« Art Isn’t Easy… | Home | 10 Ways NOT to Buy a Home in a Buyer’s Market »
How To Love Your Earth-Mother Everyday
By Tisza Major-Posner | April 22, 2007
April 22, 2007 marks the 37th anniversary of the celebration of Earth Day. And in honor of that event I have compiled a list of environmentally responsible and cost effective things that you can do to help make your home, your community, and your world a better place.
Replace those old fashioned incandescent light bulbs with the latest in Compact Fluorescent Lights. These bulbs give off 70% less heat, use 2/3 less energy, last 10 times longer than their incandescent counterparts, give off the same amount of light and can save you up to $30 on your energy bills for each bulb you use. Even better, Southern California Edison subsidizes the price of some of these bulbs so you can find them in your local stores for a fraction of the usual cost. A real win – win!
Use reusable bags when you shop. It takes 12 million barrels of oil to produce the plastic bags used by Americans each year. And it takes approximately 15 million trees to produce paper bags. Only a very small fraction of these are currently recycled. Trader Joe’s offers reusable bags for sale at their check stands for $0.99/each and they even offer a monthly raffle open only to those who use recycled or reusable bags.
Have your home Energy Audited. An energy audit can be done by your local energy provider and in most cases is free, but it can save you hundreds of dollars and the environment 1000’s of pounds of Co2 pollution each year.
Replace your old appliances with new energy star rated ones. Energy star rated appliances can not only save you hundreds of dollars each year in energy costs, they also work better than their non-energy star fellows. For help finding an energy star rated product click here.
Conserve water outside and landscape smart. Landscaping and decorating your home and yard with water wise plants makes sense not just for the environment but also for your wallet. And an attractively and environmentally responsibly landscaped yard helps to add value to your home.
Conserve water inside and save money. A leaking toilet can waste as much as 200 gallons of water each day and every drop of water that flows down the drain whether it dripped from the faucet or rinsed out the trash can will not be able to be reused for up to six years. Using low-flow shower heads, turning off the tap when you brush your teeth and using only one rinse in your washing cycle can all contribute to helping your family save hundreds of dollars and thousands of gallons of water each year.
Buy and use Green Energy. Many electric companies offer renewable energy products, and sometimes all it requires to take advantage of them is checking a box on your bill. Buying green energy helps support the development and use of renewable fuel sources. You could also consider installing solar panels, whether you use them to heat water or to provide electricity these systems can reduce your power bill and may help stop global warming.
But whatever you choose to do, just remember to love your mother because she’s the only one you’ve got! Take care, help lots of people and have a wonderful day!
Tisza
Topics: General |
Enjoy this post? Subscribe to my feed or get updates via e-mail
April 22nd, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Tisza, very timely and interesting information. Happy Earth Day!