Rembember that song: “its not easy being green?”
I think Kermit the frog sang it… well, it turns out its easier than Kermie thought to be green. Here’s some tips to help save our planet:
At Home:
| Tip: | Reduce waste and plastic by storing lunches and leftovers in readily available, safer materials such as ceramic, glass or stainless steal. |
| How: | Ceramic and glass are great for food storage because they go from fridge to microwave and back. Stainless steel is ideal when you’re not zapping. |
| Tip: | Unplug chargers (think cell phones and iPods) when they’re not in use. |
| How: | Only 5% of the power drawn by a cell phone charger is used to charge the phone. Chargers can draw “phantom loads” responsible for as much as 40% of your power bill. |
| Tip: | Turn off the faucet to conserve water when brushing your teeth. |
| How: | Turning off the water between brushing & rinses can save at least 2 gallons in one brushing session. |
| Tip: | After the dust settles from cleaning your house, pick up some indoor plants to keep the air you breathe clean and clear. |
| How: | By placing 1 plant for every 10 square yards in your home you’ll create a constant natural air filtration system (especially when you mix in orchids and other night-photosynthesizing plants). |
| Tip: | Thwart plant-destroying slugs without using pesticides by clever plant watering and landscaping techniques. |
| How: | Since slugs are most active in damp nighttime conditions, watering in the AM can reduce slug damage by 80%. The coarse surfaces of lava rocks, gravel, and sharp stones for landscaping also irritate and deter slugs. |
| Tip: | Minimize picnic-related garbage and help reduce crowded landfills. |
| How: | Reusable utensils and cloth tablecloths last longer than plastic or paper ones. And your picnic leftovers make great compost, so pack out what you bring in. Using reusable utensils, plates, cups,… reduces the amount of waste in our landfills. |
| Tip: | Use an electric or reel mower, rather than a high-polluting gas-powered one. |
| How: | Using an electric mower, you’ll pay about $5 per year for the electricity costs. Reel mowers help reduce noise pollution. And, letting grass clippings decompose is a great natural fertilizer. |
| Tip: | Lower cooling costs by limiting your use of an air conditioner or using it moderately. Instead of using the AC, try caulking and sealing ducts, installing ceiling fans, and adding drapes, shutters and awnings to keep out the heat. |
| How: | Using alternative heat reducing techniques can use up to 77% less electricity. Or set your air conditioner thermostat to 78 degrees. |
| Tip: | Outfit your garden with a microdrip irrigation system to reduce the amount of water you use. |
| How: | Microdrip systems use 20% – 50% less water than conventional sprinkler systems and save the average household more than $30 per year. The slow, even distribution of water to the roots of your plants also helps them grow faster. |
Commuting:
| Tip: | Check your tire pressure and keep them properly inflated. |
| How: | Properly inflated tires can save about a tank of gas per year. For every pound of pressure below the recommended levels, fuel economy drops 1%. Low tire pressure wastes over 2 million gallons of gasoline in the United States—every day! |
| Tip: | Lose the junk in your trunk. |
| How: | Hauling an extra 100 pounds reduces fuel economy by up to 2%. Removing extra weight from your vehicle can recapture that efficiency. |
| Tip: | Lighten up, leadfoot. Save gas by reducing your speed – even just a little. |
| How: | On the highway, speeding by just 5 mph can reduce fuel economy by 6%. Slowing down helps you get more from your fuel. |
| Tip: | Crack a window. Instead of using air conditioning, open the windows to cool down your car. |
| How: | Air conditioning can decrease your fuel efficiency by as much as 12% in stop-and-go traffic. (But at high speeds, driving with the windows open can decrease overall vehicle efficiency.) |
| Tip: | Don’t idle. If you’re stopping for more than 10 seconds – except in traffic – turn off your engine. |
| How: | Restarting your engine uses less gas and creates less global warming pollution than idling for 10 seconds. |
| Tip: | Stay tuned up. Make sure that your car’s spark plugs, oxygen sensors, air filters, hoses and belts are in good condition. |
| How: | A well-maintained vehicle can save up to 165 gallons of gas per year. |
| Tip: | Instead of driving to work, ride mass transit or your bike! |
| How: | Leaving your car at home cuts down on global warming pollution. |
At the office:
| Tip: | Use a washable mug for your coffee or water instead of a styrofoam cup. |
| How: | Buy a mug or use a sigg bottle or a nalgene bottle |
| Tip: | Shut it down, and make it e-smart. Turn off your PC at the end of the day and set the power options to use energy more wisely. (Not sure how to set your power options? See www.localcooling.com.) |
| How: | Turning off your computer when not in use can reduce carbon emissions by 44%. |
| Tip: | Pull the plug. When you’re finished charging your phone or BlackBerry, unplug the charger – it only takes a second! |
| How: | Some chargers use just as much electricity when the device is not attached as when it is. Your small effort can help reduce a lot of wasted energy. |
| Tip: | Save the trees by printing only what you need and double-siding your printouts. |
| How: | Every day, American businesses generate enough paper to circle the globe at least 40 times. Plus, Americans throw away enough paper annually to build a wall 12 feet high, stretching from New York City to Los Angeles. (Go to www.cmu.edu/greenpractices/fastfigures to see these earthy facts and more.) |
| Tip: | At lunch and for snacks, use the “real” dishes and cutlery instead of disposables. For coffee, use a travel mug and take it with you. Many places – including Starbucks – give you a discount if you bring your own mug. |
| How: | On average, Americans throw away 10 times their own weight in garbage every year. Cutting your garbage helps keep that weight down. |
| Tip: | Recycle! |
| How: | Recycling 1 ton of paper saves about 6.7 cubic yards of landfill space. Recycling 1 ton of glass saves the equivalent of 9 gallons of fuel oil needed to make glass from scratch. And, recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than making new aluminum. (Go to www.cmu.edu/greenpractises/recycling to see these facts and more reasons to recycle.) |
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