Just as you should wait to run your dishwasher when it is completely full, the same holds true for your washing machine.
A few years back, an advertising campaign launched in Denver to quite a few snickers and outright laughter. "Brush every other tooth" happened to be one of the slogans. This campaign was created to raise awareness about saving water, especially when you are brushing your teeth or shaving. Just by turning off the faucet until you need it, you can save up to three gallons of water a minute.
During the hell-hot days of summer, it's tempting to get inside, blast the air conditioning and go about your life. But, air conditioners are huge energy hogs and if you can get by using a ceiling fan instead, your electricity bill will show the dividends. For example, a ceiling fan uses somewhere between 15-95 watts depending on the speed, while a window air conditioner uses 500-1400 watts and a central air conditioner uses over 3,500 watts. So, try opening a window, turning on the ceiling fan and imagining yourself in Antarctica.
Every day, millions of plastic water bottles are thrown in the trash and head towards our landfills. Instead of purchasing a bottled water, fill a Nalgene at home and bring it with you. If you are unsure about the quality of your local tap water, purchase a water filter container or one for your faucet. Don't forget to wash your Nalgene every few days too!
Every type of plastic container has a small symbol on it, usually a triangle with a tiny number inside, which tells recyclers what the product is made from and what it can be used for in its next life. In case you were wondering, here's the list:
Al Gore's continuous campaign to educate the world about global warming is coming to a TV near you. He, in partnership with his non-profit, The Alliance for Climate Protection, is sponsoring a contest for the best "ecospot" TV commercial. Anyone with a video camera is encouraged to film a :15, :30 or :60 second ad about global warming and what we can do to make a positive change. Entries can be submitted to: www.current.tv/ecospot/ and are due by September 12.
In 2004, voters overwhelmingly passed Colorado's Renewable Energy Standards, which requires ten percent of all power generated by Xcel Energy (Colorado's energy provider) to be from renewable sources by 2015. Colorado took a huge leap toward that goal by recently breaking ground on a $60 million solar energy plant, the largest in the U.S. The electricity from this plant is expected to power 1,500 homes and reduce CO2 emissions by 14,000 tons.
Whether you are shopping for appliances, lighting or even office equipment, don't forget to do your homework on Energy Star. This joint effort with the U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency seeks to inform consumers about how to save money and the environment. They have researched thousands of products to rate those that save up to 30-75 percent less electricity than comparable products. In 2006 alone, U.S consumers saved the equivalent of $14 billion on utility bills and avoided pollution from approximately 25 million cars by purchasing Energy Star products.
While there may be some companies lamenting about the "good, old days" when they could do as they pleased, there are some that are helping to redefine how easy (and profitable) green can be. Patagonia is one such example. They encourage customers to recycle unwanted fleece, capilene base layers and organic cotton t-shirts at a local Patagonia store or mail them to their Nevada facility:
Strides in technology have brought some amazing products into the world that we can't seem to function without, including washing machines and ATM machines. I think programmable thermostats fall into this category too.
Next time you run out of office paper, but before you run to Office Depot, check out The Green Office instead. It's an environmentally friendly office supply web site, featuring 100 percent recycled paper, eco-happy cleaning products and much more. Outfit your office from your desktop.
