Happy New Year!

Need some resolution ideas? Here are some with a green twist.

START SMALL

§         §         Replace regular, incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) to reduce annual CO₂ emissions by up to 150 lbs.¹

§         Practice smart driving. Accelerate casually, coast into stops, and drive at reasonable speeds.

§         Drive less. When you have the opportunity, take the bus, ride your bike, walk, or carpool. Every mile you DON’T drive saves 1 lb of CO₂.¹

§         Remember to reduce, reuse and recycle. Try to increase the amount you reduce, reuse and recycle.

§  §         Compost! Start a worm bin or compost pile to turn your own food and green waste yummy fertilizer that your (or your neighbor’s) plants will LOVE! For more information, see http://www.lessismore.org/htdocs/text_only/programs/back_yard_compsting.html.

§         Check your tires to ensure proper inflation, which can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. One gallon of gas saved equates to 20 lbs of CO₂ not entering the atmosphere.¹

§         Reduce water consumption by installing low-flow water fixtures and toilets. Reduce hot water  consumption by installing low-flow showerheads and not washing laundry in hot water.¹

§        §          Air- or solar-dry wet laundry instead of using an electric dryer. Turn off electronics and appliances when they are not in use. For every kWh produced at a coal-burning power plant, 2 lbs of CO2 are emitted into the atmosphere.³

§         Properly dispose of hazardous materials, such as batteries, paints, electronics, cell phones, etc. IN FACT, Earl Warren Showgrounds will be hosting an electronic waste collection weekend this weekend (1/6-7) from 9 am to 3 pm each day.

NEW MINDFRAME

The “emerging sustainable lifestyle” simply entails being mindful of how and when each of us can reduce our ecological footprint. It doesn’t mean that we need to live perfectly sustainable lives, but it means that we should do what we can when we can. Getting into a ritual or groove helps make these small, but valuable, actions more accessible and convenient.

Green Fact: If each household (111,090,617 according to the U.S. Census Bureau²) replaced one regular bulb with a CFL, then 16,663,592,550 lbs of CO₂ would be saved per year.

Sources:

1. “ten things to do.” www.climatecrisit.net.
2. U.S. Census Bureau. “America Fact Finder.” http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_submenuId=factsheet_1&_sse=on
3. American Evergreen Federation. http://www.usagreen.org/homeEnergy.html