October 2012
1) How does your energy consumption compare to others in the U.S.? Visit the
Department of Energy’s website to interact with a map of data.
http://energy.gov/maps/2009-energy-consumption-person
2) Easy Energy Saving Tips from Natural Resources Defense Council
1. Unplug
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Unplug seldom-used appliances, like an extra refrigerator in the basement
or garage that contains just a few items. You may save around $10 every
month on your utility bill.
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Unplug your chargers when you're not charging. Every house is full of little
plastic power supplies to charge cell phones, PDA's, digital cameras,
cordless tools and other personal gadgets. Keep them unplugged until you
need them.
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Use power strips to switch off televisions, home theater equipment, and
stereos when you're not using them. Even when you think these products
are off, together, their "standby" consumption can be equivalent to that of
a 75 or 100 watt light bulb running continuously.
3) 14 Known Ways to Reuse Aluminum Foil (www.recyclebank.com)
1) Sharpen Scissors by folding aluminum foil into a square and cut it with
scissors about 8-10 times.
2) Put aluminum foil under a table or desk to help balance it out.
3) Wrap around the pump dispenser of soap or lotion to control how much
comes out.
4) Scrunch it up and use it on the caked on grease under your stove top.
5) Re-use foil to block off door knobs and fixtures while painting.
6) Protect young plants from insects by putting a foil collar around base.
7) Add a piece of foil to the dryer to help with static cling.
8) Lay silverware on top of aluminum foil to slow down deterioration.
9) Use foil, baking soda and water to help with silverware that is tarnished.
10)
Crumple foil and stick near a mouse hole. The mice are afraid of the
jagged edges.
11)
Lay bar of soap on a sheet of foil to extend the life.
12)
Wrap brown sugar that has turned hard in foil and put in oven at 300
degrees to help break it up.
13)
Put sheet of foil under the ironing board to help reflect the heat and
iron both sides at once.
14)
Cover pie crust with foil during final minutes of baking to keep from
browning.
Do you have any other ways to recycle aluminum foil?
4) Find Out the Energy Efficiency of Your Home
Visit: http://energytrust.org/
5) “Choosing the Right Water Filter for Your Home: Without Breaking
the Bank”
http://www.nrdc.org/living/waterair/select-right-filter.asp
If you know that you may have contaminants in your water and want to use a
filtering system to get rid of them, the Natural Defense Council has a guide for you.
There are two general categories for water filters: point of entry and point of use
units. Point of entry units treat the water before it gets distributed throughout the
house. Point of use models refer to counter top, faucet and under the sink filters.
When choosing a filter, make sure it is certified as meeting NSF/ANSI standard 53.
NSF-certified filters have been independently tested to show that they can reduce
levels of certain pollutants under specified conditions. While the NSF certification
program is not flawless, it does provide some assurance that at least some claims
made by the manufacturer have been verified.
To select the most appropriate filter follow these steps:
Step 1: Determine which type of filter system will remove the contaminants in your
water such as:
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Activated Carbon Filter
Cation Exchange Softener
Distiller
Reverse Osmosis
UV Disinfection
Step 2: Visit the Searchable Directory at NSF/ANSI Certified Drinking Water
Treatment Units (http://www.nsf.org/Certified/dwtu/ ) to highlight the
contaminants that you want to reduce and identify certified filters that meet those
needs.
This quote is from Richard Louv, author of “The Nature Principle” and “Last Child in
the Woods”.
“The future will belong to the nature smart. Those individuals, families, businesses
and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative
power of the natural world and who balance the virtual with the real. The more
high-tech we become, the more nature we need.”