The arboretum service day started at 6:30 a.m. and lasted until 5:30 p.m. Companies from all over South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina were there to donate their time and their equipment. These people were very talented and I learned a lot about tree care and proper maintenance of trees. At noon when we took a break for lunch a tree planting ceremony and kids program took place at the wren house. Many children and parents were informed about the benefits of trees.

I did many other things this semester that are environmentally friendly. These are:

• Well one thing that I have recently done is to stop drinking sodas- they are not good for you plus they this gets rid of the bulk of my recycling and anything to do with those plastic rings. I figure that before I stopped I probably had to recycle 12 cans a week.
• I do use recycled containers like jars from packaging as a way to store food and only use plastic wrap when absolutely necessary.
• I use cloth rags for cleaning instead of paper unless I am washing glass that is usually wiped off with recycled newspaper.
• I always wash full loads of laundry and dishes.
• I always use cold water on the washing machine.
• I clean the lent trap every time I dry clothes.
• I turn off the water while brushing my teeth and I don’t shave. If I left the water on while brushing it would be 2 gallons of water wasted everyday.
• I don’t let my car run idle unnecessarily. This saves gas but unsure how to calculate how much.
• I don’t have a yard to waste water on everything is on the property is left natural.
• I recycle my oil and keep my car in good running condition I park in the closest parking lot to my house and I walk instead of riding the diesel using CAT.
• I use heat and air very sparingly. In fact I have not taken the switch from off the whole semester.
• I always make my own coffee instead of buying convenient store coffee and I use a container for water that I drink the rest of the day to keep from wasting water and using disposable cups. I also started using unbleached filters.
• I pay attention to packaging and try to buy the least possible. I have found that Gatorade comes in a liquid concentrate and is just as good as the bottle but about a dollar cheaper.
• I recycle. I try not to waste any food or water. This semester I have recycled 6- 15gal bags of trash.
• I eat low on the food chain rarely eat beef and occasionally will have fish or chicken.
• When camping I clean campsites of previous messy campers that have left trash to filter into our watershed.
• I recycle my plastic bags from the grocery and if I can carry my purchase I don’t even get a bag.

I have done these things for many years now because of the ethical treatment of the earth and because it is a cheaper way to live. If people would try to live a little more earth conscious and a little less comfortable they could make a difference in how long we can sustain our resources.