Follow these "Green Actions" to help reduce air pollution and global warming!
Conserve Energy and Save Money
*Take public transit, Rideshare, walk or bike.
*When driving, try to do in evening, consolidate destinations and avoid idling.
*Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
*Set your thermostat up at least 2 degrees during summer.
*Turn off and unplug electronics.
*Use environmentally friendly household products.
*Switch to reusable grocery bags and water bottles.
*Use a charcoal chimney instead of lighter fluid when grilling.
*Avoid using gas-powered equipment on Action Days.
*Do not burn leaves and other yard waste.
Energy Saving Tips
You don't have to run out and buy the latest energy-efficient appliance in order to save energy. Just practice these energy-saving tips and you'll save money and energy.
- Turn off ligths in rooms not being used. Replace incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs.
- Reduce heating and cooling while you sleep and when no one is at home.
- Keep air conditioning thermostat on 78 degrees or higher and use ceiling fans.
- Change furnace and air conditioner filters once a month.
- Check for air leaks around windows and doors. Seal with caulking and weatherstripping, and save 10 percent or more on heating and cooling.
- Use low-flow showerheads to save 50 percent on energy used to heat the water.
- Check your home's insulation in floors, attics and walls. Insulate to the recommended R value. (Factors vary - refer to manufacturer's recommendations.)
- Drive fuel-efficient vehicles, carpool, combine short trips, and when possible, walk or ride a bike.
- Use a programmable thermostat on you central air conditioner/furnace.
- Seal holes where conduits and pipes enter the attic and along partition walls, eaves and knee walls.
- Open drapes on sunny winter days to let warn sun in; close them on winter nights to keep the heat in.
- Plant deciduous trees on the south and west sides of your house that block the sun in summer but let the sun through in winter after the leaves have fallen off.
- Keep tires inflated to their rated pressure or slightly above to improve your gas mileage up to 5 percent and extend the life of your tires.
- Have your car tuned as needed. A poorly tuned car can use as much as 3 to 9 percent more gas than a well-tuned one.
Energy Facts
Did you know...- The typical U.S. family spends close to $1,300 a year on its home's utility bills. Unfortunately, a large portion of that energy is wasted. The amount of energy wasted just through poorly insulated windows and doors is about as much energy as we get from the Alaskan pipeline each year.
- The U.S. wastes $12 billion every year due to inefficient and outdated building energy technologies.
- The average home produces more than twice the pollution (through generation of household electricity) than the average car.
- Cars and light trucks use more gasoline each year than the entire U.S. oil industry produces.
- Lighting accounts for almost one-fourth of all electricity sold in the U.S. By improving your lighting system, you can significantly reduce your electricity bill.
- Using a ceramic coffee mug conserves the amount of energy it would take to manufacture 500 paper cups.
- Recycling two aluminum cans saves the same amount of energy it takes to power your PC for one workday.