This year is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. Unfortunately even after 40 years of this celebration, the world is in greater peril than ever. Earth Day 2010 is a great opportunity to get involved and we would like to provide you with some tips on how this can easily be done.
Things You Can Do:
● Use programmable thermostats and recommended temperature and settings.
● Reduce idle electricity use (unplug or shut off unused electronics, set your computer to hibernate, turn off unused lights). Every year, U.S. households spend $100 to power devices while they are in “standby” mode.
● Waste less food.
● Reduce incandescent bulbs with CRL’s.
● Maintain your vehicle properly (oil grade, engine tuning, tire inflation).
● Attend to water leaks and cut heat loss (use caulking/weather stripping).
● Use hot water more efficiently in your home (lower the temperature setting of water heater, wash in cold water, use efficient faucets and showerheads).
● Opt for Energy Star appliances when replacing a refrigerator or dishwasher.
Some interesting facts and tips for you from simplesteps.com :
FACT: If a quarter of the households in the United States replaces incandescent with one CFL, it would save as much CO2 as planting 257,215 acres of forest.
TIP: CFL’s with a Kelvin temperature between 3,000k and 3,500k will give off the familiar warm glow of incandescents.
FACT: Up to 50 percent of the average household’s energy consumption goes to heating and cooling the home.
TIP: Seal all window edges and cracks with caulk, reducing the energy consumed to maintain indoor temperature.
FACT: Every year, the U.S. uses 100 billion plastic bags consuming about 12 million barrels of oil.
TIP: When shopping at the grocery store, or even the mall, bring a reusable bag.
FACT: Americans threw away more than 100 million cell phones in 2006. Recycling them could have saved enough energy to power approximately 194,000 U.S. households for one year.
TIP: It’s one of the 3 R’s! Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!
In the words of Dr. Seuss in his classic book, “The Lorax”.
“But now,” says the Once-ler,
“Now that you’re here, the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.
UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.”
Let’s help to make this Earth Day the most successful one yet. Happy Earth Day!
