Community Corner
Earth Day: How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
It's simple. From lightbulbs to laundry, five quick and proven ways to help the environment
With Earth Day approaching, our minds are focused on protecting and preserving the world around us.
Today, we're exploring a number of ways to reduce our carbon footprint - the quantity of greenhouse gases produced and emitted by human activities. As you'll see, these changes are not only quick and easy, but of benefit to both you and the environment.
1. BULBS: Make a change from incandescent light bulbs to energy (and electric-bill) saving, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Not only do CFL’s use less power than incandescent bulbs, but they’ll continue to shine between eight and 15 times as long as incandescents. Even with CFLs, don't forget to hit the light switch before leaving the room.
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2. LAUNDRY: Doing laundry? Clean out the lint trap on your dryer after every load. Doing so will reduce the amount of energy consumed with each cycle. Or even avoid the dryer altogether by hanging your clothes to dry outdoors. Not only will they catch the smell of spring air, but you’ll again be saving energy (and your clothes. All that lint is the picture of them wearing away!) And when running the washer, use cold water. (Remember, saving energy can save you money!)
3. REUSE AND RECYCLE: From cans, paper, plastic, and glass to ink cartridges and rechargeable batteries, recycling your waste may be the simplest way to help the environment! But also reuse; bring your own mug to the coffee shop when you get your morning brew and ditch bottled water for a reusable container or filtration system. Also, donate your old clothes instead of just throwing them away. Both their recipients and the environment will thank you.
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4. UNPLUG: Even if your appliances are turned off or on standby mode, if they’re plugged in, they’re still sapping energy. Some of the likely culprits include cell phone and laptop chargers as well as lamps, televisions and stereo systems; make sure to unplug these devices when not in use. Or, to make your job even easier, plug your electronics into a power strip instead of an outlet. Flick the switch to off, and you’re good to go.
5. CARPOOL: Work near or with a friend? Share a ride to the office. Carpool to the mall instead of meeting your friends there. Or you can forget about the car altogether and ride your bike, go by foot or take mass transit to your destination.
