This is a guest post by Symone Baskerville, a student at Kenwood Academy High School.

Summer is among us! But that doesn’t mean that we can recycle our green living strategies from other seasons. If anything, this is the time to jumpstart your green living, because we generally have more time to devote to giving back to our beautiful planet.

So you might ask what are some simple steps you can take during the summer to gain some green living points (Let’s call those GLPs) and to reduce your carbon footprint.

And this is how I came up with my extra GLP plan:

First, I started thinking about some of the things that go along with summer.

Next, I researched how I could make them more energy efficient.

My top three:

The air conditioner: During these hot summer days, the AC becomes our best friend (meaning we have it on 24/7) but it also uses a ton of power! To save energy while it’s on make sure your doors and windows are closed, close the vents and doors to rooms you’re not using and pull the shades when the sun is out. (it will save energy and keep you much cooler!) Try not to use the washer or dryer while AC is going nonstop if possible. If there’s no good time to run the washer and dryer instead of the AC, at least try making the most of that heat by skipping the dryer and hanging your clothes to dry in the sunlight.

Vacationing: It’s often hard to stay green while you’re heading out to vacation, but you can make better choices with a little bit of research.

You can look at rating sites like Climate Counts. Or see who is getting awards like Virgin  and Alaska.

The beach: One of my favorite summer activities is to go to the beach. When I go, I can be saving the planet too. To get there, carpooling is a good way to cut down your carbon footprint and can make a fun day at the beach with your friends. To stay cool when it’s hot,  bring your own reusable water bottle instead of buying tons of plastic bottles.

Being green in the summer doesn’t have to be a hassle. It can actually be fun. Grab a friend and come up with ways you can earn some GLPs and save the planet together!