Sustainability in shared homes

I recently saw a post asking about how to live more sustainably if you live with your parents or in a shared space with roommates, if your family or roommates do not share your interest in living more sustainably.  Learn as much as you can about sustainability and think about how you can apply what you learn (my blog has lots of small ideas to consider).  I spent some time thinking of specific ideas, including things you can do outside the home. 

• Be gentle about your desire to change your lifestyle.  If your family or housemates are not interested in sustainability, arguments won’t convince them.  Quietly do what you can, and gently request small changes when appropriate.  They may follow your lead or agree to changes later if you don’t make it an uncomfortable issue.
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator in public buildings if it is safe to do so. 
• If you wash your own clothing, use the cold-water setting, avoid “extra” chemicals such as dryer sheets, and experiment with hanging some clothing to air dry if you have space.  Use the “low” setting on the dryer, because a longer cycle on low heat still uses less energy than running the dryer on the high setting.  Keep lint filters clean because heavy lint reduces the efficiency of the dryer. 
• If recycling services are available, check the rules for what the service will accept and recycle what you can.  Others may begin using the recycle bin if it’s convenient. 
• Avoid single-use plastics, buy a good reusable water bottle instead of disposable bottled water, and take your own coffee mug to the coffee shop if you can.  Take your own reusable container to restaurants for leftovers.
• At fast-food restaurants with drive-through service, unless you have a specific reason why you must use the drive-through, park outside and walk in so your car is not idling while you wait in line. 
• Don’t waste food.  Organic matter (such as food and paper) generates methane (a very powerful greenhouse gas) when disposed of in a landfill. 
• Get a power strip for your electronics such as the TV, game console, and computer so you can completely shut off the power to these items when you are not using them.  Even if they are sleeping or turned off, most still consume small amounts of electricity when plugged in.  Unplug phone or laptop chargers when they are not in use, because they also use small amounts of electricity even if nothing is connected to them.