA)—all of these food sources are growing stronger with every new gardener, shopper, member-owner and subscriber! Having a personal involvement and connection to our food is part of what has been missing in our convenience- and price-driven diets. And this connection to our food could be what changes our food system.

Check out the full article to learn more!

Reduce Paper Waste at the Office

Office paper is highly recyclable, but reducing or preventing paper waste is even more cost effective than recycling. Some ideas for reducing office paper waste:

Double-sided copying and printing.
Reusing paper. Keep a collection box by the copy machine for bad copies so the second side can be reused.
Make use of electronic communication.
Use smaller cover sheets or eliminate the cover sheet all together.
Reuse items from old packaging.
Reuse materials in-house, through clients, customers and consumers.
Consider buying the most environmentally-friendly paper (100% post-consumer recycled) to stock in your printers, copiers and fax machines.

Check out our full article Green Your Office for more great ideas.

Check Out This Template for Action

Scientists say a global warming “tipping point” in the Arctic seems to be happening before their eyes. Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its second lowest level in about 30 years. These news flashes are just some of our climate’s changes happening daily. You and your kids can help. Read more here, and then check out Climate Generations’s Take Action! Guide, which offers hands-on activities for grades 3-12.

Host a Climate Café

Climate cafés are a relatively new offshoot of the café discussion movement, which takes its inspiration from philosophical discussion groups. These discussion cafés offer a venue for respectful public conversation on the challenging subjects facing us daily. You can host a discussion anywhere and get the climate conversation going. Interested? Check out this article.

Install a Solar Water Heater

Solar water heating is one of the least publicized but most cost-effective renewable energy options. According to Windy Dankoff of Conergy, solar water heaters capture six times more energy than solar electric at a third the cost.

Read our full article on Solar Water Heaters for more information.

Take the Energy Challenge

The fastest, cheapest, easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is through energy efficiency and conservation. Plus, you’ll save yourself money in the process! Need a little boost to get started? Join the Minnesota Energy Challenge and learn from thousands of Minnesotans who have pledged to reduce their energy use—and are finding fun, creative ways to do it. Read more about the Challenge here.

Support Strong Towns

The automobile era spurred the expansion of highways and the fragmentation of natural habitats and communities. Now, the suburban American lifestyle had led to an obesity epidemic, high levels of resource consumption, and oil dependency. Strong Towns is a nonprofit that helps cities focus on resiliency instead of growth. Find out more.

Get Your Mayor Involved

More than 600 cities nationwide are not waiting for federal action on climate change—they are taking matters into their own hands. The U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement is one way cities are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and urging government to take action. Read more about the agreement here, plus learn what Minnesota’s government is doing about global warming.

How Our Food Choices Effect the Planet

Energy Trivia Questions/ Preguntas de Energía (English & Spanish)

Seed Saving

Lista de Auditoria del Uso Doméstico del Agua (Spanish)

Seed Labels

Renewable Energy Alternatives (English)

Lista de Energìa (Spanish)

Home Water Audit Checklist (English)

Swapping Made Easy (English)

Energy Checklist (English)

Low Carbon Food Print Shopping Guide (English)

How Our Food Choices Effect the Planet

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