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The Nature Conservancy Urges The Public To ‘Go Green’ This St. Patrick’s Day 

17 Things You Can do to Help Save our Environment

East Hampton, NY — March 6, 2007 — As St. Patrick’s Day approaches this year, The Nature Conservancy urges the public to think ‘green’ – not necessarily of shamrocks and green-dyed beer – but of how you can help save our environment.

In honor of the day, The Nature Conservancy on Long Island offers 17 things you can do to help reduce global warming, and protect and preserve our natural habitats and wildlife. More information can be found at www.nature.org/longisland.

1. Get to know invasive plants. Familiarize yourself with invasive plants and avoid planting them in your yard. Remove exisiting infestations.
2. Go native. Replace some lawn with native plants and trees that support and attract butterflies, bees and birds. A tree that shades your house also saves on energy bills.
3. Pack in, pack out on the beach. Waste attracts predators that prey on shorebirds such as endangered piping plovers.
4. Be a responsible pet owner. Don’t allow your cat to roam outside where it can prey upon birds and other wildlife.
5. Support conservation. Visit The Nature Conservancy at www.nature.org/newyork.
6. Take a hike! Get out and enjoy our parks, preserves, forests, bays and other natural areas on Long Island.
7. Decrease chemical dependency. Limit your use of fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides -they can wind up in our drinking water and our harbors and bays.
8. Teleconference instead of flying. For office meetings, if you can telephone or videoconference, you will save time, money, and our planet from carbon emissions.
9. Turn down the heat. Heating and air conditioning draw more than half of the energy that a home uses. Turn down the heat or air conditioning when you leave the house or go to bed.
10. Dispose of toxins properly. Do not dump chemicals in sewers or on the ground.
11. Slow the flow. Consider upgrading or replacing your septic tank – especially if you live near the water.
12. Tread lightly. Avoid boating, anchoring and shellfishing in seagrass beds.
13. Speak out. Voice your environmental concerns to local lawmakers. Tell them you want management and restoration of our forests, wetlands, bays and parks.
14. See the light. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. You’ll save energy and money.
15. Recycle and use recycled products. Buy products made from recycled paper, glass, metal and plastic. They use less energy to manufacture than products made from completely new materials.
16. Inflate your tires. If you own a car, it will get better gas mileage when the tires are inflated properly, so it will burn less gas and save you some money.
17. Buy renewable energy. Consider adding solar panels to your home.

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.