Saving the Earth begins with 1 eco-friendly step
From: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Lifestyle/Headlines/lifeHOME01082507.htm
When it comes to global warming the clarion, “Think Globally — Act Locally” could not be better suited.
And, even if you’ve had your doubts about how serious the problem may be, you may have begun to acknowledge a link between increased greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and climate change.
Accepting the fact that you can be an army of one is a step in the right direction, and the solution is far easier than you might imagine. With a few simple changes around your home and in the garden, you can at the very least save money — and make a difference in helping to save the planet.
Bob Coleman, regional director of external affairs for Florida Power & Light Co., recently rattled off some interesting facts regarding energy-saving, pocketbook-friendly steps to make around the house that will also be environmentally beneficial. To lessen your carbon emissions and your power bill:
· Replace a single 100-watt incandescent light bulb with a 25-watt compact fluorescent bulb. It will provide approximately the same amount of light and with five hours of daily use, save 193 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
· You can save 3,650 gallons of water a year by replacing your three-gallon-per-minute shower head with a 1.5 gallon-per-minute model.
· On average, for every degree you raise your thermostat in the summer, you will decrease the cooling portion of your power bill by 8 percent (the cooling portion of your bill makes up 50 to 60 percent of your total electric bill). Increasing your thermostat by three degrees reduces carbon dioxide production by 339 pounds a year.
Robin Griggs Lawrence, editor of Natural Home & Garden, said “People get it,” after years of ignorance, and they are eager to know what they can do. Some of her suggestions include:
· Be aware of “phantom loads” of electricity — those little LED lights that stay on to let you know things like your fax machine is hovering on “go” or your satellite link is prepared to provide service. She suggests plugging all those items into a power strip and flipping the switch off at night. Eliminating phantom loads can keep 840 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
· Put a lid on the pot when boiling water; it will boil faster and use less energy.
When the water cools, use it to water plants rather than pouring it down the drain.
· In the Lawrence household of one adult and two children, a water saving technique that “horrifies” Robin’s mother but thrills the children follows the adage: “If it’s yellow let it mellow; if it’s brown flush it down.” She assessed that curtailed toilet flushing saved approximately 1,000 gallons of water a month. As a youngster Scott Meyer found gardening chores to be, well, a chore. But today the editor of Organic Gardening embraces that work as both his vocation and his passion. A few of his tips on environmentally sound gardening include:
· Grow a little of your own food, and buy locally grown produce. The average American meal travels 1,500 miles before it reaches your plate. Raising or buying 25 percent of your produce from local, organic sources saves 150 pounds of carbon dioxide.
· Reduce the size of your lawn; grass demands large amounts of water and fertilizer, and lawn mowers release carbon dioxide. Replace grass with native plants that are drought tolerant and disease and pest resistant.
· If every American family planted just one tree, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would be reduced by one billion pounds annually. This is almost 5 percent of the amount that humans pump into the atmosphere each year. Pick just one of these things to do and you’re on the road to becoming an eco-warrior.
margie.schlageter
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