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We always knew it would take green to get the green movement afoot. By that I mean, people see money in going green. The latest example? Hearst has a beta version of its Green Magazine online (your one-stop shop for all things good for the environment).
One of the more interesting aspects, once it gets going, will be the eco-tip of the day. Though I’m still not convinced there actually exist 365 different things you can do each year to conserve energy or act more efficiently in the name of the environment, I do applaud the effort. So far the tips are the usual fare: don’t use paper OR plastic (bring your own), change your light bulbs over to compact fluorescents, that sort of thing.
We know you guys must have some more original tips to share, right? So slap ‘em down for all to benefit. I’ll single out the most original in a post later this week.
I do have a question on the compact fluorescents. How do you recycle those or dispose of them. I heard somewhere that they cannot be thrown into my usual recycling.
posted by Susan on 4-30-2007 at 9:54 am
Check tire inflation every time you gas up. Underinflated tires wear out rapidly, cause unsafe handling, and burn lots more gas. That’s my standard recommendation.
An original tip? A photovoltaic windshield cover to minimize sun damage, keep battery charged and run accessories.
And I use “usual fare”, but have been known to be wrong…
posted by Tom on 4-30-2007 at 9:56 am
bring your own mug for your daily caffeine dose.
Use minimal toilet paper.
Walk.
Bike.
Skip.
Plant a tree.
Buy food in bulk to minimize packaging waste.
Re-use your trash bags or use old dog food or other bags for trash bags. Best yet - use no trash bags and just wash out the bin each time!
Shower less (yeah!)
Toilet tips: If it’s yellow- let it mellow; if it’s brown- flush it down!
Use a K and N air filter in your car so you can clean it instead of replace it each time it’s dirty.
Open those blinds and let natural sunlight heat and light your home.
Don’t waste food - think of everything that goes into producing it!
posted by Sara Boilen on 4-30-2007 at 10:18 am
thanks tom! seems i should have posted that one under daft dave, typo-city
posted by David on 4-30-2007 at 10:19 am
About the compact fluorescents: Call your local recycling center or your county’s waste removal facility for more information. They usually have a separate place for those.
Say, I just heard about a woman who accidentally broke a bulb in her house and ended up with a bill around $2,000 to clean it up. Is this true? Made me a little nervous since my husband and I installed CFL’s throughout the house.
posted by Kasee on 4-30-2007 at 10:57 am
Excuse me, the woman broke a CFL bulb.
posted by Kasee on 4-30-2007 at 10:59 am
I may be wrong on this one…or rather it may just be an urban legend. But I heard that it required considerably more fuel to recycle many products. So much so that in many cases it was more beneficial NOT to recycle.
True? False? Anybody?
posted by Drew on 4-30-2007 at 11:52 am
Plant tall plants that provide shade if you live in a hot climate.
Plant native plants that won’t need to be watered.
Catch rainwater from your roof in barrels and use it to water the lawn/plants.
My favorite is printing an item to a pdf file and emailing.. (I work in construction and usually get six sets of product data from vendors. It used to be you’d send five to the architect and get four back. Now I ask for a pdf file, edit it on the computer, and email it without printing a single page. The architect emails it back after reviewed…paper saved.) WOO!
posted by Stephen on 4-30-2007 at 11:57 am
I used to live in dryland forest off both the electricity and the water grid. To conserve, we hooked the bathtub drain to a pipe that led down to a tank in the garden, and used the green-blue bathwater to water the plants. We also filled a bucket with bathwater in the bathroom and used that water to flush the toilet rather than waste precious drinking water on waste removal.
posted by Rachel on 4-30-2007 at 11:58 am
While visiting Florida, where there is a definite drought, they have signs everywhere talking about ways to conserve water, which is a concern anywhere. My favorite? Always shower with a friend.
posted by Sara on 4-30-2007 at 12:11 pm
Quite wearing blue jeans or Carharts unless you do work that requires their protection. They take a lot of energy to wash and dry. But if you don’t wash your jeans, it’s okay.
posted by Mary on 4-30-2007 at 3:31 pm
Drive the speed limit and don’t be in a hurry to get up to cruising speed. This could have a big positive impact on fuel consumption. The larger the vehicle and engine are the bigger the fuel savings get. Who said that SUV owners can’t be green too? The difference in time for most trips is usually a few minutes and is sometimes zero. Plus, you won’t have to slam the brakes every time you see a patrol car.
Use your cruise control if at all possible; even on surface streets. You will be amazed how much fuel is used making 5-10 mph adjustments to your speed. I performed an experiment in my Prius: One week with the Cruise control set at the speed limit – 54mpg. One week manually controlling the speed at the speed limit – 48mpg.
Avoid gridlock. You can waste a bunch of fuel idling in traffic that creeps along. If your work has flexible hours (luckily mine does), you can work a schedule that has lighter traffic. In my area 7am-4pm makes a huge difference.
Tinting your windows with UV absorbing film can reduce the amount of cooling energy that you will need in the summer. (works for cars and houses)
Don’t idle your car to warm up. The Car Talk guys will back me up on this one. As long as you don’t drive-it-like-you-stole-it, you will not do any damage to you vehicle – including most diesels. In the winter, put on an extra layer to help you cope until the car warms up. In the summer, just tough it out till the A/C catches up.
OK, stepping down off of my soap box now.
posted by n2y2 on 4-30-2007 at 4:09 pm
good stuff n2y2. i always smile at the people who speed up to red lights.
posted by David on 4-30-2007 at 4:46 pm
Kasee, here’s a link to that article.And CFL is the same thing as a compact fluorescent lightbulb.
Canada.com website has an article about it. It’s costing her over $2K to clean up the bedroom which is now a toxic site.
They contain mercury.How is this better for the environment. It is toxic. We’ve been hearing for years how bad mercury is, how it contributed to autism in kids due to its inclusion in vaccines, how it contaminates our tuna and now we’re being asked to voluntarily use them? I’m seeing a mixed message here. Please help me understand.
posted by Susan on 4-30-2007 at 7:58 pm
Embalming fluid delays decomposition and poisons groundwater, while cremation wastes fossil fuels and produces ash. Consider cannibalism and human-based compost as alternatives.
posted by Andrew on 4-30-2007 at 8:38 pm
Susan:
Actually Autism is starting to be linked to the retention of mercury, not the exposure. It is still being tested, but people who develop Autism seem to be unable to excise the mercury that gets into their system like a normal person can. It is true, that if there were no environmental mercury, then none would get in, but it would be impossible to eliminate all of it.
Anyway, LED bulbs are the choice of hard-core environmentalist (after darkness, that is).
posted by n2y2 on 5-1-2007 at 3:39 pm
I raised an argument with my brother yesterday that getting an ice cream cone was more eco-friendly. Because when you have a cone you eat it unlike a styrofoam cup that just sits in a landfill.
posted by Rachel on 5-1-2007 at 7:39 pm
The Maine woman must have broken a gigantic CFL. Your typical household glass thermometer contains about 500mg mercury and is considered a small spill if broken, which can be cleaned up by yourself. In comparison, a CFL has about 5mg of mercury.
If a CFL should break, the EPA suggests:
1. Sweeping up the broken pieces and fine particles(DO NOT vacuum), wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pickup any fine particles
2. Put the broken pieces and the paper towel in a plastic bag
3. Open a window to ventilate the room
posted by kmt on 5-1-2007 at 8:01 pm
Put a brick or a quart yoghurt container with lid in your toilet tank. Saves on water.
Some of the above ideas are nice, but rather impractical if you’re a normal person. (Quit wearing blue jeans? Gimme a break… Not washing em every time makes sense though.)
posted by Big Green Monster on 5-1-2007 at 11:31 pm