One of the fastest and least expensive ways to save money and the environment is to weatherstrip and caulk the drafts in your home. Weather-stripping and caulking keep drafts from coming in around windows and doors. Also consider installing foam draft blockers behind outlet cover plates if you get drafts through electrical outlets or switches on outside walls. Your annual savings to the planet is 650 lbs. of global warming pollution. The savings for you is about $35.
Insulation keeps your home warmer in winter, cooler in summer. Make sure you have enough insulation to keep your home warm and cool without over-running your electric bill—contact your local utility supplier and ask about a free energy audit. By doing this your annual savings to the planet is 2,000 lbs. of global warming pollution. Your annual savings is $245!!
Heating water requires a lot of electricity. Consider taking these steps in saving money and the planet. Switch to a tankless water heater. Heat your water as you use it instead of keeping a tank of water hot 24 hours a day. If you’re not in the market for a new water heater you can make sure the thermostat on your existing water heater is set to the U.S Department of Energy’s recommendation of 130 degrees. The annual savings for the planet is 300 lbs. of global warming pollution. Your annual savings is $390!!
Another great way to conserve the planet and your wallet is to buy low-flow showerheads. You will still get the same great water pressure you enjoy with much less hot water needed. The annual savings for the planet is 350 lbs. of global warming pollution. Your savings is $150!
If your home is in need of new windows consider buying double-pane windows. They keep more heat inside your home so you use less energy and save money. The annual savings to the planet is a whopping 10,000 lbs. of global warming pollution. Your annual savings would be $436!!
Paper From Paper
Did you know that if every household in the U.S. replaced just one of their 120ct. paper towel rolls with a 100% recycled paper towel roll we would save over 1,000,000 trees!! That's 1 million more trees on the planet to inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. Recycled paper products are just as efficient as non-recycled paper products, and they're cheaper than most leading brands-that's reason enough to make the switch! The company Marcal has been making paper from paper long before you and I ever decided to go green. For more info go to http://www.marcal.com/.
Print a Little Greener
The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year. Think before you print. Think to yourself, can this be saved to favorites online, or can I save a copy to my computer? By doing so could save an unimaginable amount of paper every year, and also clear the clutter on your desk. Also, try printing on both sides of paper, and use the back side of old documents for faxes, or scrap paper. When purchasing paper, a better choice would be chlorine-free paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content. Also, consider switching to a lighter stock of paper or alternatives made from bamboo, hemp, or organic cotton (these are all renewable resources). Recycle toner and ink cartridges and buy remanufactured ones. According to Office Depot, each remanufactured toner cartridge keeps approximately 2.5 pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills, and conserves about a half gallon of oil. Think before you print. Think to yourself, could this be read or stored online instead?
Did you know that if every household in the U.S. replaced just one of their 120ct. paper towel rolls with a 100% recycled paper towel roll we would save over 1,000,000 trees!! That's 1 million more trees on the planet to inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. Recycled paper products are just as efficient as non-recycled paper products, and they're cheaper than most leading brands-that's reason enough to make the switch! The company Marcal has been making paper from paper long before you and I ever decided to go green. For more info go to http://www.marcal.com/.
Print a Little Greener
The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year. Think before you print. Think to yourself, can this be saved to favorites online, or can I save a copy to my computer? By doing so could save an unimaginable amount of paper every year, and also clear the clutter on your desk. Also, try printing on both sides of paper, and use the back side of old documents for faxes, or scrap paper. When purchasing paper, a better choice would be chlorine-free paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content. Also, consider switching to a lighter stock of paper or alternatives made from bamboo, hemp, or organic cotton (these are all renewable resources). Recycle toner and ink cartridges and buy remanufactured ones. According to Office Depot, each remanufactured toner cartridge keeps approximately 2.5 pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills, and conserves about a half gallon of oil. Think before you print. Think to yourself, could this be read or stored online instead?
Green Your Computer Computers in the business world usually waste $1 billion worth of electricity a year.
Make it a habit to turn off your computer—and the power strip it's plugged into—when you leave for the day. Otherwise, you're still burning energy even when your not at work. During the day, setting your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by 70 percent. Screen savers do not save energy!!
At home you can invest in energy-saving computers, monitors, and printers and make sure that old equipment is properly recycled. Look for a recycler that has pledged not to export hazardous e-waste and to follow other safety guidelines. Old computers that still work, and are less than five years old, can be donated to organizations that will refurbish them and find them new homes. (You may even get a tax deduction.)
Brown Bag Your Lunch
Today’s Americans spend over $134 billion a year on fast food. Even though it is convenient, it’s not always cheap. Let’s say you spend $8 every day on a grilled chicken salad and an iced tea at your local Saladworks. That’s $40 a week- and $2,080 a year!
Aside from all the excess money being spent, takeout food packaging is a huge waste of resources. Takeout food packaging creates 1.8 million tons of trash a year in the U.S. alone. Another great way to save the planet, bring your lunch.
Tune Up Your Car
Keep your engine tuned properly. Checking spark plugs, oxygen sensors, air filters, hoses and belts are a few examples of maintenance that can save a vehicle owner up to 165 gallons of gas per year. Have your wheels aligned and keep your tires properly inflated. Low tire pressure wastes over two million gallons of gasoline in the U.S. every day. Keeping your tires properly inflated raises your car's gas mileage by about 3.3 percent.
Easy On The Gas Pedal
You can increase your gas mileage by as much as 50 percent for highway driving (and by five percent for stop-and-go city driving) simply by accelerating and decelerating smoothly and slowly. Aggressive driving, such as mashing down the accelerator or the brake, uses an extra 125 gallons a year on average. Also, you'd be surprised at how much fuel is squandered by driving over 60 miles per hour. Generally, each 5 mph over 60 mph you go is like paying an extra 20 cents per gallon of gas. To keep your speed down, consider taking less-traveled back roads, rather than the Interstates. It's easier to keep the speedometer below 60 mph when other cars aren't whizzing by you at 85 miles an hour!
No More Idling
When you are unloading or packing your car, turn off the engine. An idling car gets zero miles to the gallon and contributes to global warming pollution. Contrary to popular belief, restarting your car does not burn more fuel than leaving it idling.
Usually cold weather is the best excuse we have to leave our cars idling for 10 minutes. The car needs to warm up, and besides, that ice on the windshield needs to melt before you can drive off, right? Wrong. As much as we like to jump into a warm car on a cold winter day, the car is perfectly capable of driving off without 'warming up.' The only exceptions to this rule are if you drive an older model car or if your car has been sitting out in sub-zero temperatures overnight. As for your windshield, it might be nice to merely turn on your wipers to clear the melted frost away, but good old-fashioned elbow grease works too. Break out your eco-friendly windshield scraper and scrape that ice away!
Make it a habit to turn off your computer—and the power strip it's plugged into—when you leave for the day. Otherwise, you're still burning energy even when your not at work. During the day, setting your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by 70 percent. Screen savers do not save energy!!
At home you can invest in energy-saving computers, monitors, and printers and make sure that old equipment is properly recycled. Look for a recycler that has pledged not to export hazardous e-waste and to follow other safety guidelines. Old computers that still work, and are less than five years old, can be donated to organizations that will refurbish them and find them new homes. (You may even get a tax deduction.)
Brown Bag Your Lunch
Today’s Americans spend over $134 billion a year on fast food. Even though it is convenient, it’s not always cheap. Let’s say you spend $8 every day on a grilled chicken salad and an iced tea at your local Saladworks. That’s $40 a week- and $2,080 a year!
Aside from all the excess money being spent, takeout food packaging is a huge waste of resources. Takeout food packaging creates 1.8 million tons of trash a year in the U.S. alone. Another great way to save the planet, bring your lunch.
Tune Up Your Car
Keep your engine tuned properly. Checking spark plugs, oxygen sensors, air filters, hoses and belts are a few examples of maintenance that can save a vehicle owner up to 165 gallons of gas per year. Have your wheels aligned and keep your tires properly inflated. Low tire pressure wastes over two million gallons of gasoline in the U.S. every day. Keeping your tires properly inflated raises your car's gas mileage by about 3.3 percent.
Easy On The Gas Pedal
You can increase your gas mileage by as much as 50 percent for highway driving (and by five percent for stop-and-go city driving) simply by accelerating and decelerating smoothly and slowly. Aggressive driving, such as mashing down the accelerator or the brake, uses an extra 125 gallons a year on average. Also, you'd be surprised at how much fuel is squandered by driving over 60 miles per hour. Generally, each 5 mph over 60 mph you go is like paying an extra 20 cents per gallon of gas. To keep your speed down, consider taking less-traveled back roads, rather than the Interstates. It's easier to keep the speedometer below 60 mph when other cars aren't whizzing by you at 85 miles an hour!
No More Idling
When you are unloading or packing your car, turn off the engine. An idling car gets zero miles to the gallon and contributes to global warming pollution. Contrary to popular belief, restarting your car does not burn more fuel than leaving it idling.
Usually cold weather is the best excuse we have to leave our cars idling for 10 minutes. The car needs to warm up, and besides, that ice on the windshield needs to melt before you can drive off, right? Wrong. As much as we like to jump into a warm car on a cold winter day, the car is perfectly capable of driving off without 'warming up.' The only exceptions to this rule are if you drive an older model car or if your car has been sitting out in sub-zero temperatures overnight. As for your windshield, it might be nice to merely turn on your wipers to clear the melted frost away, but good old-fashioned elbow grease works too. Break out your eco-friendly windshield scraper and scrape that ice away!
