Friday, April 1, 2011

Every Day Is Earth Day: Week 3

"It is by acts and not by ideas that people live"
-Anatole France


1/17/11:
Make this a community service day.
Volunteer. 
Help someone. 
Make a person feel better.
Smile more often than usual.

1/18/11:
Install CFLs.
Lighting eats up 10% of a typical electric bill. 
Swap out incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, which use 75% less energy.
Start with five fixtures you use most, then swap out bulbs as they burn out. 
You can save $30 or more in electricity over the lifetime of of each bulb, according to the EPA.

1/19/11:
The future of lighting is LED lights.
You've seen them as tiny decorative lights. 
LEDs boast an extremely long lifespan, and use even less energy than CFLs.
Where CFLs are 75% efficient, LEDs are 95% efficient.
Even better, they are free of mercury, and give off almost no heat.
Buy them when you can.

1/20/11:  (*Disclaimer*- I totally disagree with this tip... but whatevers.....If you use the dishwasher, at least make sure it's a full load)
Use dishwasher instead of hand wash.
If you make proper use of their efficiency, dishwashers are more efficient than washing dishes by hand, especially if the dishwasher is new and rated Energy Star.

1/21/11:
Food storage tip:
Pack meat in reusable vacuum-sealed containers to protect it from freezer burn.

1/22-23/11
Stop buying bottled water.
The energy required to make one plastic bottle is the equivalent of filling it 1/4 full of oil. 
What's more, some plastics leach toxins.
Get a stainless steel water bottle, instead, and make sure it doesn't have a plastic liner.
Annual savings: $600, according to The Daily Green.



*~ Have a Beautiful Day! ~*



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