Bright Idea
It's Time to See the Light
Switch from your feverish incandescent bulbs to chill fluorescent ones to save over $30 in energy costs per light bulb. The fluorescent light bulbs are four times more efficient than the standard ones, if you replace five of your most frequently used light bulbs you will save about $60 a year.
Experts believe that if every American household replaced 3 standard light bulbs with compact fluorescents, the energy savings would be somewhere near the equivalent of taking 3 million cars off the road.
Reduce your usage! If you leave a room, turn of the lights. Make it habit and you’ll be glad you did.
By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.
Easy Ways to Make your Home and Garden Greener
Making your home and garden green isn’t nearly as difficult as you might think. There are many simple steps you can take to reduce your household’s impact on the environment.
You can reduce your overall energy and water usage, as well as your emission of greenhouse gases, by using appliances recommended by Energy Star, a joint program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2006, thanks to the Energy Star program, Americans saved an enormous amount of energy—equal to the greenhouse gas emissions of 25 million cars—at the same time saving $14 billion on their utility bills.
Don’t throw away those leftovers! You can save landfill space and also make your own rich potting soil by composting your organic food scraps. Did you know that the average person throws out 1,500 pounds of garbage every year? If you compost, you can reduce that number by over 1,000 pounds! And the compost will make a terrific fertilizer for your garden. Use it instead of peat--the bogs from which peat is taken is home to all sorts of wildlife, and their habitat is destroyed by the harvesting.
Grow your own…fruits and vegetables, that is. At the height of World War II, 40% of the produce that American civilians ate at home came from private “victory gardens” planted in backyards, schools and other public areas. The less your food needs to be trucked around, the less it costs to bring it to your table. It also helps reduce the fuels that would be burned to bring it to market. If you don’t have the space (or inclination), try to stick with locally grown produce for all the same reasons.
Every year, human beings use somewhere between 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags, more than a million every minute. In addition, nearly three million tons of plastic is used every year just for bottled water, and most of those bottles (80%!) don’t get recycled.
There are many ways you can cut down on your use of plastic. Instead of garbage bags, just empty your trash directly into the garbage can. Or if you can’t deal with that, try using recycled or biodegradable bags. And skip the bag every chance you get—at the grocery store, at the dry cleaners, wherever! Also, consider buying things in larger containers—a one gallon bottle uses a lot less plastic than four quart bottles. And remember when you used to drink water out of a glass? Try it again…not every drop of water you drink needs to come out of a bottle!
Toilets are usually the #1 source of water use inside your home. Some older toilets use as much as five times more water than newer, more water-efficient models. Install an ultra-low-flush toilet, or if you still have one of those older toilets, try placing something in the tank (a brick, a plastic bottle filled with water, etc.) to take up the volume and use less water every time the tank fills up.
In terms of overall surface area, grass is the single most irrigated crop in the United States, according to satellite photos courtesy of NASA. Worldwide, there are approximately 40 million acres of lawns covering the land, and we use about 240 gallons of water per person, per day, to keep them green and pretty. And not surprisingly, we generally over-water our lawns. Hove you ever considered switching to less thirsty landscaping? There are a multitude of options.
Showers are also a big source of water waste. Installing a low-flow showerhead can make a big difference. Another great way is to collect rainwater (in buckets, barrels, etc.) and use that in whatever way you see fit. It’s free!
If you’re feeling more ambitious, you can try installing a gray water system to irrigate your plants with water from your sinks, laundry and showers that would otherwise be wasted. A tankless water heater is another option that saves three ways—you save water and energy because your hot water heater isn’t constantly keeping so many gallons of water hot, plus you’ll reduce your carbon dioxide emissions!
There are a number of safe ways to get rid of common household insects; ants, roaches, fleas and even termites can be taken care of without using harsh pesticides which can be hazardous, not only to the environment, but to your own health! According to a 1995 study in the American Journal of Public Health, kids who grew up in places where chemical pesticides and weed killers were found to be four times more likely to develop cancer.
Boric acid is a natural product that works well against roaches, ants and fleas. IMPORTANT WARNING! Boric acid can be toxic if ingested by pets or small children, so be careful how you use it.
Keeping your house squeaky clean is also a great deterrent. These insects come searching for food—if you don’t leave little crumbs lying around, and you keep your food well sealed and your garbage outside, they’re less likely to come a calling.
And make sure all your cracks and crevices, outlets and orifices are sealed, also. Not only will this keep the bugs out, it will also help keep energy costs related to cooling and heating your home down.
Speaking of bugs, did you know that ladybugs eat thousands of different garden and crop pests? They were originally brought to North America from Australia in the 1880s, specifically for the purpose of saving the citrus crop in California. Just one ladybug can eat more than 1,000 aphids in a day!
Other simple ways to reduce your energy usage include…
…switching from incandescent to compact fluorescent bulbs.
…driving less, either by car-pooling or using mass transit.
…switching to a hybrid, or maybe downsizing your vehicle.
…using a clothesline or drying rack to dry your laundry instead of a gas or electric dryer.
…buying used instead of new. Whether it’s a car, a house, antique furniture or a vintage suit or gown, “previously owned items” require no “new” energy to be expended.
…using non-toxic cleaners. Instead of just buying whatever’s “on sale,” try using non-toxic, organic dish soap, laundry detergent and cleaning products. Companies which specialize in environmentally friendly products include SafeNow, Begley’s and 7th Generation.
…installing motion detectors for outside lighting instead of leaving them on.
…remembering to ALWAYS turn off all lights, appliances, computers and other electrical devices when not in use. Also, many devices use electricity whenever they are plugged in, even when they are switched off…use power-strips to turn off the power completely.
…using a dishwasher instead of the sink to wash dishes (you’ll use less water and energy), always making sure to wait until you’ve filled the dishwasher to capacity.
…keeping the freezer full. The frozen items keep the temperature down and keep each other colder.
…insulating your hot water pipes. The less energy that you waste when it leaks out, the less you’ll use.
…replacing dark roof tiles and shingles with white or light-colored ones. Your house will reflect back the sun instead of absorbing it, reducing your cooling costs.
…installing solar panels, and selling the surplus energy back to your local utility.
For more suggestions, get on the web! Treehugger.com, Campaignearth.org, lowimpactliving.com and thegreenguide.com are just a few of the many web sites which offer helpful hints and suggestions for ways you can reduce your environmental impact.
Home Improvement Projects
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Whether building a new home or remodeling an existing one, every decision you make has consequences to the environment. When remodeling, responsible dismantling and disposal are just as important as planning for the addition or renovation. Generally, a home should not exceed what you need. Construction and design should include the application of non-toxic, renewable and low-impact materials and technologies to the fullest extent possible.
build.recycle.net
buildinggreen.com
greenhomebuilding.com
greenbuilder.com/sourcebook
salvageweb.com
ENERGY
Nationally, our reliance primarily on fossel fuels for electricity has taken a sizeable toll on the environment. The burning of fossel fuels such as coal, gas and oil is the leading man-made cause of ozone depleting CO2 and the second leading cause of smog-forming nitrogen oxide. Massive hydro-power dams have forever altered the natural flow of rivers and devastated native fish populations by inhibiting their migration. Conserving energy at home and work, and switching to renewable, clean energy sources will help to diminish the need for, and the effects of, dirty and nature-altering sources of power.
doityourself.com/doors/more.htm
energystar.gov/products
green-e.org
OUTDOORS
Natural and organic gardening and lawn care will go a long way toward keeping your home environment and our planet healthy. Planning landscapes and gardens that are low maintenance and use plants native to the area will reduce the water they require beyond that provided by average, regional precipitation. When fertilization or pest management is called for, applying organic treatments will assist the survival of all living things in the air, soil and water around your home.
beyondpesticides.org
organicgardening.com/steps
richsoil.com/lawn
GREEN CLEANING
Cleaning products can be harmful by way of contact, inhalation or ingestion.
Collectively, we dump 32 million pounds of toxic chemistry down our drains each day, just from household cleaning chemicals. If dangerous chemicals are present, vegetation, wildlife and water quality can be affected. Transitioning to green cleaning is the best way to ensure a safe and healthy environment. Baking soda, vinegar, salt, lemon juice and olive oil are just some of the ingredients that can be combined to safely and effectively clean your home from top to bottom.
epa.gov/grtlakes/seahome/housewaste/house/products.htm
es.epa.gov/techinfo/facts/safe-fs.html
FOOD
To achieve sustainable agriculture and protect the food supply, our agricultural practices must succeed in protecting area, biodiversity, topsoil, water supply and livestock health.
Consumer buying trends will determine what will drive the policy that regulates agriculture. Some things you can do is to buy organic, read the label, buy local produce in season and avoid overpackaged items whenever possible.
foodnews.org
localharvest.org
theorganicreport.org
truefoodnow.org/shoppersguide
veg.ca/living/veg-position-paper.html
BEAUTY
The cosmetics industry continues to be woefully underregulated. You should read the labels of all personal-care products. Soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, lip balms, beauty products, sunblock, sexual lubricants, literally anything that touches or enters your body regardless of their source. Products that are billed as “natural” or “hypoallergenic” may be as likely as conventional products to have negative long-term effects. In recent years environmental groups have advocated limiting exposure to a number of chemicals in personal-care products, such as DEA, TEA, bronopal, padimate-O, ethoxylated alcohols, 1, 4-dioxane, artificial colors and fragrances, and formaldehyde—believed to cause dermatitis or cancer.
TRANSPORTATION
It’s been said that driving a car is the single most polluting thing the average person does in a day. Biking, walking, ride sharing, consolidating trips and taking public transportation when feasible are alternatives that pay big dividends to the environment. When using your car, here are a few ways to conserve transportation fuel: observe the speed limit, do not idle, keep your speed consistent, stick to the suggested written maintenance schedule, and keep your tires inflated properly.
erideshare.com
vanpool.com
fueleconomy.gov
epa.gov/greenvehicles
greenercars.com/bestof
