Green Your Routine

You may think that only cars and industry contribute to climate change. Nope. Homes contribute 20 percent of all greenhouse emissions in the United States. There is something, indeed many things, we can all do today to help cool things down, save time and money and even produce a little more peace of mind.

Conservation at Home

Did you know the typical house can cause twice the greenhouse gas emissions as the average car? It’s true -- whenever you turn on a light or run your dishwasher, a power plant needs to generate more electricity. In fact, about 35 percent of energy produced is used to toast your bread, wash your clothes and keep you warm. Most power plants produce electricity through not so clean means: by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, which produce greenhouse gases. While the number of cities and utilities that offer the option to buy clean energy are on the rise (go to green-e.org to see if you can get it), using energy efficiently at home is still the easiest way to reduce personal greenhouse gas emissions for most of us. Instead of living in the dark, forsaking your television, and other energy silliness, lighten up, and let your appliances and toys do the work for you while you cool your jets. Look for products that have the EPA’s ENERGY STAR sticker to help reduce your energy use.

Many of us have been recycling for years, so it can be easy to forget that recycling also helps save energy, and thus, slow climate change. Manufacturing products using virgin materials usually requires far more energy than if recycled materials are used. Don't forget that almost all plastics are derived from petroleum products; if you need extra motivation, take a look at the signs at your local gas station. Extra plastic isn't doing anybody any good. Recycle it, and keep recycling it.

Also, think about how you use hot water at home as a way to cut your global warming impact. Your hot water heater is one of the most energy-intensive in your house, using about 15 percent of your home's energy. Running only full loads in the dishwasher and laundry will save you time and reduce your energy use, and using cold water in each further lessens your load on the grid. Using a low flow showerhead (like this one, that only uses a half-gallon a minute) also cuts your hot water and dirty energy usage.

Make a Difference Outside

Will global warming affect your backyard? In a word: Yep. In more words: Well, it kinda depends on where you live. Some communities around the world are already seeing, and planning for, change. While warmer temperatures brought on by global warming might lengthen growing seasons and increase agricultural output, there are big-time risks associated with change. If you live or vacation near the coast, a rise in sea level could cause flooding and erosion of ocean front property. In other ecosystems, water shortages and droughts are increasingly becoming a serious risk. We can all take simple actions now to help fight these risks.

If you have a backyard, use it! Creating a bountiful yard full of trees and plants will not only beautify your property, but will help absorb carbon dioxide (an important greenhouse gas) from the air and improve local air quality. Trees also provide shade in the summer and can help to reduce the energy needed to cool your home, which can be up to 30 percent of your energy usage, depending on where you live. When you work in the yard, non-motorized yard tools are the way to go. Tools like gas-powered lawnmowers and trimmers don't do anything for the dynamic one-two punch of dwindling petroleum supplies and rising prices, and anything that plugs in, like electric mowers and weed trimmers all use that (usually) dirty energy flowing into your home that leads to greenhouse gas emissions. So, what to do? Use a push mower, rake your leaves and use them on your flower beds as mulch instead of using a leaf blower. Try it; we defy you to tell us you don't feel cooler.

Conservation on the Road

Passenger cars sure are handy to get us where we want to go, but they aren't so good for the air (we have a firm grasp on the obvious here). Seriously, they are responsible for 30 to 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, one-third of toxic water pollution, and almost half of all toxic air emissions. Every gallon of gas you burn puts 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into to the atmosphere. Yuck. So what can we do about it? It's as easy as:

1. Clean, regularly changed oil (get the kind that has the "Energy Conserving II" label on it), and properly inflated tires can increase your fuel efficiency up to 15 percent. Proper tire alignment also maximizes fuel economy. More than a fourth of all passenger cars, and nearly a third of all light trucks and SUVs on the road today have at least one under-inflated tire.
2. Lighten your trunk. Every 100 pounds eats up an extra mile/gallon.
3. When it's time to upgrade your ride, purchase a hybrid car (or the most fuel-efficient vehicle you can find) and support tax credits and other government incentives for these vehicles. Near-record oil prices are driving demand up, and gas prices aren't going anywhere soon; hybrids have never been able to save you more money at the pump. With nine models to choose from, and another ten expected by the end of 2007, you can have your pick of the automobile market's cream of the crop when it comes to gas-saving, planet-cooling hybrids.

Commuting

Transportation is a big portion of all greenhouse gas emissions. Reduce the pain at the pump by looking carefully at how you get around. Consolidate errands and other tasks into one trip, while avoiding any unnecessary trips. Explore other modes of transportation as an alternative to your personal vehicle. See if your employer would consider a compressed work week or allowing you to work one day a week at home.

Be a smart consumer

You can make a big difference by making informed choices about the products you buy. Never underestimate your power to leverage change with your consumer dollars. Need proof? Take a look at a little company called Whole Foods to see the potential impact of . Here's how: Before you buy, ask yourself -- Could I buy it used? Could I rent or borrow from family or friends? When it comes to food, buy local produce whenever you can. Most food we eat has traveled an average of almost 1,500 miles by the time it reaches our plates, and that's not good for those potatoes/ you were thinking about having for dinner. If you keep it local, that means less time on the road. Click here for a directory of farmer's markets across the country, and remember to bring your own bags when you go.

On the Job

Computers and monitors use loads of energy and are often left on for long periods of time (and screen savers don’t save you any energy). In the typical office, about two-thirds of the computers stay on all night, costing businesses an extra $900 million a year. For every 1,000 computers, a company can save almost $100,000 in energy costs each year. Translated to a more personal level: the computer you're using to read this very article, with enabled power management features, can save you $100 in energy costs and significant greenhouse gas emissions each year.

Making paper uses energy. Lots of it, not to mention trees, which we need to help process CO2 and make things cooler like the other side of the pillow. Paper makes up about 36 percent of the waste stream in the United States, and recycling paper uses half the energy of making new paper. Something as simple as printing and copying all your documents double sided can cut your paper consumption in half, which means less energy used and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

You can help by turning off your lights at night, recycling office paper, and encouraging your building or company to be more energy efficient. Your office can cut energy use by as much as 30% through lighting upgrades, HVAC tune-ups, and efficient windows. Less energy use also means lower energy costs for your company.

Do your part by pledging to take some of these actions in your everyday life -- you can start by pledging to change just one incandescent light bulb with an energy-efficient ENERGY STAR bulb at www.energystar.gov/changealight.