You Are What You Eat

Buy organic food and other products. Shop at the Farmer's Market or at a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

Marin Organic

NRDC's Green Gate listing of Marin Farmer's Markets

Community Supported Agriculture

Buy Fresh, Buy Local

Vote with Your Dollar

Buy local to support the local economy and reduce transportation impacts. Buy goods with less packaging and/or recycled packaging. Buy in bulk to save money and embodied energy. Buy used clothing, books and other products. Exchange and share tools, clothing and toys. Use canvas bags for all your shopping. Buy fair-trade products, which pay workers a fair wage and support local economies. Use non-toxic cleaning materials and organic linens. Go carbon neutral - investigate and buy green tags. Buy less.

Marin Green Business Program and Listing

Green Pages - Co-op America's directory of green products and services

TransFair USA - A non-profit, independent third-party certifier of Fair Trade practices.

Worldwise's Wise Guide - resource guide designed to help visitors understand and embrace concept of sustainable living.

Renewable Energy Certificates - also known as Green Tags

Drive Neutral - offset the carbon emissions from your car

EcoHaul - Socially & environmentally responsible waste removal

Be Energy and Water Efficient

Be energy wise by turning off lights, computers, and heaters when not in use. Use compact fluorescent bulbs, energy star appliances, and Low-E windows. Cut down on water use by installing low flush toilets and low flow fixtures. Plant native plants that require no watering during the summer. Use drip irrigation in the garden. Practice green building by using recycled, reclaimed and/or rapidly renewable materials. Use natural building materials such as strawbale and rammed earth. Install a solar electric or solar hot water system.

Energy Star

Marin Green Building Program

H20use Water Save Home Page

MMWD Water Conservation & Rebates

NMWD Water Conservation & Rebates

Marin Solar Program

Guide to Green Mortgages

Support Others

Do community gardening in public places or your own backyard. Get involved in your community by volunteering or contributing money to local organizations. Listen to and support public radio, television, and print media. Support publications using recycled paper.

Marin Volunteer Resouces

MarinLink

Living a Green Lifestyle

Respect, appreciate and support the planet. Attend workshops and seminars on sustainability. Barter goods and services. Be informed by obtaining news from a variety of sources. Bike, walk, carpool, and/or use public transportation for short and long trips. Buy fabrics, fibers, wood, etc from sustainable manufactures. Be in nature as often as possible. Maintain your yard without pesticides and herbicides.

Marin Sustainability Events Listings

What's My Footprint - an online quiz to measure your impact

The Green Gate - the NRDC's Environmental Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area

Marin County Bicycle Coalition

511.org - online resource for planning a route via public transit or bike; also has information on rideshares and carpooling

Marin County Open Space District

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Green Living Ideas: Helping the World Go Green, One Idea at a Time

Green Nest: Creating Healthy Homes

Taking the Next Step

Think globally and act locally. Drive hybrid and/or bio-diesel vehicles or low gas usuage vehicles. Compost and/or use worm boxes. Grow an organic garden. Share labor, cost and harvest of your plot. Write a letter and let your voice be heard. Pay a living wage and give benefits to your employees. Practice the R's: respect, refuse, reduce, repair, reuse, rot. Recycle as the last resort.

National Biodiesel Board

U.S. DOE's Fuel Economy Page

MCSTOPPP's Gardening Resources

Alameda's Stopwaste Program