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50 Fun Ways To Reduce Your |
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From a live broadcast on the Jay and Julie Show on 04/06/07. Last update 06/23/08. How Can You Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Still Save Money? (With a special thanks to Time Magazine, April 9, 2007)
Well, at least some of them are fun. But nevertheless, we do have some great ideas for you, such as don’t sleep alone on cold nights, save water and don’t shower alone, and become a nudist in your home so that you do not need as much air conditioning. And if you are nude or if you at least wear minimal clothing, you don’t have to do the laundry as often, saving both energy and water and the cost of detergents. How about that – Nude Patriots for America and Mother Earth!
In our home we have a Solar Hot Water heater, a Solar Pool heater, Solar Tubes for indoor lighting, Solar Photovoltaic’s for outdoor lighting, and extremely efficient and durable LED lighting. We have Solar Film on our windows to protect us from hurricanes and burglars and to further reduce our utility bills. We also have sturdy foam blown insulation to tie our rafters and roofing together to better protect us from hurricanes, but this foam insulation also does a great job of cooling our home. And we drive an SUV – the nicest car we have ever owned; but it’s a hybrid that gets very good gas mileage. Yes it all cost money, but not only has it allowed us to do our part to reduce our carbon footprint, and made us more a little more independent of the foreign oil that finances terrorism, but it has greatly reduced our electric bills and our gas expenses.
Our government, under pressure from multimillion dollar bribes (AKA campaign contributions) from big oil and certain manufacturing industries has resisted most efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to make America independent of fossil fuels. But what can we, as individuals, do? What can YOU do to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels? What can you do as God-loving person to protect God’s green earth or as a Patriot to protect your country? We are going to look at over 50 ways you can reduce your carbon footprint on the personal level. (If you can think of any other ways to reduce your personal carbon footprint – send an email to Julie@JayAndJulieOnline.com and we may add it to our list.)
If you care about our future, if you are a true patriot, please make sure you walk away with at least one or two ways to reduce your personal carbon footprint, save money, protect our environment and our country for our children, and do your part to reduce our dependence on the foreign oil that finances terrorism.
On the Jay and Julie show we Explore the Lighter Side of Politics, Culture and Technology. So let’s start with some of the existing technology in your own home:
1. The second best place to work out in the nude is in my own personal weight room where I have a TV, a DVD player, a stereo system, and an audio receiver. These are “vampire” electronic devices that still draw power and generate heat, even when turned off. I plugged them all into a surge protector strip. This is an easy way to stop electricity drain from appliances on “standby.” Not only am I protecting these devices from power surges, but now with just one click I can turn them all off when I leave the room. Look around your home for all the appliances and electronics that run all the time and consume electricity and generate heat whether or not you use them: DVD players, microwave ovens, CD players, printers, fax machines, things with transformers… When convenient, unplug seldom used appliances and machines when not in use. This also protects them from lightning strikes. 2. Microsoft is based in Washington state where one of their leading industries is lumber. And as good Washington state residents, Microsoft’s default settings are configured to waste as much paper as possible. To resist the evil empire and to reduce waste, consider resetting your printer margins and using a smaller font to reduce the paper that you use, and the trees that are cut down and energy used to ship each of those products. In Microsoft Word XP/2003: choose File > Page Set up > set your default margins from 1.25 to the traditional standard of 1 inch (or even .9 inches) all around > then click the [Default] button. For Office 2007: choose Page Layout > Set Spacing After to 0 so that everything is not double spaced. You can also choose to reduce your default font size from 12 to 11 points. Save trees and the energy costs associated with shipping the extra paper across country and ultimately into landfills. 3. You may love your Pamela Anderson screen saver, but do not use screensavers as energy savers as they continue to use the monitor at full power and do not conserve energy. Remember - manually turning monitors off is always the better energy-saving strategy. Manually or automatically turn off the monitor and computer when you’re not using it. You can have this happen automatically be clicking Start > Settings > Control Panel > and then choose Display. Here are some of the suggested automated settings that you can make from the Display applet: Make sure the monitor is set to turn off after being idle for 10 minutes; put the system to sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity. 4. If you think your 9-volt battery is low on juice, place the connectors on your tongue. You’ll find out real quick if it is charged. But be sure to unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use. 5. Save grandma some money and move the halogen lamp away from the air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from any nearby lamp or heat producing appliance, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
Now for the rest of your home and lifestyle: 1. It seems Ronald Reagan was right about cow farts. Methane has a warming effect 23 times as great as that of carbon, while nitrous oxide is 296 times as great. Reduce your meat consumption. The international meat industry produces 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, much of which comes from the methane released by cattle and the nitrous oxide in manure. Additionally the cattle industry consumes huge quantities of grain and water. 2. Seal windows and doors with weather stripping to keep the cold winter winds out and the summer air conditioning in. 3. Insulate your garage and attic. Sturdy foam insulation can also protect your home from wind damage. 4. Reduce direct sunlight into your home – the setting western sun may make some rooms very uncomfortable and fade fabrics and rugs. Draw the shades in the late afternoon. Near our hottest western window we planted a tall crape myrtle – in the summer it provides shade and beautiful flowers, in the winter it loses its leaves and allows the setting sun to warm our home. We also installed solar film – for security, heat reduction, and for those spontaneous moments when we appreciate our privacy. 5. During winter or cold months, open curtains on your south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home. Close your curtains at night to help keep the heat in. 6. Open a window instead of running the A/C. Take advantage of cross-ventilation. If you have a security system that uses magnets on the windows, consider buying some extra magnets and place them so that the bedroom windows can be raised six inches – enough to allow cross ventilation, but not enough to allow a bad guy to enter; and if a bad guy were to try to raise the window, the alarm would sound. This extra ventilation allows us to keep our air conditioning off two extra months during the year. 7. When your incandescent light bulbs burn out, replace them with compact fluorescents (CFLs) or the new LED bulbs. OK – they may be more expensive, but they last longer, and they can be wonderful Christmas gifts to give to the person who has everything or to give to the person who can barely afford their electric bills. CFLs use one-fourth the electricity spent in an equivalent incandescent bulb and they generate 70% less heat than incandescent lights. 8. If you own a business you can illuminate your parking lots and areas with LEDs (light emitting diodes). They use very little electricity and last almost forever, and they are less vulnerable to vandalism. 9. Use a clothesline or take clothes out of the dryer as soon as they’re dry. Don’t run the dryer more than you have to. 10. Periodically inspect your dryer vent to ensure it is not blocked. This will save energy and may prevent a fire. 11. Clean the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation. 12. Wash and dry full loads. 13. When appropriate, switch to cold when doing your laundry. 85 – 90% of the energy used to wash your clothes is used to heat the water. 14. Recycle your clothes – go to www.Patagonia.com/recycle to participate in their garment-recycling program. Or give old clothes that no longer fit (yes diets and exercise do work) to the Salvation Army or Good Will. Better yet – invite your friends over to your home for a Clothing Exchange and Recycling Party. “Ah Julie – Natalie’s nightie doesn’t fit anymore. See it over there, the sheer one with a thong back and that long slit down side. Try it on and we’ll let you know if it works for you.” 15. Be sure to clean or replace the air conditioner/furnace filter every 1-2 months. A dirty filter reduces the airflow and forces the furnace to run longer to heat your home. 16. Vacuum behind your refrigerator at least once a year, making sure to remove dust from the coils. Dust build-up not only increases energy use, but can cause the unit to break down. 17. Run the dishwasher only when it’s full. This saves electricity and water. 18. Try to arrange a work-at-home policy with your employer, start perhaps with Fridays. If you get all of your work done, your employer may not mind. Ask. Give it a try. Believe me; you can make a lot of money working at home in your underwear or less. 19. Pay your bills online or use automatic deductions to reduce the use of paper and the gas to deliver the outgoing mail. We have our electric, water, cable TV, phone, credit card, insurance, association fee, newspaper, and internet provider bills deducted automatically from our checking account. It saves us several dollars a month in postage and about an hour of work each month. We still get statements in the mail; the only difference is that the statements now say “Do not Pay. Automatic Deduction.” Trees are saved from the paper mill so they can do their jobs of providing shade and cleaning the air. 20. Adjust your thermostat. Turn it up one more degree in the summer and down one more degree in the winter – to save some money, to help protect our environment, and to help protect America by reducing our dependence on the foreign oil that finances terrorism. 21. Encourage your employer to turn up the thermostat in the summer and allow employees to dress more appropriately for hot weather. Take of the tie. Or do you prefer to wear ties all the time? After all, what is a tie – it’s really just a glorified snot rag. Honestly. And in the wrong hands – it can be used as a noose against you by an attacker. Use your patriotism as an opportunity to be more comfortable at work. 22. Ask your business or office to assign a switch-off person to go through the office at the end of the day or the week to make sure that lights and equipment are turned off. And the central air can be put on a timer. Switch-off person? There must be a better name. If you give this switch-off person a good title, maybe we can get more volunteers. (Building Energy-Saving Monitor?) 23. Turn down the temperature on your water heater, or, better yet, be sure to get a solar water heater if your current electric or gas heater dies. In many parts of the country solar water heaters will actually produce hotter water than conventional heaters and they will significantly reduce your utility bills. Even up north, in the cooler climates, solar water heaters can be very effective, because the ambient water is much colder than it is in the south. There are new governmental rebates on these systems. 24. Check out energy tax breaks for cars: up to $2,600 for a Toyota Prius or Ford Escape; $4,000 for a Honda Civic GZX; and up to $12,000 in tax credits for a vehicle that runs on natural gas or methanol. 25. You can claim up to $500 in energy tax breaks for energy-saving insulation, skylights, exterior doors, and windows; up to $300 for a new heat pump or central air conditioner; and up to $2,000 for a solar water heater. 26. Install low-flow adapters on showerheads – to reduce the amount of hot water used, which will reduce your electric bill, your water bill, and the amount of fossil fuel used to generate that electricity. 27. Look for the Energy Star label when shopping for appliances. Then comparison shop. Let your teenager do the math. 28. Wrap your water heater in an insulated blanket. 29. Get an energy audit of your home from your utility company – they’re usually free. 30. Recycle plastic grocery bags and avoid their use as much as possible. Only about 3% of the 500 billion bags distributed annually are recycled. They are typically made of polyethylene and can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. Consider bringing reusable bags or boxes when you go shopping. Or at least bring your plastic bags back to the store to either reuse or recycle. Many grocery stores, like Publix, have plastic bag recycle bins by their entrances. 31. Speaking about recycling – be sure to recycle your plastic and glass bottles and metal cans – at home, school, and at work. 32. Buy locally grown, raised, and produced goods to reduce the need for trucking. Visit www.LocalHarvest.org to find farms and markets near you. 33. If you have enough room, plant a bamboo or green fence. It grows very quickly—as much as a foot a day—and it absorbs more CO2 than a rosebush. 35. Plan a green wedding: get your cake at a local bakery, order seasonal flowers, and buy wine from a local vintner. 35. One of my pet peeves is that blasted gas-powered leaf blower that the lawnmower man uses to blow grass clippings and dirt in our front door and all over the mulch in our flower gardens. They reach dangerous decibel levels and spew that gas stench into the air. Use a broom, get some exercise and be nice to your neighbors and the environment! 36. Buy more recycled products. Recycled paper uses 60% less energy to produce and each ton saves 7,000 gallons of water and 17 trees. Each of those trees could have filtered up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air. Resist buying items that use excessive packaging. There should be a law against packaging that requires special tools to open. I have often come very close to severely injuring myself while attempting to open certain plastic packaging. Send emails to excessive packaging offenders. 37. If heating a swimming pool, consider a swimming pool cover. Evaporation is by far the largest source of energy loss in swimming pools. 38. Keep your car in shape: a tune-up can improve your gas mileage 4% or more; replacing a clogged air filter can boost fuel efficiency by10%. 39. Properly inflate your tires can increase fuel efficiency by 3% and can not only save you money but can protect you from tire blowouts. 40. Drive sensibly. Speeding, rapid acceleration and excessive braking wastes gasoline and money. 41. Carpool – it’s a great way for that extra social connection and to save gas. 42. Combine trips - if you are going to the Post Office, do other errands in that neighborhood during the same trip. 43. Clean out your car - the extra weight decreases gas mileage. 44. Walk or ride a bike instead of driving. We rode our bikes to the Lone Star Steakhouse this week, with our dog Zoey happily tagging along. We had a great ride, pleasant exercise, wonderful meal in the outdoor patio, and we did not consume a single drop of gasoline or spew any exhaust into the air. 45. Make your own compost fertilizer rather than buying commercially-produced. The U.S. spends more than $5 billion a year on fossil-fuel-derived fertilizers that leak chemicals into the ground and accelerate the release of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. Julie has her own personal mini compost heap. And it does not smell. 46. Drain a quart of water from your water tank every 3-6 months to remove sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers the efficiency of your heater. This will also increase the lifespan of your water heater. If you don’t have a husband or a boy friend, this can be good way to get to know that guy across the street better. “Jack – can you show me how to drain my tank?” 47. Wear socks and sweaters in the wintertime and throw an extra blanket on the bed instead of raising the thermostat. And with just a little thought, you can easily find other ways to stay warm in bed. Do it for your country! 48. Don’t sleep alone on cold nights. 49. Save water and don’t shower alone. “Oh Jule, there’s a little dirt on your…” 50. Use fans during the summertime, and consider becoming a nudist in your home so that you do not need as much air conditioning. How about that – Nude Patriots for America and Mother Earth!
In addition to the Solar solutions in the first paragraph, we just gave you 50 additional tips to reduce your carbon footprint. Be a true patriot and reduce our dependence on the foreign oil that finances terrorism. Save our environment, and your money. Surely there are at least a couple of new things on this list that you can do. Write them down if you have to, and make your own personal resolution now to leave a better world for our children.
If you can think of any other ways to reduce your personal carbon footprint – send an email to Julie@JayAndJulieOnline.com and we may add it to our list. Thank you for being concerned enough to read this important message. |