WHAT YOU DO AND
CHOOSE MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Simple and Cheap Energy Saving Actions to Take Today: 1. Change all your long burning incandescent bulbs to fluorescent. This will have the quickest energy payback. This single action, multiplied by millions of light bulbs, can have a huge impact. Also check out LED christmas lights! A string of 100 mini LEDs uses about 1% of the power required to run the equivalent incandescent string. That is: 5 watts for 100 LEDs compared to 500 watts for 100 lights! An LED flashlight runs 10 times longer providing a consistent brightness for longer using fewer batteries. 2. Turn the lights off when you leave a room, seems obvious, but makes a big difference. Consider using motion sensor switches in basements and closets, where lights are often left on and where being able to turn on lights, hands free can be extremely practical. 3. Install a programmable thermostat that automatically cools off/ warm up you house when you are not around. 4. Turn off the water when you are not using it (brushing your teeth, etc.) Water is equal to life. Water is the one resource we cannot do without. (petroleum is replaceable) Guard your water rights from the mega corporations! 5. Dress for the weather. If it is cold, wear layers. That alone will save money and energy and pollution. If it is hot, wear less. That is sexier anyway! Controlling our thermostat is a major way to rein in our energy use. 6. Only buy Energy Star appliances. They might be more expensive, but you definitely will save money over the life of the equipment (They are usually much better made as well). Send the message to the retailers and the manufacturers that you will buy only the most energy efficient appliances and ammenities. 7. Try to use a microwave instead of that electric oven to cook. Leave the lids on the pot if you are boiling water (I find that simple act to be very motivating. I can turn the heat way down and it still boils faster – I can do the math for you, but…) 8. Put that caulking stripping around the windows if you have leaky windows/doors. It can make a great impact on comfort and energy usage. Drafts are bad. 9. Do all small repairs – fix that faucet, tune up that furnace. Appliances use the least amount of energy when they are in good repair. 10. Walk. Walk to the store, walk to the bus stop, walk your kid to their friends’ house, walk to that fair trade coffee shop. Walk (Ok - you can cheat and ride your bike.) 11. Enjoy the luxury of biking to work. Daily exercise before and after work. 12. If you do drive your car, keep it well tuned, keep the tires properly inflated and do your best to link trips to avoid extra miles. Gas prices are going up, up, up. Get the most out of every gallon by taking care of your car. Consider not buying a new internal combustion engine car until you are satisfied with a full fleet of hybrid drive vehicles from which to choose. 13. Buy used goods: Play-it-again-sports? Rummage Sales? We don't have to keep spending our hard earned money on new stuff just because the television and the president tell us to. Buy a refurbished computer! Being thrifty, doing without unnecessary items and growing Victory Gardens the way to be patriotic in World War II. Why is it better for us to "Keep America Rolling?" Who is that better for? The CEOs of GM, Chrysler, Ford, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, et al. 14. Grow your own or buy organic produce. That alone has a direct effect on pesticides being introduced into the environment. Organic gardening eliminates shipping costs and saves us all money, prevents pollution, and saves on long term road wear. Even if you can grow any food, you can buy locally grown, organic food, helping your economy, improving your environment and saving money. Yes, organic food can be cheaper in the long run than commercial, nonorganic food if enough people buy it now. 15. Be aware of the thousands of petroleum based products that are thrust upon you and make an effort to NOT BUY THEM. They make petroleum based lip balm, make-up, and petroleum jelly, to name a few products they have convinced us to put on our bodies. Also be aware of petroleum candles, plastic pens with petroleum ink, petroleum fire starters, lighters, asphalt (the roads!), most of the plastic you use (there is soy based plastic alternative to petroleum), and the list goes on and on. While you cannot avoid all of these hidden oil products yet, there are a growing number of products available which use non-petroleum alternatives. In many cases the replacement products are better, such as beeswax-based lip balm. It just feels cleaner not to put nasty oil on my lips. 16. Check to make sure your fireplace damper is closed when not in use. An open chimney can suck the heat right out of your house, causing your furnace to run excessively. 17. If it is cold and your windows feel more like WINDoors, you can make your space much warmer by covering them with clear plastic. If you own your home, replace them with double paned insulated windows. It will make your home look better and they will pay for themselves a few times over their life in energy savings. Not only will you save energy, but you will feel warmer because your furnace will not have to constantly heat the air around your house. 18. Dress for the weather. If it is cold, wear layers. That alone will save money and energy and pollution. If it is hot, wear less. That is sexier anyway! Controlling our thermostat is a major way to rein in our energy use. Advanced Crusaders: Buy a hybrid vehicle! The Japanese and soon the U.S. made cars, light trucks and SUVs utilizing hybrid technology will go very far in getting more miles for every gallon. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are decades away, but hybrid technology is here today with performance exceeding conventional power plants. Install Solar panels on your house! With power failures on the rise and fuel prices with volatility matching the Middle East, don't you want your own source of power? Solar technology is advancing in leaps and bounds and current generation panels are durable with a 30 year life span. Federal and some State incentives exist to help defray the costs. Most residential systems pay off in 7-10 years in favorable latitudes. For the price of a modest SUV you can guarantee blackout proof free power for 30 years! Talk about energy independence! Living in the Cold Windy North? Install a Windmill! See above regarding the unreliability of grid electricity. It has been estimated that full development of wind generation potential in the Dakotas alone would eliminate the need for all petroleum imports, all fossil fuel use and energy pollution in the United States. Extra bonus points, install a windmill and solar panels! Move to minimize your commute! Or Telecommute! Move to the nearest feasible location within walking distance of your work. You will never be late! Not feasible? OK, how about within biking distance. One could define 'luxury' by the shortest commute, which in my book, makes working at home the greatest luxury. Spend less time in your car, more time on what inspires you! W E B L I N K S O F I N T E R E S T : Energy Star Web site – Help you determine projects to improve your home's energy efficiency. Union of Concerned Scientists – Energy Game on how aware you are of your energy choices affecting the environment. EcoBusinessLinks Environmental Directory This Ecological Footprint Quiz estimates how much productive land and water you need to support what you use and what you discard. After answering 15 easy questions you'll be able to compare your Ecological Footprint to what other people use and to what is available on this planet. Most* of this page's content comes from Sharon, a professional heating systems engineer working for a large engineering firm in Wisconsin. Sharon's Bio: Philosophy – Try to get back to the basics. Only use what you need, no more. Evaluate what you really need. There is probably room to scale back. I know I am not there yet, so I keep trying. I am an engineer (hear me roar), living in the cold Midwest who has spent a great deal of time identifying ways for commercial buildings to save energy and then installing those energy retrofits. Many of these energy projects are very simple. I see the biggest reasons why more energy isn't being saved is the lack of awareness and resistance to change. My goal is to help people to identify how easy it really is, and help motivate them to make the change. Please email me all your cool new energy suggestions at: Sharon@earthsustainable.org I want to incorporate a list for everyone to see. Thanks to all the friends who have assisted me so far in my little crusade. * Karl does his share of "editing," making up the remainder, but this page is Sharon's baby. |
Actions to Take |
SustainMiles per Dollar
Here is my personal crisis: I AM one of the ugly polluters on Earth. I drive my car, I use fossil fuels, I am part of the problem. My wife and I both work hard, we earn good money, but we can’t seem to get out of the cycle. We are still part of the problem. What am I hopeful for? The bright bright spirits of our children which, if kept intact, will fill the World with light and burn away the rot of the past. What concerns me the most? The death throes of the power structure of the 4th Sun. Those corporate dinosaurs who see profit as their god and an economic system which demands constant growth might still spell doom for our environment. You know the place, the only place we have, to live.more Lulled to Sleep. For less than 100 years, the soothing, warm hum of a car has been amongst many people’s first sensations, along with mom and dad on the way home from the hospital. more Hubbert's Peak describes how the total quantity of oil on Earth is finite. Petroleum production will reach a peak, after which it will never surpass that maximum peak. (U.S. oil production has already passed its peak.) Oil production will fall as the most economical reserves are exhausted. Oil prices will rise. If our economy is based on a non-renewable fuel source and the production falls, then our economy will decline. We have to adapt our economy to run on renewable energy. For Our Information: U.S. Oil According to the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration: The United States had 22.4 billion barrels of proved oil reserves as of 1 January 2002. During 2002, the United States is estimated to be producing around 8.2 million barrels per day, among the lowest in 50 years. In 2000, there were 534,000 producing oil wells in the United States. The United States is consuming about 19.7 million barrels per day of oil in 2002; nearly half is motor gasoline. The United States imported 11.2 million barrels per day in the first 9 months of 2002, around 57% of total U.S. oil demand. As of 12 November 2002, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve contained around 590 million barrels of oil. That quantity is enough oil for the U.S. for around 30 days at current levels of consumption. Even with rationing the reserve is only good for months and would be mostly used by the military anyway. Independence from Petroleum! We will always have energy requirements, but our energy does not have to come from petroleum. We send vast amounts of our wealth overseas for oil. We pollute our environment by burning oil. We invest vast human and military resources to ensure our oil supply. Viable, renewable alternatives are available now! more steps to take A community project: Renewable Black Rock City Web Links that Lead Us Ahead:
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