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Three Easy Tips for Green Living
by
Virginia Ginsburg
Going green has many
benefits: it benefits the Earth by cutting down on
greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the use of natural
resources, and reducing our impact on natural spaces.
Luckily, going green is both easy and economical. There
are simple things that you can do today that will make a
big impact on the World as well as on your household
budget.
1. Change Your Light Bulbs
A "normal" light bulb is known as an incandescent light bulb. You probably
use incandescent bulbs to light most areas of your home.
The trouble with incandescent light bulbs is that they
generate a high level of heat while running, which
wastes a lot of electricity. Thus, they are very
inefficient.
Comparatively, fluorescent bulbs create light without generating heat. This
allows them to be much more efficient and produce
between 50 and 100 lumens per watt, making them four to
six times more efficient than incandescent bulb. They
also last much longer than incandescent bulbs.
Replacing your bulbs is simple. The next time one blows, simply note the
wattage on the incandescent bulb and visit your local
hardware or lighting store. Fluorescent light bulbs are
marked to indicate their actual wattage and the
comparable wattage to an incandescent bulb. This means
that if you had a 60-watt incandescent bulb, you can buy
a fluorescent bulb marked as 15-watts (equivalent to
60-watts incandescent).
Once all of your bulbs are replaced, you will notice a significant
cost-savings in your energy bill. This is a truly
win-win situation, as you will also have the added
benefit of replacing your bulbs less frequently!
2. Switch to Low-Flow Shower heads
Water is a precious resource that is limited in many regions of the U.S.
Population growth puts increasing pressure on this
natural resource: the public demand for water has
tripled in the past 50 years.
Showering is one of the largest indoor uses of water domestically: the
average shower takes 10 minutes and 20 gallons of water.
Significant progress has been made towards creating
low-flow shower heads that feel just as powerful as
regular shower heads but can cut water use by 25% to 60%
and reduce annual water bills by almost $100 for an
average family of four people. These cost (and
environmental) savings include both the use of water and
the energy cost of heating it.
Installing low-flow shower heads is simple to do. Simply visit your local
home improvement center and choose from the many options
available.
3. Recycle
The reasons for recycling are many. First, recycled materials allow us to
conserve land and use less energy to harvest virgin
natural resources. Secondly, significantly less energy
is required to create a recycled product as compared to
refining a product from raw materials. Aluminum is one
of the best examples: it takes 95% less energy to create
it from recycled materials. Thirdly, recycling cuts down
on the space and resources required for landfills.
The ease of recycling varies based on where you live. Some cities have
curbside recycling bins that require you to separate
items, others have you place all items in a single bin,
and some cities have not yet adopted a curbside
recycling program, which means that you may need to take
your recycling items to a recycling center.
Typical items that can be easily recycled include paper, aluminum and glass.
Plastic containers, bags and packaging can be difficult
to recycle, so you have to check for the recycling code
on the packaging. Better still - reuse plastic bags, or
avoid them altogether, as much as possible.
Some cities pay for certain recyclable materials, so check with your local
recycling center to see if you can financially benefit
from your good deeds.
By taking these three simple steps, you can greatly reduce your impact on
the Earth, while also making a positive impact on your
wallet. There are many resources available online
through government agencies to help you make green
decisions about your household - check them out!
© Virginia Ginsburg writes
about sustainable products, green living, and her quest for a socially-conscious
lifestyle. She is founder of Green Baby Gifts (http://www.greenbabygiftsonline.com),
which offers beautifully-wrapped baby gifts made of bamboo fiber and packaged in
completely recycled and recyclable packaging.
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