Go Green: Save the Planet & your Wallet

Transcription

1 2009 Go Green: Save the Planet & your Wallet Going green doesn t have to be hard. In fact why shouldn t going green be friendly on your bank account in addition to the planet? The planet needs our help, but at the same time, you can put some green back in your wallet as well. Inside are a few things you can do to save money and go green Brenda Gandy Ext. Educator FCS/4 H Stephens County Oklahoma State University 2/17/2009

2 Easy things you can do to Go Green, and Save Money! Get started by learning the three R s of environmental responsibility Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The environment is now on everyone s minds. How can you go green at home? Here are 10 simple steps to green up your life and change the planet. 1. Buy Only What You Need Plain and simple don t over purchase. Less money spent is money saved. However, when buying items that you use daily or in large quantities, consider buying in bulk. You will save money and packaging. Consider splitting bulk purchases with neighbors or friends to get that savings but not the full quantity of the purchase. Sometimes we can t always use 50 rolls of toilet paper! 2. Recycle, Recycle, Recycle! Earth 911 offers recycling, reuse and proper disposal options for over 250 different materials. Everything from plastic bags to construction materials. Remodeling? Don t forget to look for recycling and reuse programs for your household items windows, doors, tile, etc. New technology has enabled some companies to recycle old porcelain toilets and tubs into beautiful counter tops and tile. Don t forget the last step in the recycling loop buy recycled! In order for recycling to be sustainable, we need to purchase recycled content materials! Look for and purchase postconsumer recycled content packaging and products whenever possible. 3. Change a Light, Change the World When your incandescent light bulbs stop working, replace them with the new, energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) CFLs use 2/3 less energy than traditional incandescent light bulbs and last 10 times as long! Making this switch will save you money AND energy! Some incandescent light bulbs may contain mercury, so remember to dispose of both properly at your local household hazardous waste facility. Take the U.S. EPA s ENERGY STAR pledge, to save energy and help reduce the risks of global climate change by replacing at least one light in your home with an ENERGY STAR qualified one. 4. Bag It Up the Green Way Plastic bags are getting the thumbs down in several communities around the country because of litter problems. When going to the store, consider bagging your own groceries in cloth, reusable bags. Many stores sell reusable bags and charge to provide plastic grocery bags. Save a plastic tree (and petroleum) use a cloth bag! When walking your dog and cleaning up after then, use a biodegradable bag rather than a plastic bag.

3 If you decide to use plastic bags, remember to recycle them. Thousands of locations are available across the country use Earth 911 to locate a recycling location near you! 5. Green Your Gadgets Electronics become outdated so much more quickly than 10 or 20 years ago. To insure you are responsible with your gadgets, consider doing the following: o Resist the urge to upgrade every time a newer or cooler gadget comes out. Reduce at the source you save money and the time (and frustration) to learn how to operate and program the new gadget! o Donate working electronics to charities or school programs resell or refurbish them. o Completely broken? Recycle! Electronics are the new hot item being recycled across the country. o Refill or recycle your inkjet or toner cartridges o Close the recycling loop and buy recycled, post consumer content paper for your printer. Most local office supply stores, such as Staples, offer a growing selection of environmentally friendly papers. o Keep in mind even computer game equipment and ipods now have reuse and recycling programs available. G4 TV, in partnership with Earth 911, offers a new campaign encouraging e gadget reuse and recycling. 6. Make Every Drop Count Even though 70 percent of the world is covered by water, conserve all that we can. Turn off the water faucet when brushing your teeth. Use your dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full. Avoid small, partial loads. Compost food scraps instead of using your garbage disposal. You ll save gallons of water every time and have a great soil amendment for your garden. Clean your driveway or sidewalk with a broom instead of hosing it down with water. You ll save at least 80 gallons of water every time. Don t use running water to thaw food. Stop buying bottled water. 7. Turn Up the Savings A few degrees can make all the difference in your energy savings and your wallet. In the summer raise your thermostat two degrees. In the winter lower your thermostat two degrees. You probably won t notice the difference, at least until your utility bill arrives! Use a ceiling fan to cool off a room or house. It consumes as little energy as a 60 watt bulb, which is about 98 percent less energy than most central air conditioners. Install a programmable thermostat to better regulate the temperature in your house through the day and night. Remember to recycle your old, mercury containing thermostats! When replacing an appliance, be sure to look for one that is more energy efficient. Always look for the ENERGY STAR symbol and compare water and energy usage to ensure you get the best product and environmental savings to suit your needs.

4 8. Clear the Air Carpool, ride the bus, use public transportation or bike to work Telecommute. Employee productivity will increase. Trip chain! Save fuel and time by planning ahead and consolidating trips into one trip. Also, vow to only go to certain, far away stores less frequently. Keep your tires inflated to the appropriate air pressure level. This will extend the life of your tires and give you better gas mileage. Drive the speed limit. Service your car on a regular basis per the manufacturer guidelines. In the market for a new car? Consider one of the new hybrid or fuel efficient vehicles. 9. Save A Tree Save paper, time and postage; pay your bills online. As the price of paper cards and postage increases, consider ing e cards. There are lots of fun and environmentally friendly e cards and options on the internet. When printing documents, print on both sides of paper. You can cut your paper consumption in almost half. Besides, when printing out a 200 page report, do you REALLY need 200 one sided pages? documents and information instead of printing and mailing them. Save documents on your computer or on a disk instead of in a print copy in your filing cabinet. You ll free up lots of space! 10. Home Sweet Home Clotheslines are making a comeback Dry your clothes on the line instead of in the dryer. They will smell better and you will save money (and get some exercise!). Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. They can be used over and over again and thrown in with your weekly load of towels each week. Make your own less toxic cleaning alternatives using baking soda, soap and vinegar. You will save money and your house won t smell like a hospital! When repainting a room, be sure to look for paint that is low VOC (volatile organic compounds). Several manufacturers now offer VOC paints and they don t leave that paint fume smell! Open the doors and windows to let the fresh air in! Indoor air quality is often times worse than the air outside. Open doors and windows daily to circulate fresh air in and germs and smells out. Source: Earth com/blog.2007/05/07/going green made easy/

5 Going Green Tips & Facts Source: True Green: 100 Everyday Ways You Can Contribute to a Healthier Planet by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin. * The US is the source of a quarter of the world s greenhouse gas emissions. * The average American family uses 102,000 gallons of water and creates 3.3 tons of landfill waste every year. * Recycling an aluminum can uses only 5 percent of the energy required to make a new one. * Every ton of paper recycled saves 60 percent of the energy, 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, and 60 pounds of air pollution. * Reduce your shower time from 10 min. to 5 and save more than 4,200 gallons of water each year while cutting your utility bills. * An average automatic dishwasher can use more than 10.5 gallons of water per cycle; an efficient model uses half that. * Run the dishwasher only when it is full, and save 10 to 20 gallons of water a day. * Keep windows and curtains closed during the day to block out the heat, and then open them at night to let the house cool. * Lighting the average American home generates about two-thirds of a ton of greenhouse gases every year and consumes 20% of the average household s electric bill. * A 20-watt compact fluorescent light provides as much light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb and lasts about 8 times longer. * Every one degree you avoid in external heating by keeping your thermostat down will cut about 5% from your heating bill. * By installing a programmable thermostat, you will enjoy significant energy savings and the thermostat will likely pay for itself in one season. * The energy output of the refrigerators used in just the US is equal to the output of megawatt power plants. * Maximize your fridge s efficiency by making sure the seals work and positioning it in a cool spot. * Cooking in the average US home uses enough energy to generate half a ton of greenhouse gases a year.

6 * Minimize energy by cooking efficiently: reuse hot water, put lids on pots, have dishes simmer rather than boil, and don t preheat the oven. * Use a microwave or toaster oven whenever possible. * The average home contains more chemicals than an early 20th-century chemistry laboratory. * A piece of lumber from a local, sustainable plantation has less environmental impact than imported forest timber. * Whenever possible, buy recycled, secondhand, reclaimed, or waste timber. * Cut heat transfer through windows by a third by installing heavy, lined drapes with pelmets or valances. * Rather than leaving your TV or stereo to consume power when it isn t being used, switch it off at the power source. * Buy power strips with individual switches to manage several appliances, and turn off the equipment that is not being used. * Nationally, 32% of residential outdoor water use is due to lawn care. * The watering of US landscapes, gardens, and lawns uses nearly 8 billion gallons of water daily. * Running a sprinkler for an hour consumes more than 264 gallons of water, and a standard garden hose uses even more. * Conserve water by replacing little-used grass areas, such as your front yard, with a native garden that reduces street noise and increases privacy. * Putting mulch around plants and on lawns can cut the amount of water lost through evaporation by up to 70%. * Every 3.5 ounces of rainfall running off the average home roof can provide enough water for several weeks of total household consumption. * Having your own fruit and vegetable patch is not only a source of guaranteed fresh organic produce but also very eco-efficient. *A kitchen garden can also be a source of fresh herbs for daily cooking. Appreciation expressed to Cathy James, Extension Educator Logan County for sharing of program materials for this lesson.