As you all know my motto is simple -If we all can do a little, together we can do alot. Along those lines, please find a few ideas for Earth Day to do a little more in your life and see if you can continue it past today.
Read a book or blog about going green
Read to your children about the environment or recycling
Clean out clutter and donate it or check out www.freecycling.org (I have started using this site and have had great success with recycling a couch and other items)
Switch out lightbulbs with CFLs
Turn off your lights and unplug other electronic equipment when not in use
Buy and use reuseable grocery bags. (Just keep them in the trunk so you do not forget)
Investigate some earth-friendly cleaning products and see if you can start using them instead.
Recycle
Make a better effort to use less water.
Try and drive less or make your car trips more efficient.
Today, April 22nd, marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day! Created in 1970, it is a way to remind us to appreciate nature and this amazing planet we live on, and learn how to protect our environment and all of its inhabitants. While it is celebrated in the spring in the northern hemisphere, it is actually observed in the autumn in the southern hemisphere (both days being the exact “middle point” of the season).
If you are in the market for a new washing machine, make sure you get a front-loading model, which uses a third less water, heat energy and detergent than standard top-loading designs.
Front loaders are more effective and efficient designs, and they have been working hard at laundromats across the world for decades. These days, major brands (such as the Frigidaire pictured) are offering that efficient cleaning power in models made for homes, and many boast the latest in electronic features, cool colors and more. Other leaders include Bosch, LG, GE, KitchenAid and Kenmore.
Make sure your new machine is certified by the EPA’s Energy Star program, which signifies high energy efficiency. According to GE, the average family will save enough on energy bills with the company’s Energy Star washer and dryer to pay for the appliances in just 12 years.
A solid byproduct of electric power generation often added to concrete and cement that improves durability, and reduces the need for other materials by making use of a byproduct.
Remember to recycle and use a reusable plastic water bottle or coffee mug. Here is a little reminder video… I know I sometimes forget.
My mantra is if we all do a little, together we can do a lot.
Americans make up 5% of the world population but use 25% of the world’s resources. Here is one more video to help remind us how we can make some minor changes.
Everyone talks about going green but everyday I hear questions about how can I go green with my older home? Making the move to add green features in your home has never been easier and it will usually help you save some money too. As our planet faces an uncertain outlook on global warming, we all have a duty to do the best we can to correct the balance. If we all do a little, together we can change a lot. Here are some essential tips to help you get started.
For most of us, our home is the biggest investment we have. Doesn’t it make sense to spend money on it as efficiently as possible?. Heat escapes during the winter and sneaks in during the summer. You can start to go green in your house by making sure it is properly insulated and sealed. It is best to get a certified inspection but you can make sure you have proper roof space insulation, wall insulation, and windows and doors are sealed. Examine all of these and you have just made the first move in going green in your home. These so called little details will all make a tremendous difference. Yes, there is an investment to consider, but you will save in the long term.
A lot of people act as though water will never run out. Start to go green in the home by paying a little more attention to your water consumption. We could all, collectively, save millions of gallons of water a year by changing out our older toilet tanks. The old ones use three and a half gallons per flush and the new high-efficiency ones use just over one and a quarter gallons. If you are not in a position to change out the toilets, you can fill a plastic half gallon milk container with water (put the top on) and place it in the corner of your tank away from all moving parts. It will displace water when the tank fills and save you some water each flush. These little changes make a big difference! By making these types of small changes, you could save thousands of gallons of water each year and reduce your water bill.
In my opinion, the easiest move to go green is to start changing out the older less efficient light bulbs. CFL bulbs burn around 5% of the old bulbs and they last 10 times longer. They may initially cost slightly more to buy, but this is an obvious way to go green in the home and save a lot in electricity use . Imagine if every household just changed out one light. Instead of using 60 watts per hour on one bulb, you used 14 watts with a CFL. A city of 20,000 would save roughly 335 million watts of energy in a year if they kept that same light on for only an hour.
Do you really need to wash that in hot water? When doing laundry, most of the energy used while washing is used to heat the water, so wash your clothes in cold. With today’s cleaning products, most loads can be washed in cold. They will clean great while you go green in the home. You may think your dishwasher is also an energy drain but it isn’t. If you use it fully filled it often times uses less in resources than if you wash by hand.
Understanding is the first move in going green. Just try and do a little each day and you may decide you like it. Once you know these little tips and tricks, it’s easy to go green regardless of the age of your home!
There are some good statements in this video. Let me know what green means to you. I want to be able to keep a What Does Green Mean To You link so visitors can continue to be reminded. Please give me your feedback and thoughts.
If we continue to remind people of how they can be green in their every day life, each person hopefully will make the subtle, little changes each day. Remember if we change a little, combined we will change a lot
I was given another link by a Andrew Shane on our post which stated an additional website to stop the delivery of unsolicited yellow pages. Please take a look at http://www.yellowpagesoptout.com/ . The site will provide additional information on opting out. Thanks Andrew.
Today, April 22nd, marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day! Created in 1970, it is a way to remind us to appreciate nature and this amazing planet we live on, and learn how to protect our environment and all of its inhabitants. While it is celebrated in the spring in the northern hemisphere, it is actually observed in the autumn in the southern hemisphere (both days being the exact “middle point” of the season).
