Simply Saving

It’s the trap of our modern lives: We recycle like crazy and fork over big bucks to save the sea otters. We probably eat more organic food than anyone on earth; yet we also drive mammoth, gas-guzzling SUVs, live in energy-eating homes and buy more stuff than we know how to get rid of. Is there any sane way out?

The average new car is responsible for two tons of carbon emissions a year. While you save up for that hybrid (1), try these fuel-saving, conscience-salving tips.

2. carpool. The idea may give you the creeps, but carpooling to work with total strangers is cool precisely because it is so anachronistically trusting. To find a pickup spot near you, see www.erideshare.com/statecity/

3. slow down. Vehicles lose about one percent of fuel efficiency for each mile over 55 mph. A car that gets 30 miles per gallon (mpg) at 55 gets 28.5 mpg at 60 and 25.5 mpg at 70. Driving at 50 mph rather than 70 uses 25 percent less fuel.

4. Pack light. Using a roof rack to carry gear creates wind resistance and can cut fuel economy by as much as five percent.

5. Unload the trunk. For every 100 pounds of extra weight, fuel efficiency drops by as much as two percent.

6. get a tune-up. It can increase the fuel efficiency of an average car by six percent and a poorly maintained car by 20 percent. Old spark plugs can reduce gas mileage by 30 percent; a faulty oxygen sensor can cut it by 40 percent.

7 & 8. Not only do under-inflated tires waste fuel, they tend to run hotter, wear more rapidly and leach more chemicals into the environment. For the best mileage, rotate tires regularly and check your brakes. (If brakes drag on the wheels, fuel efficiency drags, too.)

9. & 10. Use low octane fuel and don’t top off your tank. Only 10 percent of new cars need “premium” gas. The higher the octane the more toxic junk that gets into the air and your lungs.

11. Sweat the big stuff. Major purchases have a much greater environmental impact than minor ones do. For example, if every American drove one of the four most efficient cars in each class, the savings would be 13.1 billion gallons of gas a year, or 157 million tons of greenhouse gases.

12 and 13. Watch your weight. In general, the purchase of heavier items such as a washing machine or a water heater will have a larger environmental impact than the purchase of a light one. Toxic products like chemical pesticides are major exceptions. They can cause more damage by the ounce than a ton of bricks.

14. Become an early adopter. The first people to buy a new green product or support an eco-friendly idea have a greater impact than the well-meaning lemmings who follow years down the line when the costs have come down and the kinks have been worked out.

15. Buy eco-friendly products. These include items made from recycled materials, water-saving devices for the bathroom and office equipment that lets you telecommute.

16. LESS IS MORE. Don’t buy more computing power than you need. For the most eco-conscious computer makers, check out http://www.svtc.org/

17. Think of non-green reasons to spend less. Wretched excess harms more than the environment. Can you really afford that T. rex of an SUV? What kind of message do all those toys and gadgets send to your kids?

18-22. Buy new windows.Your home will lose up to 20 percent of its heat through the windows if they aren’t insulated (double-paned). You can improve their energy efficiency by keeping them well caulked, installing a good set of blinds or curtains, drawing the blinds at night and when you’re away. Installing Energy Star windows in place of your old single pane windows can save you up to $340 a year on your energy costs. Although putting in new windows can be expensive, homeowners will also receive a tax credit for 10 percent of the cost up to $200. (Tax credits are more valuable than deductions because they represent a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your tax bill and you don’t have to itemize to claim them.)

23. Don’t dump pills and toiletries down the drain or flush them down the toilet. Traces of drugs, cosmetics and hormones have been found in many bodies of water, with potentially grave health and environmental consequences.

24-25. Laptop computers consume 90 percent less energy than standard desktop computers. Ink-jet printers use 90 percent less energy than laser printers.

26. A single COMPACT Fluorescent light bulb (CFL) keeps a half-ton of CO2 out of the air over its lifetime, compared with an incandescent bulb. For the kindest light, look for “Energy Star” or “warm light” on the label.

27. If every household in American replaced five bulbs with CFLs, the waste-reducing effect would be equivalent to removing eight million cars from our roads for one year. Although they are more expensive than conventional bulbs, many states offer price-incentive or rebate programs. Also, the nonprofit Energy Federation (http://www.efi.org/ sells CFLs at discounted prices.

28. WATERBEDS would be a lot sexier if they didn’t take nearly as much energy to heat as a small kitchen. Blankets act as insulation and keep heat from escaping, so if you have one of these relics, pile on the covers.

29 & 30. In Florida raising the thermostat saves money on cooling costs. For every one-degree that you raise the thermostat setting, you will save 7-10 percent. For example, if you normally keep your thermostat set at 78° and you raise it to 80°, you will save about 14 percent on your cooling bill. When you leave home, turn off the air conditioning or set the thermostat up a few more degrees .

31. Ceiling fans use only 10–100 watts, depending on size and speed. By contrast, central air conditioners gobble 2,000–5,000 watts. But keep in mind that ceiling fans cool people not rooms. Your furniture and air temperatures do not physically change, so when you leave the room, switch off the fan.

32. For central air conditioning systems, keep the fan switch on your thermostat in the “auto” position when cooling. Having the fan switch “on” continuously could cost $25 extra a month on your electric bill.

33. Refrigerator-freezers are the biggest energy guzzlers in most homes. Keeping America’s beer cold and popsicles frozen requires the equivalent of 60 power plants a year. Side-by-side models tend to use the most energy, models with the freezer at the bottom, the least.

34. Believe it or not, running a dishwasher can be better for the environment than washing up by hand as long as you wash a full load and don’t rinse every dish first.

35 & 36. Americans spend more money to power home audio and DVD products when they’re turned off than when they’re actually in use. Idle appliances like fax machines, cordless phones and computers continue to use energy even when turned off because of display clocks and “sleep” or “standby” modes that allow them to start immediately when turned on. These energy leaks account for five percent of total domestic energy consumption versus two percent for computers actually in use. They spew 18 million tons of CO2 into the air per year so if your appliance has a “sleep” mode, switch it off.

37. Dryers use less energy if you clean the lint filter regularly and if you dry only full loads.

38 and 39. An electric water heater can cost three times as much to run as a gas model. You can make yours less wasteful if you turn it down to 120 degrees for everyday use and to low if you plan to go away for a few days .

40. For a big impact on your bottom line, consider installing a solar water heater. These units can reduce your water-heating bill as much as 80 percent and will pay for themselves over time. They are also eligible for hefty tax credits — if you buy a solar water heater, Uncle Sam will grant you a 30 percent tax credit up to $2,000.

41. You know chemical garden pesticides are not only terrible for the environment but potentially dangerous to your family’s health, too. Fertilizers aren’t blameless either. They promote algae growth in waterways, harming aquatic life.

42. Instead of loading up on bottled water, install a water filter on your home faucet. That $5 filter will give you 40,000 8-ounce glasses of purified tap water.

43 and 44. Save water by taking shorter showers and installing a low-flow showerhead. Low-flow showerheads can reduce the water flow up to 50 percent. A low-flush toilet uses half the water but still does the job.

45. Turn the water off You can waste 150 gallons of water per month by leaving the water running while you brush your teeth, shaving or washing your face. That’s 1,800 gallons a year!

46. Appliances: Help formerly homeless people get established by donating your old kitchen appliances, TV and stereo equipment to Brothers Keeper (352.622.3846) or Interfaith Emergency Services (352.629.8868).

126 Ways To Save The Planet: Part Two
126 Ways To Save The Planet: Part Three

Related Tags: saving money, frugal, simplicity