How does an apartment dweller make the world a better place?

I just wanted the thread where we could have a giant list of all the things that people can do when they don't have soil to work with.

I thought about phrasing this as carbon footprint or Eco footprint... but I think this can be far richer than that.

I am hoping that each item on this list is not a long item just a few words. No more than a sentence or two.

And I hope people will give a thumbs up or apple or pie for their favorites.

UPDATE! We ended up making a whole book about this! https://permies.com/bwb

Go poo-less. No more soap or shampoo in the shower. It turns out that our body Funk is entirely water soluble.

Dry our clothes with a drying rack. It saves an incredible amount of energy and your clothes last about 10 times longer.

Turn off lights when not in use. It is amazing how a lot of people will leave a dozen lights on in the house.

Move lights closer to what you want to see. Example: Use a reading lamp instead of turning on the lights for all of the room.

Wash and rinse your clothes with cold water. Most of the time your clothes will be just as clean and the energy cost is usually less than 1/10.

Eliminate toxic cleaners. Nearly every toxic cleaner can be replaced with something non-toxic. You might be surprised at the health benefits.

If you have a bug or insect problem use diatomaceous earth.

Embrace daddy long legs and jumping spiders in your home. They will keep other bugs out which might attract scarier spiders.

Explore ways to reduce or eliminate a long commute.

Having a housemate will cut your environmental footprint in half.

Eat organic or better.

Study permaculture.

Live a life of decency and integrity.

Explore City repair.

Vote with your dollar. Vote with your fork.

Explore the possibility of having less stuff.

Do good at your job. Do really good. Set the pace for being excellent.

Get out of debt. Stay out of debt.

Build residual income streams.

Eliminate Teflon pans.

Eliminate palm oil from everything you eat. This is a shout out to Willie Smits and his work to try to undo the damage caused by palm oil plantations.

If you make a mistake, own your shit and make it right.

Promote permaculture ideas on your favorite social media.

Learn about Guerrilla gardening. Planting seeds in places that are uncared-for. Learn about planting tree seeds.

Think about getting an allotment, then go out and get one.

Explore using your bicycle more. Walk more.

Reduce. Reuse. Repair. Recycle. Learn about techniques to dramatically reduce the amount of garbage that goes into the landfill.

Explore getting a plot at a community garden.

Grow something edible. Basil on the windowsill, sprouts, or beans on the balcony.

Set the thermostat on your water heater to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This might seem counterintuitive, but lower temperatures lead to people getting sick. If your water heater ever needs to be replaced, maybe get a smaller one.

take your kitchenscraps to that allotment or garden space and compost...

or do indoor composting / worm-composting

if you re really far out: get a coposting toilet and carry your bodily wastes to that garden to be safely composted there... urine diversion would be a plus

Darn your socks.

see your living place as a place of production ... not just as a place of consumption

(this mindset might lead one to explore many different ways to create, recycle, upcycle, make stuff, get hobbies etc. )

Develop a job that makes some difference.

Recycling business, gas free landscaping business, weather proofing homes...

give used stuff away, sell it, share it ... instead of throwing it away

look for used stuff (flea markets, online-auctions, garage sales, ask around etc.)

cook huge amounts of dried beans, chick-peas, grains, potatoes, eggs, rice etc.
store them in the fridge for days
you can eat them cold, in salads, use them in various dishes etc.

Learn how your building works. If all of the heat finds its way to the top floor, do something about that. Use the windows and doors along with curtains and blinds, to regulate temperature and air flow.

use natural building techniques even inside your flat. like: lime-paint, lime-stucco, clay-paint, clay-stucco
use pallet-wood
use natural finishes (linseed-oil ...)
make a paperbag-floor