Burn correctly

Campfires are ubiquitous with summer, but before you pile on the wood scraps for that bonfire, be sure you’re using safe wood and fire starters. Only use newspaper, dry kindling, or organic fire starters and avoid painted and treated wood. 

Set up a rainwater harvesting system in your backyard. While summer may not seem like the ideal time to do this, we say take advantage of the warmer weather to get this DIY project done. Then you’ll have plenty of water to use throughout the year. 

Spend an evening looking at the stars

Lay down a blanket or find yourself a comfortable chair. No major work required. Simply find a spot with minimal light pollution and sit outside for a little star-gazing. Check EarthSky’s meteor shower guide for expected meteor showers. 

Arctic in the office

If your office feels like the arctic and most of your colleagues agree with you then consider approaching management to reduce air conditioning in the office space. 

Recycling

Find out where you can recycle the following locally:

-glass

-paper products

-plastic grocery bags

-plastic - including 1 - 7 identification codes

-aluminum

-cardboard

-tin cans

-scrap metal

-motor oil (one quart of oil can kill fish in thousands of gallons of water)

-ink cartridges

-household appliances such as refrigerators

-computer equipment and other electronic devices

-aseptic packaging (square boxes used for liquids)

-styrofoam

-tires

-athletic shoes (contact a local sporting goods or athletic shoe store - some donate used shoes, others recycle them)