You can save gallons of water by showering together…just kidding. You can save even more water by only showering once a week…just kidding again—please don’t. Okay, let’s be serious now. Water conservation isn’t something to joke about (whoops).
Water conservation has become a serious issue in the past few years. Sadly, the issue is often overshadowed by more pressing concerns such as the burning of valuable fossil fuels and high costs of energy consumption. For the people and animals in the areas that depend on the water provided by lakes and groundwater which are quickly drying up, the issue is very much real.
There are two ways to go about conserving water. You can choose to work with what you have and change your habits, or buy water-saving products to replace your traditional equipment. If you opt to stick with the familiar, you’ll need to make a few minor adjustments in your daily routine. For example, only run the washer and dishwasher when they’re full; keep a pitcher of water in the fridge instead of waiting for tap water to get cold; water your lawn and garden in the morning when its cooler out to minimize evaporation, collect water from your drainpipes to water the garden, insulate your hot water pipes for more immediate hot water, wash your face and brush your teeth while in the shower, and wash dishes by hand by filling one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water so the faucet isn’t constantly running.
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July 9th, 2010 in
Save Energy at Home |
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There is really no downside to going green. You protect the environment, you save money, and you make a difference in the world. Today, ‘green’ products work just as well—if not better—than their original counterparts. Take the Tide Coldwater line for instance. The next time you run out of your usual laundry detergent, buy Tide Coldwater instead. You’ll save loads of money on your energy bill by not using hot water every time you do laundry and you’ll cut energy consumption up to 30%. While you’re still in the laundry room, you might want to think about switching to an Energy Star qualified washing machine. These clothes washers use 30% less energy and over 50% less water than traditional washers. They hold a greater capacity which means you do fewer loads of laundry. Imagine combining the high efficiency of qualified washers with the power of Tide Coldwater—you’re electric and water bills will thank you for it.
While you wait for your eco-friendly laundry to dry, kick back and watch an Energy Star qualified TV. These TV’s use 40% less energy than standard TVs—guaranteed. You won’t have to sacrifice size or picture quality because even the best TVs come in energy efficient versions. If all TVs sold in the US met the Energy Star requirements set by the EPA, Americans would be saving $2.5 BILLION annually on energy costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from 3 million cars.
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July 9th, 2010 in
Save Energy at Home |
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Green houses can now refer to more than a garden growing glass house. Modern day green houses are normal houses that have been built to meet the strict guidelines of energy efficiency set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. If you’re planning on building a home anytime in the near future, you should strongly consider a construction plan that will earn the Energy Star label.
What’s so different about an Energy Star house? Thanks to required effective insulation systems, high-performance windows, tight construction and ducts, efficient heating and cooling systems and Energy Star qualified lighting/appliances, Energy Star houses are 20-30% more efficient than standard homes. These requirements may decrease energy, but they don’t decrease design appeal.
The first thing you’ll need to start construction on your energy efficient home is a contract with a builder in a Partnership Agreement with EPA. Builders must construct at least one Energy Star qualified home every 12 months to maintain the partnership, but many builders will build 100% Energy Star qualified homes. These builders know the guidelines and work directly with a selected Home Energy Rater to ensure the regulations are met with quality and precision. The raters will be checking on your home throughout the building process—from the architectural plans to the final touches of construction. To find a builder partnered with Energy Star, use this Energy Star Partner Locator.
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July 9th, 2010 in
Save Energy at Home |
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For the past 20 years, Seventh Generation has been developing naturally safe and effective ‘green’ household products. Their current line uses natural ingredients instead of hazardous chemicals that are bad for your family and the environment. In addition to creating and selling eco-friendly products, Seventh Generation actively garners support and awareness about the need to restore the environment. They donate 10% of their profits to the ‘7 Acts of Seventh Generation’. These acts are organizations include the Safer Chemicals Healthy Families for toxic chemical policy reform; WAGES (Women’s Action to Gain Economic Security); Rainforest Action Network for sustainable palm oil; Project Laundry List to help families rethink laundry; The Breast Cancer Fund which requires household care products disclose all ingredients; Sustainability Institute for education; and Save the Poles which fights against global climate change.
If any of these programs interest you or if you simply wish to environmentally revolutionize your household cleaning products, here are some of Seventh Generations favorite products:
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July 9th, 2010 in
Seventh Generation |
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Due to the massive global consumption of valuable fossil fuels for energy, scientists and energy specialists all over the world have been striving to come up with an alternate source of clean usable energy. While no one has found a perfect replacement for fossil fuel consumption, there are many clean energy sources available for everyday use.
For example, wind can be converted into useful energy through the use of wind turbines for electricity, wind mills for mechanical power, wind pumps for water draining, and sails for ship transportation. The main problem with using wind as an energy source is people’s “NIMBY” mentality. NIMBY, or ‘Not in my Backyard’, refers to people refusing to allow the construction of wind farms because they are not aesthetically pleasing. There are also geographic limitations on wind energy’s powers—it can only be effective in windy areas.
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July 8th, 2010 in
Alternate Energy |
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