With small steps, you can make a big difference. The article is full of simple ways to be more future friendly.

SAVE ENERGY

Easy ways to cut energy consumption.

• Try Tide Coldwater: Save energy and money by washing in cold with Tide Coldwater. Tide Coldwater cleans better in cold than the other brand in warm.*
  *vs. next leading regular liquid detergent
• Get Going! Drive off as soon as you start your car's engine. Modern engines don't need time to warm up, so idling creates unnecessary pollution and mechanical wear.
• Draw at Dusk... As the days get chillier, closing your curtains at dusk will stop heat from escaping through windows.
• Today's Bright Idea: Replace ordinary light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs that use a quarter of the electricity to produce the same amount of light.
• Pull the Plug: Your mobile only takes a couple of hours to charge, so don't leave it plugged in overnight.
• Home Time? Give your computer a good night's rest, too. You'll save money and CO2.
• Power Off: The screensaver on your computer uses the same amount of power as when it's on and being used. Switch your PC off if you're going to be away for awhile.
• Turn off when you turn in: Turn your heating down at bedtime to save energy. Once you're tucked in you'll never notice the difference.
• Stay Cool: When you're refrigerating food, keep it covered so that the moisture doesn't become ice. An ice-free fridge takes less energy to run!

CONSERVE WATER

You can help preserve this precious resource.

• The Silent Sleeper: A leaky toilet may go unnoticed, as will the extra cash absorbed by your water bill. To check for leaks, add enough food coloring to your toilet tank to really brighten the water. After 30 minutes, look to see if any of the dye has leaked into the bowl.
• Every Flush Counts: An estimated 30% of household water usage is flushed down the toilet. If your toilet is more than 30 years old, upgrading to a low-consumption toilet can save you up to four gallons per flush.
• "Rain, Rain...Please Stay!": Use barrels to capture and save rain from your eaves trough for the next time you water your garden or lawn.
• Be Conservative, Cover Up: Keep a cover on your swimming pool when it's not in use. This will decrease water loss due to evaporation by 90%.
• Reduce by Filling Up: You'll use a lot less water if you only run your laundry or dishwasher with a full load. Running two half loads uses twice as much water.
• Catch the Savings: While waiting for you running bath or shower water to heat up, use a large bucket to catch the cold water. Use this water for plants, pets, cleaning, etc.
• Washing Away Your Worth: Get into the habit of turning the tap off when washing your face, brushing your teeth or shaving. Water running when it's not in direct use is needlessly soaking up your money.
• Switch Off to Lather: Half the time we're in the shower is spent avoiding the water while we soap up - so switch off whilst you lather for big water and energy savings.
• Stock Up: Use water you've boiled your veggies in to make stocks, soups or pour it on your garden when it's cooled.
• Cool It: Keep some water in the fridge for an instant refreshing ice cold glass of water. No need to run the tap.

REDUCE WASTE

Everyday ways to help generate less trash.

• Good as New: Donate your old furniture to a local furniture recycler. They'll turn your unwanted pieces into something desirable, saving it from the landfill.
• Crafty Wrapping: Use up scraps of material from curtains, dressmaking or unwanted clothes to make beautiful, personalized gift bags. Your gifts will look unique and you'll save bags of cash!
• One Person's Junk...If you're planning to do some spring cleaning, hold a yard sale or donate old items to a second-hand shop. You'll be surprised how valuable your junk is to someone else.
• Ice Wine: Rather than throwing away leftover wine, pour it into an ice cube tray and store in the freezer until the next time you need to cook with wine. That way you won't waste a drop!
• Clip Tip: Mow your lawn when it's dry, and leave the clippings lying on the grass to break down and feed the lawn underneath.
• Think Before You Print: Do you really need a hard copy? Use both sides of the paper if you do and add a 'think before you print' footer to your emails.
• Thirsty Work: If you have a water cooler at work, use a glass to fill up instead of using paper or plastic cups from the dispenser.
• Growth Spurt: Instead of buying little plastic packets of herbs, grow your own. If you don't have a garden, a pot or window box will do.
• Get Closer: At work, make sure the recycling bin is closer to your desk than the standard waste bin. That way you'll be more likely to use it.
• Bulk-Up: Buying non-perishable items in bulk is a great way of cutting down on unnecessary packaging.
• Go Vintage: Check out some local used clothing stores to find vintage fashions. It's a great way to recycle, cut carbon emissions created in the making of new clothes…and it's unique!

TIDE IS MAKING FUTURE FRIENDLY STRIDES

Over the last year, P&G Fabric Care manufacturing facilities have reduced:

• Energy usage in its US & Canadian Plants by about 10% (about 76M GJ)
• Reduced its direct measured CO2 by about 14% (about 5300 mtons of CO2)
• Reduced its solid waste by about 18% (about 1600 metric tons)
• Reduced its water usage by about 26% (about 725000 cubic meters)

P&G Fabric Care Alexandria received the P&G Corporate Gold Medal for reducing the plant’s environmental footprint by greater than 10% and reducing water and waste footprints by over 30%.

Over the last year, US & Canadian Liquid Laundry detergent manufacturing facilities have reduced its:

• Energy usage in its US & Canadian Plants by about 5.4%.
• Reduced its direct measured CO2 by about 8.5%
• Reduced its solid waste by about 17%  (about 865 metric tons)
• Reduced its water usage by about 28%  (about 363000 cubic meters)

One minute of production on a typical Tide packaging line produces enough Tide to satisfy a typical average family for about 20 years.

The future is ours to shape. The steps we take today can have less impact on tomorrow.