Environmental Protection Begins With You

Protecting our environment is everyone's job because we all have an impact. Although keeping our little corner of the planet clean and green may seem daunting at times, even small steps add up.

Here are some ideas you can use at home, work, in your community, or play.

Learn more about what you can do to protect the environment by subscribing to one of our publications and visiting our video library.

In Your Home

There are many actions you can take inside the your home, yard and garden, and the garage to protect the environment, save money, and create a cleaner healthier space for everyone.

Inside Your Home

Cleaning Products

• Everyone has to clean sometime! Check out some healthier alternatives to toxic cleaning products and breathe easier in every room of the house.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

• It is easy to practice 3 R's at home. Learn all about what to recycle; why it is important to purchase recycled content products; how to reduce the trash you generate; and much more!

What Do I Do With...?

• Hmm, don't know what to do with all those packing peanuts, unwanted prescription medications, or those burned out CFLs? Use this guide to find out how to manage those not-so-common household items in the most environmentally preferable way. Learn more about waste disposal for households.

Electronics Recycling

• Did you know that Connecticut residents have convenient and free opportunities to recycle their computers, printers, televisions, and monitors? Learn more.

Sustainable Living

• Find more ideas about how to live "green" - from taking care of your pets to choosing better foods for your health and the environment.

Lighting, Heating and Cooling

• Learn practical tips to conserve energy and save money all year.
• Find tips for using your woodstove to burn cleaner and more efficiently.

Building and Remodeling

• Planning a building or renovation project? Consider using green building products and techniques.

Climate Change

• Learn all about climate change and actions you can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Heating Oil Tanks

• Do you have a home underground heating oil tank? Learn how to deal with leaks and tank removal.

Water

• Water is a precious resource. Learn about water conservation.

Wells

• Prevent PCB Leakage from your Well Pump

In the Yard and Garden

Lawn and Garden

• Have a beautiful, green lawn without the chemicals by using organic lawn care.
• Don't trash grass! Grasscycling - leaving those clippings on the lawn - saves time and helps improve the grass.
• Turn your household food scraps into gold for your lawn and garden. Learn more about composting.
• More people are becoming concerned about the effects of lawn and garden chemicals on children, pets, and the environment. Learn about alternatives to toxic chemicals for the garden. 
• Pesticides and Lawn Care
• Learn more about plants that are endangered or invasive. Learn how to choose plants for your yard and garden that are native to our area.

Pest Management

• Integrated pest management (IPM) is a way of managing pests using non-chemical methods and the judicious use of pesticides when pest populations exceed acceptable levels. Learn more about IPM.

Wildlife

• Family-friendly Habitat Projects to Improve Backyard Habitat
• Native Landscaping: Bring Wildlife to Your Yard with Native Plants
• Wildlife Habitat Fact Sheets about how to manage habitat to attract wildlife to your property.
• Build a bat house or a bluebird house.
• Report a black bear sighting and learn more about living with black bears.
• Pollinators are important for gardens!
• Learn how to handle interactions with wildlife in your yard.
• Keep Cats Indoors! -- It is better for cats, better for birds, and better for people.

Trees

• Be aware of various invasive insects and diseases that can affect trees in your yard.
• Learn about the benefits of having trees in your yard.
• Get guidance for planting trees and maintaining young trees.
• How to identify trees.

In the Garage

Vehicles

• Information on Purchasing a Vehicle, Driving, and Maintenance Tips
• Do you change your own oil? Here's how to properly dispose of it.

Gas Cans

• Protect our water supply and keep our air cleaner. Purchase a spill-proof gas can which can reduce harmful emissions by up to 75%.

At Work

Does your workplace recycle, conserve energy, encourage commuting by public transportation or vans? If not, you can get started by using some of these ideas to green your workplace.

Greening the DEEP

• Learn what the DEEP is doing to green our operations at 79 Elm Street in Hartford.

Business and the Environment

• Pollution Prevention for Business and Industry - Find fact sheets for dry cleaners, auto services, sustainability case studies from Connecticut companies, and more.

Construction

• Information Resources for Contractors in the Construction Trades

3 R's at Work

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle at Work

Certification Programs

• Do you manage a hotel or a bed and breakfast? Learn how to earn the CT Green Lodging Certification.

In Your Community

License Plates

• Buy License Plates Supporting Long Island Sound, Greenways or Wildlife Programs

Earth Day

• Celebrate Earth Day every day!

Car Washes

• Is your group thinking about holding a car was as a fund raiser? Learn how to have a car wash that has less impact on the environment.

Ozone

• Help Reduce Ground-Level Ozone

Forest Fires

• Prevent Forest Fires

Illegal Dumping

• Prevent Illegal Dumping

School Recycling

• Reduce, reuse, and recycle in schools and in your town.

Wildlife and Natural Area Preserves

• Support the Endangered Species/Wildlife Income Tax Check-Off Fund

Volunteer

• Volunteer with the DEEP
• Volunteer for Community Science Projects with the Wildlife Division.
• Become a volunteer instructor for the Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education (CARE) Program.
• Public Participation

At Play

Boating

• Take the Clean Boater Pledge

Get Outside

• Get an appreciation for the natural world. Learn more about outdoor recreation opportunities and No Child Left Inside activities.
• Recreate Responsibly when in the outdoors.

Pets and the Outdoors

• Hike Responsibly with Dogs
• Always pick-up dog waste and dispose of it in the trash. Dog feces can pollute water and carry bacteria and parasites that can make people sick. It should not be composted even in a biodegradable bag.
• Refrain from walking dogs or allowing house cats to roam freely on beaches during the nesting season. Dogs are not allowed at many beach areas during the bird nesting season. These areas include, but are not limited to, Compo Beach in Westport, Long Beach and Short Beach in Stratford, Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport, Silver Sands State Park and Milford Point in Milford, Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, Sandy Point in West Haven, Bluff Point Coastal Reserve in Groton, and Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison.

Nuisance Species

• Prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species (water milfoil, fanwort, zebra mussels.)

Content last updated in June 2022.