Going Green?

Question

Does anybody know how to go Greener?

Answer 1

There's several things that can be done including reducing dependency on fossil fuels, recycling, becoming more energy efficient and offsetting carbon emissions. Here's a list of tips I prepared earlier...

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AT HOME
> When replacing appliances buy energy efficient ones.

> Turn off electrical appliances when not in use, don’t use the standby option.

> Use energy efficient light bulbs and switch off lights when not in use.

> Fit individual thermostats to radiators and don't heat rooms that aren't used.

> Insulate walls, lofts, hot water tanks and pipes.

> Turn your heating and air conditioning down, a small difference will be barely noticeable.

> Similarly, turn down water heating by a few degrees.

> Sign up to a green energy supplier, one that produces energy from renewable sources.

> Turn off heating and air-conditioning when the house is unoccupied.

> Wash full loads of clothes at a lower temperature, modern machines and detergents are just as effective at lower temperatures.

> Dry your clothes outdoors instead of in a tumble drier.

> Wash full loads in the dish-washer.

> Insulate your home and block draughts around doors and windows. In Europe this is free to many people.

> Consider installing a renewable energy system such as solar panels or a home wind turbine.

> Use rechargeable batteries; don’t leave rechargers on for longer than is needed (including mobile / cell-phones).

> Boil only as much water in the kettle as you need.

> Buy locally produced organic food where possible, there's less transportation and the farming methods are more environmentally friendly.

> Look where goods were manufactured and avoid buying those that have been flown or shipped long distances.

> Recycle and reuse as much as possible. Sign up with mail preferential services to stop junk mail.

> Avoid buying products with excessive packaging.

> Don’t have your fridge or freezer set lower than need to be, regularly defrost freezers, don’t put hot food into your fridge or freezer.

> If your fridge or freezer is over 15 years old then consider replacing it (check with local authority regarding disposal of old one).

> Work from home where possible.

> Eat less meat and dairy produce, farming produces large quantities of greenhouse gases.

ENERGY EFFICIENT TRAVELLING
For many people a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved by driving a more fuel-efficient vehicle. Each gallon of gasoline burned produces 10kg (20 pounds) of carbon dioxide. A motorist driving 15,000 miles a year in a vehicle that delivers 30mpg will produce 5000kg of carbon emissions whereas a vehicle returning 50mpg will produce 3000kg.

> Drive a fuel efficient vehicle, if you have more than one vehicle then use the most economical one more often.

> Consider walking or cycling when going to work or taking the kids to schools, if you have to drive then consider car sharing.

> Use public transport where possible and consider taking a coach or train instead of using domestic flights.

> When replacing your vehicle look at diesel and liquid petroleum gas models.

> Combine multiple journeys into one and do your weekly shopping in a single trip.

> Stagger journeys where possible to avoid rush hour traffic and hold ups.

FUEL SAVING TIPS FOR DRIVERS
By driving carefully and keeping your vehicle in good condition you can save up to 30% on your fuel bills and cut greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. Below are some tips for increasing fuel efficiency.

> Avoid harsh braking, accelerate gently and drive at a steady speed.

> Keep tyres inflated to the correct pressure.

> Remove bike and ski racks when not in use, also remove detachable roof racks, luggage boxes etc.

> Carrying unnecessary weight wastes fuel, declutter your vehicle.

> Use the correct gear and use cruise control if your vehicle has it.

> Keep your vehicle regularly services.

> Turn the engine off when stopped or waiting.

MORE ENERGY SAVING TIPS
Natural Resource Defense Council - http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/genergy.asp
Energy Saving Trust - http://www.est.org.uk/myhome/
Carbon Footprint - http://www.carbonfootprint.com/index.html
Carbon Trust - http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/energy
Energy Quest - http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/saving_energy/index.html
US Government - http://www.energy.gov/energyefficiency/index.htm
Alliance to Save Energy - http://www.ase.org/
UK Government - http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Energyandwatersaving/DG_064371
Rough Guides - http://www.roughguides.com/savingenergy/
Salt River Project - http://www.srpnet.com/menu/energy.aspx

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CARBON OFFSETTING

Each of us leaves behind what is commonly referred to as a 'carbon footprint'. This is a measure of the environmental impact in terms of the amount of greenhouses gases produced, it is measured as the equivalent number of units of carbon dioxide. The global average is 5 tons per person per year, in developed nations the average is 11 tons and in the US it is 19 tons.

Carbon Offsetting is one way to reduce or eliminate your carbon footprint, in most cases this involves calculating your greenhouse gas emissions and planting trees so as to absorb an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide. Some websites where you can calculate your carbon footprint and purchase offsetting are:
The Woodland Trust - http://www.carbonbalanced.org/
Carbon Footprint - http://www.carbonfootprint.com/USA/calculator.html
The Carbon Neutral Company - http://www.carbonneutral.com/pinfo/carbonoffsetting.asp
My Climate - http://www.myclimate.org/index.php?lang=en
Atmosfair - http://www.atmosfair.de/index.php?id=9&L=3

Answer 2

Whoo! Hard to beat trevor, but here goes:

The simplest and cheapest step is by purchasing compact florescent light bulbs. You could save 50 cents on your energy bill for each bulb you own, and if you buy them at Wal*Mart, you can get them for any socket. The only thing you have to make sure of is that they work for dimmers. Also, you can't just toss these things. You have to dispose of them properly according to disposal laws and what it says on the box. Another good lighting tip is to get bright shades (TV rooms with TVs facing the window possibly excepted) and skylights so you don't have to turn a light on.

You should also pay for more energy-efficient appliances. Old appliances suck up a lot more electricity, whereas the newest ones are more energy efficient, because people are more aware of the climate change problem and that's the main focus. Make sure it's an EnergyStar appliance. Also, read the EnegyGuide label to know not only how much the appliance will cost you annually, but how this appliance stacks up to others. First start with the furnace (because it's on a lot during the winter), then the air conditioner (because we all know this is optional, but if used, it's on a lot), the refrigerator (because it's most used indoor appliance), then the washer (because it uses a lot of electricity as well as water), then the dishwasher (for the same reason as the washer), then the dryer (because it uses a lot of electricity, but no water). Go to either Lowe's, Home Depot, or Best Buy to get a comprehensive selection of these appliances.

Also, set some house rules. Turn off the TV and/or the light when you leave a room, turn off the ENTIRE computer (CPU, monitor, speakers, printer, etc.) whenever it's not being used for more than a half hour, CLOSE THE FRIDGE, open the shades during the day (bedrooms, bathrooms, and possibly TV rooms with the TV facing the window excepted), if you have children over 16 yrs., teach them not to rapidly accelerate or decelerate the car, 18-year-olds still in the house should be taught to look for the leaders' issues on the environment, and turn off the window A/C if you plan on leaving the room for more than three minutes.

Buy a fuel-efficient car (or a flexible-fuel vehicle, it depends on if you live near an E-85 carrying gasoline station), perhaps a hybrid (see the green rating on several cars at http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center to consider all of your options and choose).

The last thing I'm going to mention costs about as much as the car, but it soon will be worth it. If you're willing to get a loan for tens of thousands of dollars and can afford to pay it off, then you can afford this. The last thing I'm going to mention is a house that generates its own electricity. You can do this in one of four ways: solar, wind, microhydro, or hybrid. Wind is the most affordable, but you'll have to look at the data. Some wind systems can be mounted on your rooftop, while others in the ground. There are also certain specifications for these systems that you'll have to go through before you install them. You'll also have to obtain your local wind data and crunch the numbers. The second is solar, and it works best in sunnier areas of the country (you'll also have to collect data and crunch the numbers). The third is microhydro, and this only works if you live next to a river, creek or stream. You just put a generator in there and it'll make power for your home. All you have to do is make sure your flowing water qualifies (yes, you'll still have to do research). The fourth option is a hybrid system. Solar and wind go well together because whenever the sun is not shining, it's usually windier out, and sometimes it's windy when it's sunny out. All you have to do is, again, do some research and crunch the numbers, but this time you can consider putting less solar panels on your house. Whatever you choose, it is well worth it know that you are getting clean, renewable energy for your home.

Well, this is about all I can give you. I hope this will help on your quest for reducing your carbon footprint. Also, visit www.treehugger.com and www.energy.gov for more tips on how to make your life more green.

Answer 3

Change your regular light bulbs to fluorescent light bulbs. That's a great start. Recycle plastics,can, and bottles Take a bicycle to work or school and other places you have to go.
Avoid eating at fast food places whenever possible, you'll help reduce waste. Buy products books etc that are made out of recycled paper.

Get a group of people maybe your brothers and sisters and help clean up steams or parks.
Collect aluminum cans and recycle them, you may earn a buck or two by doing this while you're at it.
Donate toys and clothes to places like the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

Eat organic products. Feed the birds with bird feed it brings nature into your backyard and it helps rid your yard of bugs and you can hang a bird feeder or build a bird bath so the birds can drink water.

Go visit a zoo to learn more about endanger and other wild life

Answer 4

There are tons of things you can do!
A few simple ones:
When you go shopping, bring your own bag
Get a reusable bottle for water
Only take the napkins you need when you eat out
When you get take out food, tell them you don't need the plastic forks and napkins.
Decline a receipt at the end of your ATM transactions
RECYCLE!!
Take shorter showers
Turn the water off while you brush your teeth
Turn off your car instead of idling in the parking lot
Wash your clothes in cold water
Clean the dryer's lint trap before every load
Give your old clothes away (it takes almost 50 years for leather shoes to biodegrade in a landfill)

Thanks for doing your part :)

Answer 5

Stop using a lot of energy such as, electricity, water gas etc.

Recycle paper, plastic, card board boxes.

Ride a bike to work instead of driving.

Use florescent lights instead of the regular ones.

Don't use paper or plastic when going shopping, instead use canvas bags witch last and last.

Answer 6

Look for the Energy Star label

Answer 7

instead of using plastic shopping bags,
buy a bag made out of fabric from your grocery stores.

Answer 8

Start slowly, or with out totally messing with your lifestyle... I started with just taking my own bags with me for all my shopping..

Answer 9

REDUCE, REUSE. if those dont work then recycle

Answer 10

There are so many things you can do:

As someone said, start small

Take cloth bags for grocery/ any shopping

Did you know that more global warming (yes, it is true) gases are used to make paper bags then plastic bags.

Here are more ideas:

1. Go Vegan

By going vegan as much as you can you will contribute to animal welfare. This is a very easy thing to do if you put you mind to it.

2. Compost

This reduces landfill space:

Paper napkins
Freezer-burned vegetables
Burlap coffee bags
Pet hair
Potash rock
Post-it notes
Freezer-burned fruit
Wood chips
Bee droppings
Lint from behind refrigerator
Hay
Popcorn
Freezer-burned fish
Old spices
Pine needles
Leaves
Matches
Seaweed and kelp
Hops
Chicken manure
Leather dust
Old, dried up and faded herbs
Bird cage cleanings
Paper towels
Brewery wastes
Grass clippings
Hoof and horn meal
Molasses residue
Potato peelings
Unpaid bills
Gin trash (wastes from cotton plants)
Weeds
Rabbit manure
Hair clippings from the barber
Stale bread
Coffee grounds
Wood ashes
Sawdust
Tea bags and grounds
Shredded newspapers
Egg shells
Cow manure
Alfalfa
Winter rye
Grapefruit rinds
Pea vines
Houseplant trimmings
Old pasta
Grape wastes
Garden soil
Powdered/ground phosphate rock
Corncobs
Jell-o
Blood meal
Winery wastes
Spanish moss
Limestone
Fish meal
Aquarium plants
Beet wastes
Sunday comics
Harbor mud
Felt waste
Wheat straw
Peat moss
Kleenex tissues
Milk (in small amounts)
Soy milk
Tree bark
Starfish (dead ones!)
Melted ice cream
Flower petals
Pumpkin seeds
Q-tips (cotton swabs)
Expired flower arrangements
Elmer's glue
BBQ'd fish skin
Bone meal
Citrus wastes
Stale potato chips
Rhubarb stems
Old leather gardening gloves
Tobacco wastes
Bird guano
Hog manure
Dried jellyfish
Wheat bran
Guinea pig cage cleanings
Nut shells
Cattail reeds
Clover
Granite dust
Moldy cheese
Greensand
Straw
Shredded cardboard
Dolomite lime
Cover crops
Rapeseed meal
Bat guano
Fish scraps
Tea bags (black and herbal)
Apple cores
Electric razor trimmings
Kitchen wastes
Outdated yogurt
Toenail clippings
Shrimp shells
Crab shells
Lobster shells
Pie crust
Leather wallets
Onion skins
Bagasse (sugar cane residue)
Watermelon rinds
Date pits
Goat manure
Olive pits
Peanut shells
Burned oatmeal (sorry, Mom)
Dryer lint
Bread crusts
Cooked rice
River mud
Wine gone bad (what a waste!)
Banana peels
Fingernail clippings
Chocolate cookies
Wood toothpicks
Moss from last year's hanging baskets
Stale breakfast cereal
Pickles
"Dust bunnies" from under the bed
Pencil shavings
Wool socks
Artichoke leaves
Leather watch bands
Fruit salad
Tossed salad (now THERE's tossing it!)
Brown paper bags
Soggy Cheerios
Theater tickets
Lees from making wine
Burned toast
Feathers
Animal fur
Horse manure
Vacuum cleaner bag contents
Coconut hull fiber
Old or outdated seeds
Macaroni and cheese
Liquid from canned vegetables
Liquid from canned fruit
Old beer
Wedding bouquets
Greeting card envelopes
Snow
Dead bees and flies
Horse hair
Peanut butter sandwiches
Dirt from soles of shoes, boots
Fish bones
Ivory soap scraps
Spoiled canned fruits and vegetables
Produce trimmings from grocery store
Cardboard cereal boxes (shredded)
Grocery receipts
Urine (It's true! Read the letters below)

163 things you can compost :)

O.K.

Next,

3. Finally, Save energy and water at your home

Use compact fluoroscent lightbulbs (CFL) (sp.?) for lighting this reduces energy usage.

Check your PG&E for more information

Here are more things you can do:

Home Energy-Saving ChecklistLook around your home for practices that apply. Try these energy saving recommendations.
NOTE: The energy savings are for a typical household. The savings percentages apply only to the category of energy use.
Winter Tips
Install a programmable thermostat to automatically change thermostat settings at certain times of the day. For example, set your clock thermostat at 55 degrees or off, health permitting, for the night and 68 degrees for the time right before you awake. For every degree you lower your heat in the 60-degree to 70-degree range, you'll save up to 5 percent on heating costs. (Heat pumps should only be set back five degrees to prevent unneeded use of backup strip heater.) Savings: 5 percent to 20 percent of space heating costs.

In the heating season, set your thermostat at 68 degrees or lower during the day, health permitting. Keep warm indoors by wearing warm clothing, especially several light-weight layers. Savings: 5 percent to 10 percent of space heating costs.

Plug gaps around pipes, ducts, fans and vents that go through walls, ceilings and floors from heated to unheated spaces. Savings: 1 percent to 3 percent of space heating costs.

Have your ducts tested for air leakage. Leaking ducts can reduce the efficiency of your heating system by up to 30 percent. Seal leaks with mastic or non-cloth backed tape labeled UL181 B-FX.

Keep your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted. Clean or replace the filter regularly. Dirty filters reduce air flow and make your furnace work harder. Savings: Up to 5 percent of space heating costs.

You can cut your heating costs up to 25 percent simply by installing proper ceiling insulation to at least R-30 standards. Insulate walls, floors and heating ducts. This insulation will not only keep heat from escaping, but will also make your home more comfortable.

By caulking and weather-stripping, you can cut your heating bills up to 10 percent. Weather-strip doors and windows, and caulk air leaks around windows, door frames, and ducts.

Use insulating shutters or drapes and keep them closed during winter nights and summer days. Savings: 8 percent to 15 percent of space heating costs. Turn your heater(s) down when you're using your fireplace. Don't forget to close the damper when you're not using the fireplace. Savings: 2 percent to 8 percent of space heating costs.

Use passive solar heating on sunny days. Open the drapes on windows facing south to let the sun shine in. Then at night, close the drapes to retain indoor heat. If you have a large expanse of glass that doesn't receive direct sun, keep the drapes closed. Up to 16 percent of your heat can escape through unprotected windows.

For more information, call PG&E's Smarter Energy Line at 1-800- 933-9555.
Summer Tips
In the cooling season, set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher when you're at home, health permitting. Savings: 10 percent to 20 percent of cooling costs.

When away from your home during the cooling season, set your air conditioner at 85 degrees. Savings: 5 percent to 12 percent of cooling costs.

Provide shading for your air conditioning condenser. Savings: 2 percent to 3 percent of cooling costs.

Switch pool filter and sweeper operations to off-peak hours. Peak hours are between noon and 6 p.m. Consider replacing pool pumps and motors with energy-efficient equipment. Savings depend on your use.

Shorten the operating time for your swimming pool filter and automatic cleaning sweep (if your pool has one). For winter, two hours a day of filtering could cut your filter's energy use by 40 percent to 50 percent, yet keep your pool clean.

Pool covers save energy and money. 70 percent of pool heat loss is by evaporation.

Use exterior shading devices or deciduous plants to shade your home and windows from the sun. Savings: Up to 8 percent of cooling costs.

For more information, call PG&E's Smarter Energy Line at 1-800- 933-9555.
Anytime Tips
Select an energy-efficient model ENERGY STAR® labeled refrigerator, washer, or other appliance. Savings: 5 percent to 25 percent of operating costs.

Unplug and recycle your older second refrigerator and save as much as $160 annually.

Refrigerator/Freezer: Keep the coils (on the back or the bottom of the appliance) clean.

Operate your dishwasher with full loads and air-dry dishes on the "energy saver" setting. If the manufacturer's instructions permit, open the door of the dishwasher at the end of the last rinse cycle, rather than using the drying cycle.

Cook on range-top burners when practical instead of in the oven.

Use the microwave for reheating and cooking small quantities of food.

Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps that give the same amount and quality of light as incandescent bulbs, yet use one-quarter the amount of energy and last ten times longer. Savings: 30 percent to 38 percent of lighting costs.

Use dimmer switches or timers on lights. Savings: 7 percent to 10 percent of lighting costs.

Install storm or thermal (replacement) windows. These tightly fitting windows give the benefit of dual pane glass. Air trapped between the two panes acts as a thermal insulator, keeping your heated air inside where it belongs. Be sure to get windows that have the new super-efficient low-emissivity glazing.

Wrap your water heater with a water heater blanket, especially if it's in an unheated area of your home. You could save up to 10 percent on water heating costs.

Set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees, or 140 degrees if you have a dishwasher. Savings: 7 percent to 11 percent of water heating costs.

Install energy-saving showerheads, faucets or flow restrictors. You'll reduce hot water use and cut water costs by 10 percent to16 percent without affecting comfort.

Prevent heat loss and reduce your waterbed's electric use up to 20 percent by covering it with bedspreads or quilts as soon as you get up.

For more information, call PG&E's Smarter Energy Line at 1-800- 933-9555.