| One At A Time Copy the provided list of "To Do" projects. Begin by starting small and work towards completing the list. Remember though to continue to maintain the steps you already completed as well. |
| Answer The Call. Earth has begged for help, are you willing to answer its call to come to its aid? Make a pledge today to stand up for your community, nation, world, and make a difference for a positive tomorrow. Our World can't wait! |
Protect Earth - AT HOME
BAG LADIES (and men)
| Cleaning up the environment is not optional! |
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| We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. -Native American Proverb |
DID YOU KNOW?
Nearly one-fifth of all America's greenhouse gases come from home energy use?
Of that half is used to heat and cool living spaces, while the other half goes to lighting,
appliances, and electronic entertainment infrastructures.
If one household can reduce their heating and cooling by 10% it would result in a
1% drop in the nation's total greenhouse gas emissions, imagine what would happen
if all Americans could reduce theirs by 10%.
Climate friendly homes are obtainable goals, everyone just has to take that first step
and work towards striving to complete the following list, as well as finding new ways
as well.
Remember also that many home energy improvements can be included for
available tax credits in which Uncle Sam pays up to 10% of the cost involved to
improve your homes energy.
Hot Water:
Heating and Cooling:
Electricity:
Lighting:
Appliances - big and small:
Recycling:
MISC:
Nearly one-fifth of all America's greenhouse gases come from home energy use?
Of that half is used to heat and cool living spaces, while the other half goes to lighting,
appliances, and electronic entertainment infrastructures.
If one household can reduce their heating and cooling by 10% it would result in a
1% drop in the nation's total greenhouse gas emissions, imagine what would happen
if all Americans could reduce theirs by 10%.
Climate friendly homes are obtainable goals, everyone just has to take that first step
and work towards striving to complete the following list, as well as finding new ways
as well.
Remember also that many home energy improvements can be included for
available tax credits in which Uncle Sam pays up to 10% of the cost involved to
improve your homes energy.
Hot Water:
- Keep your water heater temperature at 120F.
- Purchase a water heater "blanket" at the hardware store and use it on your
tank. - Fix leaky faucets
- Replace old water heaters with new efficiency models.
- Consider replacing old water heater with a solar thermal water heater.
- Wash your clothing in cold water.
- Purchase ENERGY STAR washing machines and dishwashers.
Heating and Cooling:
- Plant deciduous trees in locations that provide shade for your home during
summer. By planting trees, you reduce home cooling costs by as much as
50% as well as aid in reducing CO2 in the atmosphere and replacing oxygen. - Close blinds on hot summer days, open them on cool winter days.
- In winter set thermostat to 68 and remember to lower it at night when you go to
bed, or when you are away from home. Turning down your thermostat just 1
degree can reduce heating costs by 3%. - Wear extra clothing and keep your feet covered when you feel cool.
- Raise temperature a few degrees during the summer (78 degrees is
desired). Turning up your thermostat by just 1 degree can reduce your cooling
costs by 3%. - Weatherstrip and insulate your home to lower heating and air conditioning
costs and energy use. - Seal leaks around foundation, electrical, plumbing and cable gaps.
- Use storm doors and windows in cool environments.
- Install high-performance windows
- Maintain heating and cooling systems regularly
- Install air conditioner in shaded area out of sunlight for better efficiency.
- Avoid using fireplace when heat system is on. Close the damper when not in
use. - Install fireplace inserts (doors and blowers) so less warm air goes up the
chimney rather then in house while fire is burning. - Use passive solar design techniques to heat and cool home naturally.
Electricity:
- Request the green power option from your utility. If they do not supply it, ask for
it, demand it, and if you live outside a green zone, support the movement by
investing in renewable energy certificates. - Install solar PV panels on your roof, or if you live in an appropriate location,
install a wind turbine. If one million homes switched entirely to solar power,
CO2 emissions would be cut by 7 million tons a year. - Get a smart meter: tell your utility company you want to have a meter that can
tell you what you're consuming and spending in real time; and one that can
turn appliances off and on in response to changing prices.
Lighting:
- Turn off lights when leaving a room.
- Use compact fluorescents throughout your home. They last 10 times longer
and use a fraction of the energy of traditional bulbs. If a million people
replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL bulb, 200,000 tons of CO2
emissions would be eliminated. If a million households replaced 4 traditional
lightbulbs with CFLS, 900,000 tons of greenhouse gases would be eliminated. - Use solar-powered outdoor lights.
- During the holidays, install miniature holiday lights instead of jumbo ones. The
miniatures last longer and reduce energy use.
Appliances - big and small:
- Use ENERGY STAR appliances (refrigerators and washing machines) and
buy the most efficient of everything that plugs in. - Unplug items or use a kill-switch (power strip) when not using them; standby
power wastes your money and energy. - Don't bother rinsing your dishes. Scrape with a rubber spatula, then load
straight into the dishwasher. - Set your dishwasher to energy saver or no-heat dry modes and just open the
door after the wash is done to let the dishes dry naturally. - Avoid keeping your old refrigerator plugged in year-round in your garage.
- Line dry your clothes.
- Wash your clothing in cold water. This can save up to $400 a year in bills.
Recycling:
- Recycle as much waste as possible because recycling takes less energy than
producing new products from virgin materials. You can make 20 new
"recycled material" cans for the same energy it takes to make 1 from scratch. - Check with your local utility company to find out what you can and can't recycle
curbside. If your local utility company does not provide this service, ask for it,
demand it, contact legislature about it. Do something today. - 1.5 million tons of plastic are used to make disposable bottles every year. The
energy involved could supply power electricity to 250,000 homes a year. - Every ton of paper recycled saves enough electricity to power a 3 bedroom
house for a year. - If 1 million people reduced trash output by 10% yearly, CO2 emissions would
drop by 50,000 tons.
MISC:
- Consider bamboo in your landscaping plans. Bamboo stores CO2 and
generates 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees.
| RESOURCES ENERGY STAR Yardstick Home Energy Saver Energy Star Tax Credits Purchase Green Tags Find your carbon footprint |
AT HOME Appliances Clothing Food & Groceries Heating and Cooling Re-Use ON THE JOB SHOPPING TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP |