Nathan Exposed » Going Green for Earth Day, Part 2

Happy Earth Day!

There are many ways to help save the planet without making drastic changes in your life. I find most people want to help in some way. I know I did. So here are some very simple changes you can make that add up:

Most people leave the water running while brushing their teeth. Make it a habit to turn the water off while you brush. This can literally save gallons of water.
Many electronics draw a current even when they not running. When possible, completely unplug them. For example, you aren’t using your home computer while you’re at work or sleeping, so instead of putting it to sleep, completely unplug it. Computers use a lot of energy. You can do the same with lamps, toasters, etc.
Consider changing your thermostat by one degree and see if you can adapt. When you’re not going to be at home, adjust it to the lowest or highest you can comfortably leave it at. Why waste energy on an empty house?
The average person uses 6 paper napkins per day. See if you can cut it down to 5 or less. Also consider using machine washable cloth napkins instead.
Make sure you have good weather stripping and plug any drafts. You’d be amazed at how much energy those waste.
Switch to re-usable cloth bags for your groceries. Paper and plastic take thousands of years to decompose. If you aren’t ready to buy the cloth bags, consider re-using plastic bags. A lot of grocery stores now have used bags at the entrance of the store. Grab some and ask for those to be used at the checkout.
As I’ve mentioned before, switch to compact fluorescent bulbs. They give off the same light as standard bulbs, but use much less energy, last up to 9 or 10 years, and also reduce your electric bill. It’s a win-win situation! Make it a goal to switch out at least one bulb today.

There are obviously thousands of ways to help save the planet, but the tips I’ve listed above are just a few of the simple, easy to adopt methods. Try to make or two of these new habits fit into your daily life.

Sun, Apr 22, 2007 @ 4:54 pm | Filed in Life | Permalink

4 Comments

Great ideas. I can do those things.
I can’t afford a solar powered car or electric powered car, but I can certainly do those things.

Posted by johnmichael on Sun, Apr 22, 2007 @ 10:24 pm

I’m glad they were helpful

You know, on the topic of the cars, I read that if you add up the extra money you spend on the hybrid cars, you’d have to drive it somewhere around 11 years before the savings really added up.

I forgot what all the details were to figure that on the cars, but I think the small steps with everyday stuff do make a difference.

Posted by Nathan on Sun, Apr 22, 2007 @ 10:41 pm

Yeah, people forget that dollars also equal energy. I started purposefully using the swamp cooler less, and I use a canvas bag at the store.
I’m really quite concerned of the future of our living space, the earth.

Posted by DEL on Mon, Apr 23, 2007 @ 12:07 am

All great and easy changes we can make, good advice Nathan. I’m guilty of the water on while brushing the teeth, I will change that. I wish I could carry around the hankie for sneezes, but for some reason I can’t get pass the booger issue.

Posted by jasontt33 on Mon, Apr 23, 2007 @ 12:17 pm