SPECIAL SPONSORED SECTIONSwitch off lights when you leave a room.
The less time you spend with the lights on, the more energy you save.
Replace pear-shaped incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFLs).
CFLs use 75 percent less electricity then traditional incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
Replace normal light switches with dimmer switches.
This can cut your electric use by up to 40 percent.
Unplug electronics when you are finished using them.
Many appliances and electronics such as TVs, computers, DVD players, washers/dryers, and power tools use energy even when they’re turned off. Wasting energy hurts your pocketbook and Mother Nature. The less energy we use means the less fossil fuel we use which is less polluting to our earth.
Turn off water in-between use.
Conserve our clean water. Do you really need to keep the water running while you brush your teeth?
Keep appliances clean and maintained.
Old models suck up twice as much juice as current models.
Only run your dishwasher and washing machine with a full load.
And wash clothes in cold water instead of hot. (Yes, they will still get clean!)
Inflate your tires.
Keeping your tires at this recommended PSI rating will help your vehicle get the best possible fuel economy possible. Under inflated tires can slow the car down and decease fuel efficiency.
Drink tap water instead of bottled water.
It requires a lot of oil to transport bottled water, many plastic bottles are thrown away rather than recycled (ending up in landfills), and some contain synthetic organic chemicals.
Harvest your rainwater.
Put a rain barrel on your downspouts and use this water for irrigation.
Bring your own grocery bag to the store.
Plastic bags can take hundreds of years to break down (and often wind up littering our streets and making their way into sewers, rivers, and oceans), and you have to chop down a lot of trees to produce paper bags. Bring your own canvas bags instead.
Opt out of junk mail.
Approximately 8 million trees are deforested every year to provide paper for junk mail, most of which goes unread. Go online to www.donotmail.org and follow the steps to remove yourself from mailing lists.
