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1. GREEN IT AND SAVE
simple tips that save more than money
presented by
GatherGreen
Going green by Brandon Fick

2. INTRODUCTION
Going green. It’s what we’ve heard so much of lately with eco-friendly
being today’s watch phrase. We all must be aware of our carbon
footprints. What’s that? Your carbonfootprint measures the impact you
and your activities have with respect to greenhouse gases and your
overall contribution to climate change.
Going green can help offset your footprint. And that’s a good thing!
Living cradle to cradle is something everyone should strive for: what
comes out of the earth must go back into it whether it’s recycled,
repurposed or become biodegradable. Here are some tips you can use
to start your own carbon offset/going green program at home.
1 LIGHTS OUT
The incandescent light bulb by Anton Fomkin
The simplest method you can use at home to start your green program
is to turn out lights when you leave a room. So many people simply
walk out of a room and leave lights burning but you can change that
by making sure to hit the switch when you leave.
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3. 2 WHITE’S OUT, BROWN’S IN
Brown rice is healthier for you because it packs a whole lot more
vitamins and nutrients than white rice. But there’s an environmental
benefit as well: brown rice takes less processing and that means less
energy used.
Brown rice by Rob Qld
3 CHOOSE YOUR SPONGE WISLEY
Cellulose fiber sponges are the only way to go these days. Why?
Cellulose comes from plantation forests or is made of recycled materi-
als. Synthetic sponges have been found to contain triclosan which,
besides being a health risk, is believed to wipe out fragile aquatic
ecosystems, especially algae.
Plain blue and pink polyurethane kitchen
4 SNAG A HIGH-EFFICIENCY SHOWERHEAD
sponges by Horia Varlan
These showerheads can save up to 3,000 gallons of water per person
per year. You can buy them specially designed to conserve resources
and still feel like you’re luxuriating in a spa-quality shower.
5 SHOWER LIKE A MIDSHIPMAN
Ever tried a “Navy” shower? It’s a great way to be energy efficient.
When you get into the shower get your body and head wet. Then turn
off the water. Soap up and then only turn the shower on long enough
Showerhead by Tanakawho to get rinsed off. The point is to only use the water you need for rins-
ing.
6 RECYCLE WATER IN YOUR BATHROOM OR BASEMENT
Don’t waste the cold water flowing out of the faucet before the hot
water kicks in. Fill a bucket with the cold water and use it to water
your plants. Do you use a basement dehumidifier in the summer?
Don’t toss the water collected out of the air down the drain – use it in
the garden!
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4. 7 IMPROVE EFFICIENCY OF YOUR HOT WATER HEATER
You don’t need to buy a tankless water heater to reap the green ben-
efits. Lower the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees,
wrap it in a water heater insulating blanket and then insulate the first
3 to 6 feet of hot and cold water pipes. For about $50 you could drop
your carbon emissions by as much as 25%.
8 HIGH-EFFICIENCY FOR OUTDOOR LANDSCAPE
LED by Mike Deal
Replace energy hogging floodlights with compact-fluorescent versions
— they’re just as bright and only use 25% of the energy. Low-wattage
halogen landscape bulbs can be replaced with LED versions or, even
better, solar models. LEDs cut energy use by over 80 percent and can
last as long as 10 years. Motion sensors are the best options so your
lights only go on when you need them to. The newest versions simply
screw into a socket with nothing extra needed!
9 INSIDE USE COMPACT FLUORESCENTS OR LEDs
Compact fluorescent bulbs are better than they’ve ever been. You can
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5. buy sizes for nearly every fixture and some are dimmable for recessed
lights. LED bulbs are great too and they could last as long as you own
your house.
10 AVOID FAST-FOOD AND SHOPPING BAGS
Here’s your challenge of the week: keep track of how much trash you
generate by eating out and running to the store. Next time, bring your
own plastic/metal boxes to your favorite take-out place. And when
you go grocery shopping, bring along some canvas bags instead of
using their plastic or paper bags. Better yet, try toting a FEED bag and
lend your support to a project begun by Lauren Bush in connection
with the UN World Food Program. Sale proceeds go to feed a chilled
Reusable giant bags by Mr. T in DC for an entire school year. Using reusable bags will keep landfills in bet-
ter shape.
11 A DIFFERENT KIND OF BOUQUET FOR MOM
Little bouquet by Kiuko
Here’s a factoid I was unaware of: most cut flowers we present to
Mom on Mother’s Day are imported from Colombia, Ecuador and the
Netherlands. A better alternative would be to give her flowers that
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6. are either grown locally or are organic. Why? Because overseas flower
growers are not confined to the strictures of pesticide bans in the US.
Not only are these insecticides harmful for workers but can also linger
on the petals, which can add toxicity to your bouquet.
12 WHAT’S UP WITH PLASTIC BOTTLES
BPA – or bisphenol-A – is a major component of #7 polycarbonate (PC)
water bottles and baby bottles. Recent research suggests that this
chemical could cause developmental, neurological and behavioral
problems for fetuses, infants and children. Polycarbonate – you’ll
know it by the #7 in the recycling triangle – isn’t easily recyclable.
Check with the recycling firm in your county to see if they accept #7
bottles. Some cities like Phoenix do not. Here’s one more thing to
know: not every #7 plastic is polycarbonate and, so, not all contain
BPA.
13 MAKE YOUR TOILETS WORK BETTER
Plastic bottles by Rob Sinclair
About 60% of your water consumption occurs in the bathroom. If
you’re planning any renovations or improvements keep an eye on
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7. ways to reduce your water consumption, especially if you live in or are
buying an older home. The current federally mandated standard for
bathroom toilets is 1.6 gallons per flush but it could still be gulping
up to 27% of your household supply every year. Some of the devices
used to keep toilets from using too much water per flush can actually
be malfunctioning or were never installed at all so your energy effi-
cient toilet isn’t at all. If you find that you need to replace parts, make
sure that the parts are made specifically for 1.6 gallon flushes. And
rather than trying to retrofit an old toilet with new technology, it’d be
better and more efficient to buy a low-flow toilet instead.
14 THINK WASHING YOUR CAR YOURSELF IS GREEN?
I know, taking your car to a car wash seems counter to being green.
But it’s actually greener to let the pros do it than doing it in your drive-
way. What’s the difference? Anywhere from 35 to 95 gallons per car,
that’s what. Car washes typically use 45 gallons to wash a car whereas
a home washer could use anywhere from 80-140 gallons. Also, fed-
eral law mandates that car washes must drain their water into sew-
ers where at least some treatment will occur instead of having soapy
Painted my toes yesterday by Megan Soh
water run into the land.
15 MAKE YOUR NAILS GO GREEN
Your nails are porous and are doorways which allow toxins to enter
your bloodstream. Conventional nail polish frequently contains neu-
rotoxins found in ethyl acetate. So why not play it safe, go green and
pick a natural color? There are some terrific new natural alternatives
to the usual polish bottles which include soy and corn based products
as well as a water based one which also hydrates your nails. Many of
these natural polishes come in beautiful colors and some require no
Prius jumps to lightspeed by Roger H. Goun
polish remover. It simply peels off.
16 DRIVE SMART
There are many more options these days for transportation than there
used to be. You can get a hybrid or electric car or make sure that you
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8. purchase the most fuel efficient model possible. Here are some simple
changes that can improve fuel efficiency by up to 25%:
• Drive at or near the speed limit
• Keep tires properly inflated
• Have clean oil and air filters
• Don’t drive like a drag racer
17 REDUCE IRONING TIME
Here’s a staggering statistic: typical irons use a whopping 1,000 to
1,800 watts! That’s like using 10 to 18 100-watt light bulbs all at once.
To save energy take your clothes out of the dryer and hang them up
while they’re still warm. This helps prevent wrinkles. Wish we could do
that to our skin… If you must iron, please know that dry ironing uses
less energy than steam and iron at night when electric loads are lower.
18 A WAY TO SAVE ENERGY AND COFFEE
Hot coffee on a rainy day by David Joyce
Sure it’s nice to have a full pot of coffee on, just waiting for you when
you crawl out of bed in the morning. But it isn’t efficient. Try using a
little 4-cupper and make as much as you’ll drink. Then shut the coffee
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9. maker off and throw out the grounds in your compost bin. This meth-
od not only saves on water, coffee, and electricity, the coffee is fresher
and causes less waste.
19
Spin cycle by Bryan Rosengrant
NEVER DO A WASH WITHOUT A FULL LOAD
Dishwashers and clothes washers are more efficient and green when
you run them only with a full load. Want to really go green when you
wash (and dry) your clothes? Wash in cold water! Did you know that
up to 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is in heating the wa-
ter? True! And here’s a great green tip for saving wads of energy when
you dry: hang them out on a line instead. Not only will you be doing a
good turn for the Earth, your clothes and linens will smell great.
Fan by Jar
20 SAVING TONER AND PAPER
We’re supposed to be getting more toward a paperless society, espe-
cially under the Paperwork Reduction Act. To save on toner, click on
your preferences or options tab and then find the print quality section.
There may be something called “draft” or even “econo setting”. Click
on that and save toner! The print will be a bit lighter – but not by much
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10. – and you’ll buy toner less often. Repurpose the paper you’ve used
by using the other side either for notes or printing out something you
want to look at.
21 LOOK FOR THE WATER SENSE LABEL
Like the EnergyStar label you’ve come to look for on major appliances,
there’s a new kid in town called WaterSense. The mission of this new
program from the EPA is to protect our future water supply through
promotion of water efficient products. You should start to see this
label on products from manufacturers like Delta, Kohler and American
Standard. In fact, Kohler has already rolled out a line of toilets carry-
ing the WaterSense label – that means they use 20% less water than a
Grass by Sa’ d Khorsid
standard toilet.
22 WHEN MOWING THINK LONG
If you’re really into going green, you’ll stop making your lawn look like
a putting green. Longer grass gives grass roots more shade, thereby
preventing soil burnout and dry out. Longer blades discourage weed
growth which means you’ll use fewer pesticides. And the roots will be
healthier. Lawn aficionados claim that you should mow no more than
a third of the blade length at one time. Keep your cutting blades sharp
as that will help prevent stress on the lawn by ripping and tearing.
Rain by Chris Metcalf
23 OF RAIN AND RAIN BARRELS
A rain garden mimics natural systems by creating a depression filled
with plants that collects the rainwater that runs off your house and/or
landscape. You can plant it with all sorts of wonderful things like sedg-
es, ferns, or wildflowers. What’s the point? Well, the plants absorb
the water and release it slowly cuts down on a rush of water running
off the landscape which can pick up fertilizers and pesticides pushing
them into waterways. Rain garden plants filter the water and provide
a wildlife habitat. What you’re looking for here is to reduce the storm
water running from your property into an overburdened sewer system.
And here’s another great way to save on water: capture rain water in a
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11. rain barrel. It’s a great frugal method that makes good use of a natural
resource and is the ultimate in recycling.
24 LITTLE CHANGES BIG IMPACT
Try any or all of these to make a difference in your life:
1. When renovating kitchens and bathrooms, choose a 93% natural,
water recycled quartz instead of granite for counters and floors
2. Check your attic for holes in floors and sheathing that couldbe let-
ting energy escape
3. Wean yourself off the power grid. Purchase used power and put up
one or two solar panels
4. When recycling bottles, separate the caps from the base
25 SOME TIPS FOR THE KITCHEN
Chives by Eric Bryan
Choose the smallest appliance suited to the task. As you can imagine,
the smaller the oven, the less energy used in cooking. If you have an
electric stovetop, make sure your pan completely covers the heating
element and if you use gas burners, have the flame be fully below the
pan. If you don’t, you’re just wasting energy.
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12. You can complete the cooking process even when you’ve turned off
the heat. Try turning off the stove or oven a few minutes before the
end of the cooking time states in a recipe and let residual heat do the
rest. Preheating the oven can be a drain on energy. Avoid pre-heating
unless you have to.
Glass and ceramic cookware conduct and retain heat better than
metal. You can lower your temperature by 25 degrees if you use glass
or ceramic instead of metal cookware. Opening the oven door can
lower the internal temperature as much as 25 degrees. Try not to
peek! Instead, clean your oven door’s window and change that burned
out light bulb so you can see well without opening the door.
26 OTHER QUICK TIPS TO CONSIDER
• Only boil as much water as you need when using a tea kettle
• Don’t leave mobile phone chargers plugged in when they’re not
charging
• Put your car in neutral when stationary for more than a minute
• If you feel cold, put on a sweater instead of turning the heat on or up
• Take showers instead of baths
27 FORGET ABOUT THE LITTLE BLUE PILL
We can’t forget about eco-sex. Researchers at the University of Milan
tested horny goat weed and found it to be just as effective as Viagra
without the side-effects.
CONCLUSION
As you can see from the tips listed above, there are lots of simple and
easy things you can do to start your own green program at home and
Smack by Felipe Skroski
in your life. A greener today will ensure a greener tomorrow for every-
one.
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