GOING GREEN
Easy Ways to Go Green Around the House
February 8, 2008
You don’t have to be a complete tree hugger to want to go green. But now that it’s becoming increasingly clear that global warming is a very real problem, why wouldn’t you want to reduce your impact on the environment?
If the threat of global warming doesn’t spur you into action, perhaps this fact will: Most of the actions you can take to green your home are easy. And while they save energy and other valuable resources, they also save you a little or even a lot of green (read: money). I’m not expecting you to go off the grid, start raising all your own food, or anything that extreme. These are just easy changes that can be made around your house now to make a big difference.
So, without further ado, I present to you The Home Know-It-All’s Top 15 Ways to Go Green
Around Your Home (in order from easiest to accomplish to hardest—although I’d say they’re all pretty darn easy).
1. Unplug household appliances and electronics (like the coffee maker, toaster, and cell phone charger) when they’re not in use. Even if they’re not on, appliances that are plugged in use energy. In fact, as much as 40 percent of all electricity is used to power home appliances that are turned off!
2. Get the most out of your appliances by only washing full loads of laundry and dishes. Minimize how often you open the refrigerator too. And keep the fridge full—an empty fridge has to work harder to stay cool than a full one.
3. Turn down the thermostat in cold weather and kick it up higher in warm weather. For each degree below 68 degrees Fahrenheit you set your thermostat during cold weather (or above 78 degrees Fahrenheit in warm weather), you’ll save 3 to 5 percent more heating energy. A programmable thermostat, below, makes this step easy. And using ceiling fans can keep you comfortable even when the thermostat is set higher or lower than you’re used to.
4. Bring your own (reusable) grocery bags to the store. Paper and plastic grocery bags are no good for the environment—in fact, according to Ideal Bite, about 12 millions barrels of oil and 14 million trees go into producing plastic and paper bags each year. Plus, reusable bags hold more than flimsy plastic sacks and are easier to carry around.
5. Replace burned out lightbulbs with CFLs, right. These fluorescent bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescents and last up to 10 times longer. You can save $30 or more in electricity costs for each bulb over its lifetime! Learn more.
6. Remember the three Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle!). Note that recycling comes at the end of the list. The most important step toward going green is to reduce your consumption—buy less, and you’ll have less to recycle. In the home, that means buying materials, furnishings, and other items that are well-made, durable, and long-lasting (in other words, go for quality, not quantity).
Reusing is the next step. Getting new carpet? Tear up the old stuff to use somewhere else (we moved our old bedroom carpet to the basement to warm up the cement floor). Building or remodeling? Check out a local Habitat ReStore for used and surplus building materials, or look for local vendors of salvaged building materials. If you have items to get rid of, take them to your local Salvation Army or check out websites such as The Freecycle Networkbefore you haul things to the recycling bin (or, god forbid, the dumpster).
Then, of course, there’s recycling. Recycle everything you possibly can—plastic, paper, bottles, cans, you name it. It’s important to recycle electronics, batteries, toxic household items, and more as well. Learn where to recycle. Oh, and buy recycled too—all sorts of household items from carpeting to dog beds to paper products are available with recycled content.
7. Use green cleaning supplies or homemade cleaning concoctions rather than chemical ones.
8. Paint with no- or low-VOC paints the next time you want to repaint rooms in your home. (Stay tuned for more on why you don’t want VOCs in your paint later this month.)
9. Insulate your hot water heater to save energy. Placing an insulative jacket around your hot water heater costs as little as $10 to $20, and pipe insulation is less than $1 per six feet. While you’re at it, turn the water heater down to 120 degrees for more money savings—and to ensure no one gets burned by water that’s too hot.
10. Plug air leaks around your house. Air leaks waste tons of energy, but they’re easy and inexpensive to take care of. Simply install weatherstripping and caulk around windows, doors, electrical outlets, and plumbing penetrations to stop drafts. Check the attic for leaks too.
11. Stop using chemicals on your lawn and in your garden. Here’s why. One way to reduce the need for chemicals (and lots of watering) is to try xeriscaping. And while you’re in the garden, here are some natural ways to get rid of garden pests too.
12. Save water by installing low-flow showerheads, faucets, and toilets.
13. Select Energy Star appliances when it’s time to purchase new ones. Clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers, dehumidifiers, and more with the Energy Star label incorporate advanced technologies that use 10 to 50 percent less energy and water than standard models—and they work well too!
14. Replace single-pane windows with double-pane ones to reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in the summer. An added bonus: they’ll reduce noise pollution too.
15. Purchase sustainable materials for flooring, furnishings, and other home items. Flooring materials such as cork and bamboo are growing in popularity because they’re attractive, durable, and better for the environment than other options. Wood that bears the Forest Stewardship Council has been harvested using environmentally friendly methods—look for sustainably harvested wood furnishings, decking, and more. And check out TreeHugger’s guide to green furniture for more environmentally friendly furniture options.
Lexicon Consulting, Inc
The Home Know-It-All
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10 Easy Ways to Go Green on Campus 
May 06, 2008
Whether it's through rallies, fundraisers, awareness campaigns, or campus-wide recycling programs, college students across the country are making a concerted effort to lighten their load on the environment.
But you don't need to buy a Prius or single-handedly lead a recycling revolution to do your part to combat climate change. There are small steps you can take that could add up to a big difference.
Here are 10 simple, inexpensive things you can do to go green on campus and reduce your carbon footprint.
1) Buy recycled notebooks (and recycle them when you're done)
Every year, thousands of trees are cut down to make the paper that winds up in the notebooks that throngs of students buy in the back-to-school rush. Save a few trees this year and go with recycled notebooks instead. You can find affordable recycled notebooks and other green supplies online at The Green Office or Green Earth Office Supply.
2) Buy used textbooks instead of new (and sell them back at the end of the year)
Even more trees are cut down to make those 1,500-page, five-pound college textbooks that cost you hundreds of dollars each year. Kill two birds with one stone by buying usedwhenever you can - you'll save trees and money.
3) Replace your light bulbs with CFLs (and turn them off when you don't need them)
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. Although CFLs can sometimes cost a little more initially than standard bulbs (starting at about $2.00 each), you'll save money in the long run: A single 18-watt CFL used in place of a 75-watt incandescent will save about 570 kWh over its lifetime - at 8 cents a kWh, that adds up to a $45 savings per bulb.
Not paying for your own electricity in your dorm? Then think about the environmental benefits instead: According to ENERGY STAR, the joint program of the U.S. Department of Energy and the EPA, "If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR-qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars."
4) Set up recycling bins in your dorm or apartment
College dorms can be havens of waste and excess, strewn with empty soda cans, pizza boxes, and glass and plastic bottles, all of which can end up in the trash instead of the recycling bin.
Let's face it: Not everyone is going to make an effort or go out of their way to be green. Even if your school has a recycling program set up on campus, recyclables may end up in the trash if the recycling containers are too much of a trek from the dorms.
So make it easy for your roommates and dormmates: Talk to your school about putting recycling bins in the dorms. If you live in an apartment off-campus, ask the leasing office about setting up recycling canisters next to the trash bins. The more convenient recycling becomes, the more likely people are to recycle.
5) Invest in a bicycle (and save on gas)
This is another one of those two-for-one deals where you can help the environment and yourself. By ditching that smog-spewing car or truck for a bicycle whenever your destination's in biking distance, you'll be polluting less and saving on gas at the same time - and with gas at $3.50 a gallon and rising, those savings will add up fast.
Not only that, but when you start biking, you'll be getting a great workout and doing your body a world of good.
6) Think Craigslist, not the mall
Of course it's fun to splurge on new stuff for yourself every once in a while, whether it's a new game for your Wii or a new outfit for Friday night. But every time you buy new, you're adding to your carbon footprint - all the energy and materials that went into manufacturing, packing, and shipping your new purchase produced greenhouse gases.
When you re-use by buying secondhand instead, you'll be cutting down on carbon costs andsaving money in the process.
The next time you're looking to treat yourself to something "new," skip the mall and browseCraigslist. If you can't find what you're looking for there, try eBay. Someone else's "used" can still be new-to-you and earth-friendly too.
7) Install low-flow showerheads
Depending on your current showerhead, making the switch to a low-flow model could save you two to four gallons of water each minute you're in the shower.
If you live in the dorms, ask your school's facilities department about installing low-flow showerheads - your school could save big on its water bill, so the move works out to your school's advantage. If you're living off-campus, call your leasing office or utility company. Some utility companies even give away low-flow showerheads for free, so make sure you ask about any incentives or discounts.
8) Don't buy bottled water
That bottle of water may be convenient and portable and healthier than a can of Coke, but think about all the energy it takes to make that plastic bottle, ship it from the mountain springs of New Zealand, Fiji, or Norway, and then recycle it.
Just supplying Americans with plastic water bottles for one year consumes more than 47 million gallons of oil, according to the Container Recycling Institute - enough to take 100,000 cars off the road and 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere!
And each year, more than 1 billion plastic water bottles end up in the trash in California alone, taking 1,000 years to biodegrade.
Not to mention how much you're paying per ounce for that convenience of a bottle of water. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, bottled water costs 240 to 10,000 times more than tap water.
To have your water on hand, buy a re-usable bottle and fill it with water right from your tap. You'll get your water fix and save money without contributing to bottled-water waste.
http://www.nextstudent.com/the-students-blog/archive/2008/05/06/10-easy-ways-to-go-green-on-campus.aspx
Hate the taste of tap water? We don't blame you. Buy a Brita filter for your faucet to remove taste-killing impurities, and you'll get that great-tasting water you're looking for.
1. Unplug your power tools. Figure out which cordless tools (like drill/drivers) get the most use, then unplug the chargers on all the rest. Most cordless tools have nickel cadmium (NiCad) batteries, which will hold some charge for up to a year. They lose 15 to 20 percent of their juice each month, but only take a couple of hours to power up again. Newer tools with lithium ion batteries lose just 2 to 5 percent of their charge each month, so they'll be ready to go even if you haven't charged them in ages.
2. Spread sawdust on your floor. Take the superfine shavings captured by your dust collection system, wet them down, then push them around with a stiff broom to sweep your concrete garage or workshop floor. The mix is as good as a power-guzzling shop vac at picking up dust but doesn't swirl it into the air.
3. Up the wattage on lights. Where you still use incandescent bulbs (with dimmers or three-ways) on multiple fixtures in a room, try consolidating. One 100-watt incandescent emits more light than two 60-watt bulbs combined but requires 17 percent less power. The 100-watter also uses the same energy as four 25-watt bulbs, but pumps out twice as much light. Just be sure your bulbs don't exceed the maximum wattage recommendation for each fixture. This Old House: Energy-saving bulbs
4. Eat your leftover take-out. Then save the plastic containers it came in--which can't be recycled in most municipal waste systems--and use them to organize your nails, screws, and leftover paints. Not only does their tight seal help preserve solvents, but the see-through containers stack neatly and display contents clearly. For added strength, double up the thin ones.
5. Save used paint thinner. After cleaning oil-based finishes from brushes and tools, allow the dirty solvent to sit overnight. The sludge will settle to the bottom of the jar, leaving a layer of clear thinner on top. Carefully decant the clear thinner into a clean jar, and reseal it for future use. Be sure to dispose of the leftover sludge at a hazardous-waste-disposal site--never down a sink drain or into a street gutter.
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6. Mix it up in the garage. Combine all those cans of leftover white paint that inevitably collect after you decorate the house and use them to paint the garage or workshop. (Make sure only to mix latex with latex and oils with oils.) You'll keep the stuff out of the trash, and by adding the semi-glosses to the flats and eggshells, you'll end up with a sheen that's easy to clean.
7. Turn things on their heads. Store paint cans upside down so the solvents--which separate and rise to the top--get trapped under the bottom of the can. Not only will paint last longer, but solvents won't be able to slowly seep out through the lid this way.
8. Take charge of your charges. Invest in an inexpensive battery tester, then set up a "battery center" where you can store new cells, check used ones for power, and set aside those that have burned out and have to be recycled. A designated collection spot will deter you from throwing bad batteries in the garbage. Once or twice a year, you just take the pile to your town's recycling center.
Kitchen
9. Take your fridge's temperature. Stick an appliance thermometer in a glass of water in the center of your refrigerator, or between frozen goods in the freezer, overnight. Your fridge temp should be between 37 and 40 degrees F (no more, to keep bacteria at bay); your freezer between zero and 5 degrees. If either compartment is too cold, adjust the setting, since keeping them just 10 degrees colder than necessary can boost your energy consumption by up to 25 percent.
10. Freeze your assets. Slip a dollar bill between the rubber gasket on your freezer and fridge doors and the frame, then close the door and tug on the buck. Notice any resistance? If not, the seal's not tight enough and cold air is probably leaking out, making your fridge work harder to stay cool. Try this on all four sides of the door.
If necessary, call the manufacturer's service department to find out how to replace the gasket.
11. Throw a dinner party. And clear out that second fridge or freezer in the garage or basement. Then banish the appliance to the recycling center. Getting rid of either one can save you more than $200 a year, especially if it's an old, inefficient model. This Old House: House-part recycling centers
12. Invite your biggest buddy over. Ask him to help you move your fridge out of direct sunlight or away from the range. The heat from either will force a refrigerator compressor to gobble up more energy than necessary. A fridge uses up to 2.5 percent more power for each degree the surrounding temperature is above 70 degrees. So moving it out of a 90-degree spot can save you as much as $70 a year. If you can't move it, at least block any sunny window with curtains and put as big a buffer as you can between it and the range.
13. Use the dishwasher. Doing a full load in your machine is far more efficient than washing the same number of dishes by hand. This is especially true if you have an Energy Star dishwasher, which requires an average of 4 gallons of water per load, compared with the 24 gallons it takes to do them in the sink. Using one will save you 5,000 gallons of water, $40 in utility costs, and 230 hours of your time each year.
Bathroom
14. Turn your toilet tank blue. Or green or red. Pour food coloring into the water in the tank, wait two hours, then check to see if any color has seeped into the bowl. If it has, your tank's flapper is leaking, either from mineral buildup or worn parts. After you flush the dye away so it doesn't stain, head to the hardware store for a replacement flapper assembly (then go to thisoldhouse.com for instructions on how to install it). Toilet leaks waste up to a gallon of water per minute. That's more than 43,000 gallons a month.
15. Run the shower. Place a 1-gallon bucket under the running water, then see how long it takes for it to fill up. If it's less than 20 seconds, replace the showerhead with one that sprays 1.5 gallons per minute. That could save as much as 14,600 gallons of water a year--especially if you limit your showers to 10 minutes. It will also save you $22 on your annual water bill, and $150 per year on water heating.
16. Go from scalding to just hot. Turn your water heater's temperature setting down from the standard 140 degrees F to 120 degrees. Not only will this save you some bucks, it'll also slow down mineral buildup and corrosion, prolonging the life of your tank. Since a new water heater costs about $900 installed, each additional year of use saves you money as well.
17. End the water torture. One drip per second from a leaky faucet or pipe can waste up to 5 gallons of water a day--and 1,800 gallons a year. While you won't notice much of an increase on your water bill (around $3 annually), if an overlooked leak soaks through your kitchen floor, you could wind up with a $1,000 repair job--money that could have been saved by simply replacing a 50-cent washer. This Old House: When faucets drip and toilets run
Entries
18. Wipe your feet. Equip your exterior doors with a series of mats--or one long "walk-off" mat--so everyone enters with clean shoes. As long as there's room for five steps on the mats, you'll drastically reduce the amount of grime tracked in. That means fewer pathogens that cause disease and less chemical cleanup. It will also mean improved indoor air quality, since dirt embedded in a carpet can become airborne when it's tromped on or agitated by a vacuum.
Basement/laundry
19. Reach behind your clothes washer. Turn down the hot water tap for the washing machine so less goes into the warm-water cycle. Perspiration and most other dirt dislodge best at body temperature, so you don't need water that's warmer than 100 degrees. Since most washers simply open both the hot and cold taps to make "warm" water, it may take longer to fill the machine. But you'll save about $40 annually on your water-heating bill.
20. Spend more time in the basement. Make sure furnace filters in forced-air systems are clean. Dirty furnace filters restrict airflow and increase energy use. Cleaning them, or swapping them out each month during the winter, can save you up to 5 percent on your heating costs. Also schedule an annual checkup before the heat comes on to see that the furnace is properly calibrated.
Living areas
21. Listen to your mother. And put on a sweater. That way you can turn down your thermostat this winter. Adjust it by just one degree for eight hours a day, and you could save 1 percent on your monthly heating bills. Do it for 24 hours and save 3 percent. Try setting the temp at 70 degrees during the day and 62 at night during winter (and 78 or higher come summer). Heating and air-conditioning account for nearly half the energy used in our homes, so every little bit less you use makes a dent.22. Worship the sun. Or at least use it to your advantage. Open blinds or drapes to let in natural solar heat on cold days, then close them once the sun sets, and you can reduce your heating bills by 10 percent. You can also cut your cooling costs by up to 33 percent in the summer by blocking out sunlight with exterior blinds, shutters, or awnings. To keep rooms bright, paint or paper with light or reflective colors.
COPYRIGHT © 2009 THIS OLD HOUSE VENTURES, INC.
Around Your Home (in order from easiest to accomplish to hardest—although I’d say they’re all pretty darn easy).
1. Unplug household appliances and electronics (like the coffee maker, toaster, and cell phone charger) when they’re not in use. Even if they’re not on, appliances that are plugged in use energy. In fact, as much as 40 percent of all electricity is used to power home appliances that are turned off!
Then, of course, there’s recycling. Recycle everything you possibly can—plastic, paper, bottles, cans, you name it. It’s important to recycle electronics, batteries, toxic household items, and more as well. Learn where to recycle. Oh, and buy recycled too—all sorts of household items from carpeting to dog beds to paper products are available with recycled content.
The Home Know-It-All
10 Easy Ways to Go Green on Campus
May 06, 2008Whether it's through rallies, fundraisers, awareness campaigns, or campus-wide recycling programs, college students across the country are making a concerted effort to lighten their load on the environment.
But you don't need to buy a Prius or single-handedly lead a recycling revolution to do your part to combat climate change. There are small steps you can take that could add up to a big difference.
Here are 10 simple, inexpensive things you can do to go green on campus and reduce your carbon footprint.
1) Buy recycled notebooks (and recycle them when you're done)
Every year, thousands of trees are cut down to make the paper that winds up in the notebooks that throngs of students buy in the back-to-school rush. Save a few trees this year and go with recycled notebooks instead. You can find affordable recycled notebooks and other green supplies online at The Green Office or Green Earth Office Supply.
2) Buy used textbooks instead of new (and sell them back at the end of the year)
Even more trees are cut down to make those 1,500-page, five-pound college textbooks that cost you hundreds of dollars each year. Kill two birds with one stone by buying usedwhenever you can - you'll save trees and money.
3) Replace your light bulbs with CFLs (and turn them off when you don't need them)
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. Although CFLs can sometimes cost a little more initially than standard bulbs (starting at about $2.00 each), you'll save money in the long run: A single 18-watt CFL used in place of a 75-watt incandescent will save about 570 kWh over its lifetime - at 8 cents a kWh, that adds up to a $45 savings per bulb.
Not paying for your own electricity in your dorm? Then think about the environmental benefits instead: According to ENERGY STAR, the joint program of the U.S. Department of Energy and the EPA, "If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR-qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars."
4) Set up recycling bins in your dorm or apartment
College dorms can be havens of waste and excess, strewn with empty soda cans, pizza boxes, and glass and plastic bottles, all of which can end up in the trash instead of the recycling bin.
Let's face it: Not everyone is going to make an effort or go out of their way to be green. Even if your school has a recycling program set up on campus, recyclables may end up in the trash if the recycling containers are too much of a trek from the dorms.
So make it easy for your roommates and dormmates: Talk to your school about putting recycling bins in the dorms. If you live in an apartment off-campus, ask the leasing office about setting up recycling canisters next to the trash bins. The more convenient recycling becomes, the more likely people are to recycle.
5) Invest in a bicycle (and save on gas)
This is another one of those two-for-one deals where you can help the environment and yourself. By ditching that smog-spewing car or truck for a bicycle whenever your destination's in biking distance, you'll be polluting less and saving on gas at the same time - and with gas at $3.50 a gallon and rising, those savings will add up fast.
Not only that, but when you start biking, you'll be getting a great workout and doing your body a world of good.
6) Think Craigslist, not the mall
Of course it's fun to splurge on new stuff for yourself every once in a while, whether it's a new game for your Wii or a new outfit for Friday night. But every time you buy new, you're adding to your carbon footprint - all the energy and materials that went into manufacturing, packing, and shipping your new purchase produced greenhouse gases.
When you re-use by buying secondhand instead, you'll be cutting down on carbon costs andsaving money in the process.
The next time you're looking to treat yourself to something "new," skip the mall and browseCraigslist. If you can't find what you're looking for there, try eBay. Someone else's "used" can still be new-to-you and earth-friendly too.
7) Install low-flow showerheads
Depending on your current showerhead, making the switch to a low-flow model could save you two to four gallons of water each minute you're in the shower.
If you live in the dorms, ask your school's facilities department about installing low-flow showerheads - your school could save big on its water bill, so the move works out to your school's advantage. If you're living off-campus, call your leasing office or utility company. Some utility companies even give away low-flow showerheads for free, so make sure you ask about any incentives or discounts.
8) Don't buy bottled water
That bottle of water may be convenient and portable and healthier than a can of Coke, but think about all the energy it takes to make that plastic bottle, ship it from the mountain springs of New Zealand, Fiji, or Norway, and then recycle it.
Just supplying Americans with plastic water bottles for one year consumes more than 47 million gallons of oil, according to the Container Recycling Institute - enough to take 100,000 cars off the road and 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere!
And each year, more than 1 billion plastic water bottles end up in the trash in California alone, taking 1,000 years to biodegrade.
Not to mention how much you're paying per ounce for that convenience of a bottle of water. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, bottled water costs 240 to 10,000 times more than tap water.
To have your water on hand, buy a re-usable bottle and fill it with water right from your tap. You'll get your water fix and save money without contributing to bottled-water waste.
http://www.nextstudent.com/the-students-blog/archive/2008/05/06/10-easy-ways-to-go-green-on-campus.aspx
Don't Miss
COPYRIGHT © 2009 THIS OLD HOUSE VENTURES, INC.
10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green
How can we live lightly on the Earth and save money at the same time? Staff members at the Worldwatch Institute, a global environmental organization, share ideas on how to GO GREEN and SAVE GREEN at home and at work.
Climate change is in the news. It seems like everyone's "going green." We're glad you want to take action, too. Luckily, many of the steps we can take to stop climate change can make our lives better. Our grandchildren-and their children-will thank us for living more sustainably. Let's start now.
We've partnered with the Million Car Carbon Campaign to help you find ways to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint. This campaign is uniting conscious consumers around the world to prevent the emissions-equivalent of 1 million cars from entering the atmosphere each year.
Keep reading for 10 simple things you can do today to help reduce your environmental impact, save money, and live a happier, healthier life.
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Save energy to save money.
- Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.
- Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.
- Unplug appliances when you're not using them. Or, use a "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use.
- Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
- Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.
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Save water to save money.
- Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.
- Install a low-flow showerhead. They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.
- Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.
- Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.
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Less gas = more money (and better health!).
- Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.
- Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.
- Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.
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Eat smart.
- If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it's even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.
- Buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can. Purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy.
- Watch videos about why local food and sustainable seafood are so great.
- Whatever your diet, eat low on the food chain [pdf]. This is especially true for seafood.
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Skip the bottled water.
- Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.
- Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.
- Check out this short article for the latest on bottled water trends.
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Think before you buy.
- Go online to find new or gently used secondhand products. Whether you've just moved or are looking to redecorate, consider a service like craigslist orFreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items cheaply or for free.
- Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.
- When making purchases, make sure you know what's "Good Stuff" and what isn't.
- Watch a video about what happens when you buy things. Your purchases have a real impact, for better or worse.
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Borrow instead of buying.
- Borrow from libraries instead of buying personal books and movies. This saves money, not to mention the ink and paper that goes into printing new books.
- Share power tools and other appliances. Get to know your neighbors while cutting down on the number of things cluttering your closet or garage.
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Buy smart.
- Buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.
- Wear clothes that don't need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.
- Invest in high-quality, long-lasting products. You might pay more now, but you'll be happy when you don't have to replace items as frequently (and this means less waste!).
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Keep electronics out of the trash.
- Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible.
- Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxics and is a growing environmental problem.
- Recycle your cell phone.
- Ask your local government to set up an electronics recycling and hazardous waste collection event.
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Make your own cleaning supplies.
- The big secret: you can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap.
- Making your own cleaning products saves money, time, and packaging-not to mention your indoor air quality.
Thanks to members of SustainUS, the U.S. youth network for sustainable development, for contributing their ideas on how to go green and save green at home and at work.
1. Park It
When running errands, opt to park your car and go inside instead of using the drive-thru. The EPA estimates that for every minute the average car engine idles, it emits 6 to 7 grams of pollutants into the atmosphere.
That means that if one million drivers turned off their cars, rather than idled unnecessarily, for just two minutes per week for an entire year, these harmful emissions would be reduced by more than 750 tons. And don’t forget that for every two minutes your car idles, it uses roughly the same amount of fuel you’d use to travel one mile. What a waste of gas!
By replacing just one meal a week with a vegetarian option, you can save on carbon emissions. Photo: 8coupons.com
2. Eat Your Veggies
If you’re part of the meat-eating percentage of the population, consider going meatless for just one meal a week. It’s been estimated that 18 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with meat consumption, including raising the livestock and processing, packaging and shipping the products.
The Environmental Defense Fund estimates that if every American substituted a vegetarian dish for a meat dish for just one meal per week, the carbon dioxide reduction would be roughly equivalent to taking more than one-half million cars off the roads.
3. Go Electronic
One of the easiest ways to reduce your household’s paper consumption is by paying your bills online and receiving statements via e-mail. Taking advantage of paperless programs at your bank or utility company means you’ll save money on stamps, eliminate paper waste and always have easy access to your account information and payment history.
4. Power Down
The fossil fuels burned to provide a single home with electricity put more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. Use less energy by turning off lights and unplugging appliances when you don’t need them.
Even a cell phone charger continues to use energy when plugged in, whether your cell phone is charging or not. If you use a power strip, you can turn off several appliances with the flip of just one switch. Bonus points: Each time you wear out an appliance, replace it with a more energy-efficient model.
5. Check Your Temperature
Sometimes a small change in temperature can have big results. Try keeping your thermostat one to two degrees warmer in the summer and one to two degrees cooler in the winter. This will lower your electricity bill and save a wealth of energy over the course of the year.
Also, adjust your refrigerator thermostat to save additional energy. Storing food at the recommended temperatures – 37 to 40 degrees F for the fresh food compartment and 5 degrees F for the frozen food compartment – will guarantee your refrigerator doesn’t work harder than it has to and make it last even longer.
In nice weather, open windows instead of using lamps and air conditioning. Photo: Bestgreenhometips.com
6. See the Light
In good weather, you can use natural light to your advantage by opening windows and drawing back curtains, rather than lighting your house 24/7 with lamps and ceiling lights. In hot weather, use heavy curtains or shades to block out the heat and prevent your AC from working overtime.
For those times you do need artificial light, consider using compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. CFLs use 50 to 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and can last up to 10 times longer. Just as with rechargeable batteries, CFLs cost more upfront, but a single bulb could save you $40 to $50 in its lifetime.
7. Clean Conservatively
By taking shorter and fewer showers you can save thousands of gallons of water each year. An ordinary shower head flows 5 gallons of water per minute, so if you take a five-minute shower instead of a 10-minute one you’ll save 25 gallons of water. Other ways to save water include running full loads through your dishwasher and laundry washing machine. Bonus points: Use cold water and cold-water detergents to save energy, and use a dryer rack instead of the mechanical dryer once a week.
8. Get Charged
Another simple way to eliminate waste and save money is to make the switch to rechargeable batteries. Even though their initial cost is higher, rechargeable batteries can be recharged hundred of times before they go bad, meaning they could last for years longer than the disposable kind and save you significant cash in the long run. Remember to responsibly recycle dead batteries, both rechargeable and disposable.
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