CEC Blog

From our first newsletter in 2009 – please post other tips and comments to share with others interested in making a difference in 2009

What can you do to conserve resources in 2009?

Happy New Year!  A new year brings with it many new challenges, a chance for renewal, and the urgency to act to make our world a better place for future generations.  There are so many small things individuals are able to do on a daily basis.  Once you start with the small changes in your life, they often lead to even bigger changes.  Remembering that everything you do to protect our natural resources makes a difference and that your decisions are seen and heard by others is important.  No one of us our perfect, but we can each strive to be a role model for conservation in our daily lives!

Here are my top ten things that you can start today!  Read on for other ideas if you have already accomplished the first ten. 

1. Ditch the bottled water.  Each plastic bottle requires A LOT more water to create the bottle than what the bottle holds.  Recycling is great, but reducing what you use is even better!  Up to 90% of water bottles are not recycled in the United States.  Use a re-usable water bottle.  Be sure to purchase one made from a material other than plastic or use one of the safer plastics not known to leach harmful chemicals (#1, 2, 4, 5 and 7’s labeled “bisphenol A free”).  The bottled water industry is regulated much less than your municipal drinking water facility.  If taste is an issue, purchase a water filter.  http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=77083
2. Take your own bags to the grocery and other stores.   Plastic bags take over 1,000 years to begin to break down in a landfill.  They also take a lot of petroleum and energy to manufacture. 
3. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED bulbs.  Poor lighting quality is no longer an excuse for not purchasing these energy and material saving bulbs.  They come in a variety of wattages (but be sure to check for the lumens of the bulbs), various styles and types of light.  Of course, you are already turning of the lights in rooms you are not utilizing.  By replacing 3 light bulbs with 3 CFLs, you have the possibility of saving $60 in one year!
4. Get outside, and take someone with you!  The benefits of being outdoors are tremendous for our mental and physical health.  Remember the carefree days of playing outside until the street lights came on? Try to bring this stress free feeling back into your life.  Visit the beautiful trails at Cope Environmental Center any day of the week from dawn to dusk for free! 
5. Reduce your shower time.  For every minute you do not spend in the shower, you save 2.5 or more gallons of water.  Also, replace your shower head with a low-flow head.  This is an easy thing to do.  Showers account for 2/3 of water heating costs.  You have the potential of saving up to $99 per year if you reduce your shower by 2 or more minutes each day.
6. Cancel unwanted catalogs and junk mail.  This will save paper resources as well as reduce the use of inks that are not so friendly to our soil and water. 
7. Reduce the amount of packaging you purchase with products.  Shop for larger quantities when feasible and choose products that use less packaging.  Packaging makes up ~65% of the average household’s trash. 
8. Keep your car tuned up and the tires properly inflated.   Properly inflated tires  can save several hundreds of dollars in fuel costs each year. 
9. Consider cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers that clog the landfill.  There are also new diapers that are made using non-chlorine bleach processes (which pollute our waterways), do not use harsh chemicals in the absorbent materials, and the wet diapers can even be composted.  Nature Babycare is a new brand that works excellent.  Please feel free to contact me for more information about diapers! 
10. Start a small garden.  Even growing one tomato plant in a 5 gallon bucket is a great way to start enjoying local food this year.  The best broccoli I have ever grown was grown in a window box when I was living in an apartment.  The lesser the distance your food needs to travel to get to your plate, the fresher it is, more nutritious it is, and the less fuel it took to get it to you! 

A few others to consider…

1.  Wash your clothes in cold water.  They come just as clean and use less energy when no water is heated.  Approximately 90% of the energy used to run a load of laundry on the hot/warm cycle is used to heat the water.  Clothes really do come clean in cold water!  Of course there are times when disinfecting items using hot water instead of harsh chemicals is a better option.  (Think dirty cloth diapers J). 

2.  Be a hypermiler.  By changing your driving habits, you can save gas.  “Hypermilers are drivers who exceed the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated fuel efficiency on their vehicles by modifying their driving habits.”  Google “Hypermiling” to learn easy tips to make your driving more efficient. 

3.  Install surge protectors on all your entertainment centers and computer equipment.  This equipment continues to draw energy even when switched off.  If you are able to accomplish this for all your televisions, video game consoles, stereos, and computer, you will most likely see difference in your electric bill, too!

4.  When replacing appliances, large and small, look for the Energy Star.  While some models may be a little more expensive up front, they will save resources and money over the long run. 

5. When buying a new vehicle, purchase the most fuel efficient vehicle that fits your needs.  Also, be sure to consider the emissions.  Search for SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) when possible.  Make mpg the first thing you look for once you have determined the size and type of vehicle you need. 

Remember that no one can be perfect all the time.  We can only strive to improve.  By picking a few things on the list, you have shown that you are dedicated to making a change for the better to ensure a happy, healthy planet for us, for our children, and grandchildren.  Look for tips in each of our newsletters this year.  If you have other ideas to share, please post them on our blog.  Go to copeenvironmental.org and click on “CEC Blog” on the left-hand side.