- unplug the cell phone charger and other electronics. standby mode still draws electricity. you can save at least $70 a year on electricity by turning stuff off.
- use a draft dodger around doors- winter or summer. keeps heat and AC in. or vice versa.
- only run dishwasher full and let air dry.
- wash clothes on the cold cycle- you can save at least $60 a year and 6.5 pounds in emissions per load.
- plan a week's worth of errands geographically to save fuel. drive a moderate speed and keep car maintained.
- use your own shopping bags (i got $.39 last week!) only .6% of the stupid plastic bags are recycled and most end up in landfills and elsewhere- never to biodegrade.
- spot clean or hand wash your clothes before going to dry cleaners- when possible- buy wash and wear. dry cleaning chemicals suck.
- buy food as local as you can-- and check labels. i live in new york state and my apples come from washington. doesn't make sense to me.
- bring your own coffee mug to dunkin donuts- or wherever. no styrofoam!!
- turn off your computer and printer nightly. yes, it is less convenient but you will be saving kilowats- up to 75% fewer.
- repurpose paper- the typical worker uses 10,000 sheets per year. try to print both sides when possible and have a scrap tray. recycle!! less than 9% of the 8 MILLION TONS used every year is recycled. buy recycled paper when possible. it uses up to 90% less water to make and half of the energy. not to mention the trees.
- reuse printer ink cartridges when possible. staples and dell will refill according to warranty. it can save you up to 90% on the cost of a new cartridge.
- plant trees when you can.
Monday, April 30, 2007
easy ways to go green
every little bit helps- and we need to do more!
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7 comments:
darlin betmo..I just posted on the live earth concerts on both my blogs.. I did not know you were so green!! Way to go! Thanks for the suggestion to copy from your sidebar but I am not as computer savvy with that at the moment. I love your new truthiness feature, it ought to make for some interesting discussions if someone might not agree with a 'chosen one'. Are you close enough to the Rutherford stadium for that concert?
how did you find this anyway? Are you on some kind of 'green list'? Let me know. I started a permaculture blog and am looking for as many sources as I can..
Ingrid
Betmo, excellent list. On the buying local: I'm spoiled. Southern California has year-round farmers markets with local produce in season. When I lived in Chicago, we were limited to Spring, Summer and Fall. But yes - buying local is not only good for the environment, it is also good for local economies.
I use my own shopping bags: cloth, woven things, and a couple of others. I've been putting a rolled up blanket in my front door because I've been too lazy to get a "draft dodger", but I don't use either heat or A/C.
We recycle paper at work, and we send those pesky ink-cartridge thingies to the proper place for disposal.
I have my handy-dandy thermos mug for tea. But, because I will not give up airline travel, I purchased carbon offsets.
ingrid, it has become my mission to be as green as i possibly can be. it isn't a choice- it is a necessity and too many folks pooh pooh it off. it is our duty and responsibility to do what we can to save our planet.
i am sure i am on a 'list' of some sort somewhere :) not a green one to my knowledge. i don't know what permaculture is- but i will check out your site- and feel free to take any suggestions from here too.
diva- you are the best! you seem to be ahead of the curve on most things- and carbon offsets are no different. thank you for the work that you do!!
Thank goodness I do some of those things on the list...or I'd have felt a total loser.
You would go nuts in my office, the blindly wasteful suburbanites who throw everything away -- makes me think that's why the woman who used to work next to me got canned. She just didn't fit in with us ultra liberal artsy peeps.
hey b,
great tips. I do many of them already but some I never thought of.
As far back as I can remember my wonderful mom would make a trip to the *one* recycling center in all of Austin to drop off bottles and cans. We're talking the '70s here. It was ingrained in me and I hope it is becoming ingrained in more kids today, especially since recycling centers are now easy to find.
hope you had a good weekend.
Thanks for this, betmo!! I didn't know about leaving my phone charger plugged in. I'm on with alot of those, but can always use more tips! I want to get my early 1900's windmill repaired. The "guts" all work, but the blades need to be fixed or made anew. Permaculture is very cool, and not terribly complicated once you understand the concepts, but boy, o boy it takes alot of work, sometimes!! I'll post more pics soon, so you can see some of our meager attempts.
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