brad, posted on
April 9, 2008, 13:23
That is the prime question. How do you start? Well, here is what my plan is:
- Research the easy things to do
- Implement them
- Blog my experience
Seems easy, huh? I am sure it is not nearly as easy as that. Before I started the site, a friend of mine e-mailed me some information about being green. I am sure most of you have seen this information.
Here is an excerpt of the information I was sent (it was a long e-mail):
- Keeping your refrigerator full, but not to the point of overstuffing, will allow it to run at max capacity. To help retain cold temperatures when the fridge and freezer are less full, place glass or ceramic pitchers of water in their compartments. Like using ice in a picnic cooler, this will insulate the interior and keep it cold.
Refrigerators and freezers account for about a sixth of all electricity use in a typical American home, and they use more electricity than any other single household appliance.
Over- or under-crowding makes the fridge work harder to maintain its optimal internal temp (37 degrees F).
- On the highway, try not to exceed a speed of 55 miles per hour. Not only are you less likely to get into an accident, but the faster you drive, the more fuel your vehicle consumes per mile. That means more money and more greenhouse gases.
At 65 mph you're burning 10% more fuel than at 55, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. At 70 you lose 17% of your fuel economy, and at 75 it’s 25%. The numbers get worse from there.
Even though you may thrive off living in the fast lane, if the national speed limit were reset to 55, it would save 1 billion barrels of oil per year -- more than the U.S. imports from the Persian Gulf.
The reason why is simple physics. As your engine heats up at higher speeds, it burns gas faster. Plus, all that increasing resistance from air and road drag you down.
- Instead of a traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) desktop computer monitor, get a more energy efficient "flat panel" LCD (liquid crystal display).
These days, most new computers are being sold with LCD monitors, except for high-end graphics packages and bargain models. That's a good thing, because LCDs are up to 66% more energy efficient than CRTs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. LCDs are also upwards of 80% smaller in size and weight, leading to fuel savings in shipping. LCDs produce less heat, meaning you'll need less AC to keep cool.
LCD screens are also easier on the eyes. Their lower intensity and steady light pattern result in less fatigue versus CRTs.
Don't forget to make sure any new computer equipment you buy meets the EPA's Energy Star requirements, which now require that 80 percent of the power consumed be actually used by the computer.
- When you are picking up food, going to the bank or even filling a prescription, park your vehicle and walk inside instead of using the drive-through. It will cut down on unnecessary fuel use as well as carbon emissions.
Every time you use a drive-through, you burn about 18 cents worth of gas idling your car. According to Quick Service Restaurant Magazine, the average drive-through wait time once the order is taken is three minutes. Add the minute or two that it takes to place the order, and that means one billion car-minutes spent idling each year in front of Burger King restaurants alone! Estimates for total fuel costs for idling in front of every drive-through in America are in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Parking your car and getting out also allows an opportunity to stretch your legs. Given the obesity epidemic in this country, any chance to get your body moving is also nothing to scoff at. Getting out also gives you the chance to throw away garbage, so you will be less tempted to toss litter out your window later on.
Some people have argued that drive-thru save on energy because they allow establishments to have smaller dining areas (or eliminate them altogether.) But others question such logic. If enough people declined to use drive-thru, new facilities would instead be designed with walk-up (and bike-up) windows. Plus, using centralized electricity is typically far cleaner than auto exhaust. The environmental arguments against drive-thru are so compelling that a number of smog-choked cities, including Atlanta, are even considering banning them.
And that was only about a third of the e-mail. Not to mention, there is more where that came from. It looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me. I am going to look and see what else there is I can do, and post more as I find things to do. I did not even know about the drive-thru thing. THERE IS MY FIRST CHANGE!
Ok, my friends. I challenge everyone who reads these suggestions to take on one of them. It does NOT count if you already practice it! I have only LCDs on my computers, so I don't count that. If you already do ALL of these, then that is even better!
What I intend on doing is looking deeper into recycling. I want to know the ins and outs of how it works, and what materials are better suited to recycling.
Get Greener Everyday!
Brad
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