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Tips to Conserving Power and
Resources
Easily
by Mason
Curry
There are a number of excuses for not trying to live a
greener life. Living green has become a popular idea as of late but many people
assume that it takes a lot of spare time to care about waste and our
environment. Everyone is so busy these days they are doing taking advantage of
our earth because they don't have the time to consider what they are doing.
Here are a list of little things that everyone can do to
help our environment, cut down on waste, and even save
you a little money. Everything here can be done without
spending more than 5 minutes a week.
Put a Water Bottle in Your Toilet Tank
In the average home, the toilet accounts for 28% of water use. Place an inch
or so of pebbles in the bottom of the bottle to weigh it
down and fill the remainder with water. Seal it and
place in your toilet tank away for the operating
mechanisms. You will be saving water on every flush!
Make sure there is at least 3 gallons of water left to
ensure proper toilet use. Most toilets have more than
enough room unless they are already low flow.
Switch to Low Energy Florescent Bulbs
Compact florescent bulbs can replace incandescent light bulbs in almost
every instance. A 22 watt compact florescent has about
the same light output as a 100 watt incandescent and use
50-80% less energy. They are a little more expensive but
last up to 4 times longer and save electricity which
saves you money on your monthly bill.
Totally Shut Down Appliances
Up to 10% of your monthly electric bill could be attributed to appliances on
'stand by' or not in use. These are appliances that have
the power button pressed but are still plugged into the
wall. While not in use, a standard television can use
between 5 and 20 watts of electricity. The same for dvd
players and stereo. Your entertainment system could be
using 100 watts or more while everything is seemingly
off. To stop this energy drain try putting all of your
gadgets on a power strip or surge protector strip.
Simple shut of the switch on the strip when not in use.
Also, it always makes sense to shut off the lights and
televisions in a room when not in it.
Recycle
This is an old one. It doesn't take long to put a box next to the garbage
for cans. While your at it put a box there for paper,
too. When my family began recycling we cut our refuse
down from 3 bags of trash a week to 1 bag, sometimes not
even a full bag. You were going to get up to throw your
can in the garbage anyway so it takes no extra time to
place it in a box next to it. It doesn't end at home. If
the place you work doesn't have a recycling program in
place suggest that they look into one.
Individually Wrapped Food
Stop and really think about how much waste is created by individually
wrapped American cheese slices. If you stop buying items
that are packaged individually you could significantly
cut down on the waste you create in the first place. Buy
in bulk when you know you are going to use it.
There are just a few ways, with minimal effort, you can be on your way to
living a little greener. If you are looking for a larger
step consider composting with fermentation or worm
farms. If you have the financial stability consider
investing in a tank-less water heater or solar voltaic
panels.
To learn more visit
Green and Eco-Friendly Tips at Greenacy.org |
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