Friday July 25th, 2008
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Top 10 Ways to Be Green
Posted by LIME Team on February 11, 2007 - 6:30am.
Tip #1: Unplug!
Taking a few minutes to turn off electrical devices won't just help you save the planet, it can also help you save a few bucks off your electric bill each month. At home, go ahead and turn off the lights when leaving a room (chances are the walls and floor won't mind the dark)! Take an extra few seconds to shut down your computer and printer instead of letting them idle, and-annoying as it sounds-make morning a routine of unplugging TVs, fans and stereos before leaving for work. Like any routine, you'll get used to doing it in no time flat. When you're looking to buy new major appliances, go for energy efficient models with fewer frills-that icemaker requires more power than you think! Check out Energy Star and Greener Choices for efficiency ratings for new purchases. If you already own an appliance, remember to clean AC filters, insulate water heaters, and do other simple maintenance to maximize energy savings. Simply put, less energy = less pollution.
TOP TEN WAYS TO BE GREEN
- Tip 1: Unplug!
- Tip 2: Use Less Water
- Tip 3: Switch To Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs
- Tip 4: Choose Products With Less Packaging
- Tip 5: Buy Organic and Local Foods
- Tip 6: Drive Less
- Tip 7: Plant A Tree!
- Tip 8: Recycle More
- Tip 9: Switch to "Green" Power via Your Local Utility Company
- Tip 10: Spread the Word
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The chargers for cellphones and iPods (I think) are big culprits as well. Unplug 'em!
i so happy to see these tips here. keep spreading the word!
~Arcadia
Actually I have my doubts about that too, and I've been reading up on it and I keep getting good arguements defending each theory. But I'm guessing that it's better for the computer to get some rest every once in a while to save on the wear and tear of the motors and CRT.
There's a fairly interesting discussion (on the comments below) regarding shutting down or leaving it on idle. The original post is for mac users but the comments are more general.
http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/macbasics_leave_your_mac_on_or_shut_it_down
I turn everything off when not in use. That includes my mobile at night. I have just read that the electricity being used by leaving TV's on standby could supply a whole city. That's enough to make you think!!!
viola www.dare2baware.com www.shamanicjourney.com www.home-schooling-uk.com www.fun-tavels.com
Why is it that every article I read that touts the energy savings of compact fluorescent light bulbs fails to mention that they contain mercury?
Less energy = less polution (at least until these bulbs reach a landfill)
In the grand scheme of things it doesnt seem disasterous that a small amount of mercury may hit the landfills considering the combined weight of all the benefits of using fluorescent bulbs. I would suspect that a remedy is in the works.
On another note, I recently bought a Sony alarm clock and was pleasantly surprised to find that the "unplug feature" was incorporated into the device. It's a smart little gadget that never needs to be reset - just plug it back in at bedtime and all settings, including current time are restored.
I was wondering the same thing, as recently one of my CFL bulbs went out. I was wondering, though, does anyone know if the mercury that is absorbed when these bulbs "die" can be reclaimed and recycled? I know my community lists them as items they accept at "Earth Day" collections and I was wondering if they somehow recycled the mercury to avoid it ever reaching the landfills...couldn't find anything on-line yet so I was wondering if anyone knew what happens to the ones that they accepted. Hopefully it's better than just tossing them in the trash.
I had replaced virtually all bulbs with CFL's years ago - the one that went out was 9 years old!
Yep. I also, admit that I'm guilty of this one. =/
I should turn this into a habit.
Well if this counts for anything lately I've been getting into solar products. I even have my very own solar cellphone charger in my car, neato.
I've been struggling with the whole unplugging and plugging game though, I enjoy coming back from work and just instantly dive for the sofa (as childish as it may seem) and lazily reach for the control to turn on the tv... so reaching all the way to the back of my tv set to plug it back in might get in the way of this but that's just a bad habit I have to get rid of anyway, regardless.
Getting greener every day (I hope!)
Let's not forget LEDs in place of CFLs if mercury is a big concern. They're definitely more expensive at the moment, but they last FOREVER and don't contain any mercury.
Also, if anyone has additional tips like these, I started contributing to a few wikis on a green product review site:
One on vampire power (#1 on this list):
http://greenhome.huddler.com/wiki/how-to-reduce-vampire-power
There are literally hundreds of cool articles...I've contributed to about 10 thus far...pretty cool to be a published author :) haha.