Save Energy!
Anyone can make a difference; even you! Learn about different ways to save energy and help the planet.
Appliances
Appliances that are turned off, but are still plugged in, still use up energy. You should unplug toasters and chargers when they are not in use. Cable boxes, video game boxes, TVs, and VCRs can use almost as much energy when they're off as when they are on. To make things easier, you can plug them all into a power strip, then turn off the whole strip when the appliances are not in use.
You can also buy Energy Star products. Energy Star is a trusted, government-backed symbol that "makes it easy for people to identify and purchase energy-efficient products that offer savings on energy bills without sacrificing prformance, features, and comfort."
Lighting
Use energy-efficient light bulbs. If you are still using regular (incandescent) light bulbs, you should change to fluorescent bulbs. The traditional incandescent bulbs are actually tiny heaters that produce light, and waste a lot of energy making the heat. Fluorescent bulbs use a fraction of the electricity that incandescent bulbs use. This means a lower electricity bill and tons of less global warming pollution. And since they don't burn as hot as incandescent bulbs, they'll lower your cooling bills in the summer, too! Fluorescent light bulbs also last up to fifteen times longer than regular (incandescent) light bulbs.
To save energy, you should also turn off lights, or use natural light. When no one is in the room, you should always keep the lights turned off. A big part of lighting expenses is from rooms that stay unnecessarily lit. If there is a window in the room you are in, and it is sunny outside, you should open the shades and pull back the curtains. If it's bright enough, the sunlight alone can light the room, and you can turn off the electrical lights.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
By recycling, you are also helping to preserve natural resources from diminishing. You should try to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. ou should always recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass, and aluminum cans. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually!
There are many different types of items you can recycle, such as electronic, plastic, and hazardous items. For each different type of item, there is a different way to "recycle" them. Click here to learn about ways to recycle the different kinds of items.
Why should I recycle? Well, first of all, recycling saves energy! Recycling reduces the need for landfills, and it also decreases emmissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Recycling helps conserve natural resources, like timber, water, and minerals, and it helps maintain the environment for future generations.