It's the time of year when homes have their highest energy demand of the year. Use appliances in the off-peak hours to reduce strain on the grid. Get into the habit of doing the laundry, running the dishwasher, watching a movie or surfing the web at off-peak hours: between 7 pm and 7 am on weekdays. The demands on energy are lowest, and so are the costs!

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Composting is a simple way to reduce waste and produce a rich, organic soil conditioner for your lawn, garden or houseplants. So remember to put food scraps, raked leaves and other yard wastes in a compost bin. If you don't have a composter yet, you can buy one for $25 from EcoSuperior.

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Make sure no garbage gets burned at your next bonfire. Burning things like plastics, batteries, treated wood and even paper with ink releases harmful chemicals into the air. Since the smoke from backyard burning is released close to the ground where people can easily breathe it, you can end up inhaling a lot of nasty things like dioxins, furans, arsenic, mercury and lead to name a few. So be sure to burn only clean, dry wood!

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Do not mow your lawn if you have a stream, river or lake by your house or camp, create a no-mow zone near the water's edge. Let wildflowers, groundcover, shrubs and trees grow or plant your own native species! This allows shoreline vegetation to naturalize and protect water quality. Naturally vegetated zones along the shore also creates habitat, filters storm water runoff by absorbing pollutants, and prevents soil erosion.

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Did you know that running a clothes dryer is the equivalent of turning on 225 lights for an hour? Clothes dryers consume the most energy per use out of all household appliances! Take advantage of the summer weather and hang your clothes to dry instead. If you don't have a clothes line, use an indoor drying rack. You will reduce your energy use, save money, and make your clothes last longer.

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