Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)
Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.
Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
SullivanClinton.com
"When you eat a hamburger, you’re not just eating the hamburger. You’re eating the gas the truck used to deliver that meat to the grocery store, the coal used to generate electricity for its refrigeration, and the resources used to fry that yummy burger. And that's your human footprint."
There are many ways to try to undo the damage with money. Some will even try to sell you “carbon offsets”—for example, planting trees in Kenya to balance out your car’s exhaust or your latest airplane trip.
Three areas to use less, not buy more
Consumers would do well to focus on just three areas.
1) Reduce your reliance on fossil fuels. You don’t need to dash out and buy a hybrid car. Simply make whatever form of transportation you use, especially your car, as fuel-efficient as possible. Some tips:
•Inflate your tires properly.
•Get regular tune-ups and oil changes.
•Consider getting by with one car (an inconvenience for some, not possible for many, but it can save you thousands a year in gas, insurance and maintenance).
•The most dramatic way to decrease your car’s footprint is to drive a little more slowly.
2) Unplug. Save energy. Electricity tends to come from coal-fired plants.
•Turn off lights.
•Clean appliances. Keeping appliances clean is the best way to go green. Vacuum the coils behind the refrigerator. Keep vents and filters clean. When appliances are clean they don’t work as hard.
•Unplug computers and chargers if you don’t need them or put them on power strips and turn the power strip off.
•Read your electricity bill. Most bills show you your average daily energy consumption in kilowatt-hours (kwh). Get the entire family involved, have a contest to see if you can reduce from the same period last year. And reward your successes.
3) Control your temperature. Heating and cooling consume about 45% of the energy in your home, according to an analysis by Consumers Union. Some tips:
•Use a ceiling fan with your air conditioner. By increasing air circulation, you can actually turn up your AC a few degrees.
•Seal, repair and insulate heating ducts.
•When you replace your water heater (most don’t last longer than 10 years), go for an energy-efficient model.
•Replace windows.
•Add insulation in your ceiling. This can significantly reduce your heating and cooling bills.
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