Recycle used furniture: When removing old cabinets and countertops, carefully disassemble them and reuse the materials elsewhere in your home, or donate them to an organization like Habitat for Humanity. Some donations qualify for tax credits. Consult your accountant.
Drying Dishes: Air drying dishes uses 15 to 50 percent less energy in practically the same amount of time, so use your dishwasher's air-dry setting instead of the heat-dry option. If your machine doesn't have an air-dry setting, simply open the door once the final rinse is complete.
Cloth or Paper? Use one cloth towel to clean counters and another for cleaning dishes. Once either is spoiled by perishables, just toss it in the laundry and grab a clean one. Your wallet and our nations’ forests will thank you.
Around the yard: Use a broom instead of a hose to clear your driveway, patios and walkways.
Conserve water: Your lawn only needs one half to one inch of water per week to stay healthy and green. Use an empty tuna can to measure when you've reached the limit. On rainy days, turn off your sprinklers and save the water for another day
And for the Office: During the day, setting your computer to automatically go to sleep during short breaks can cut energy use by 70 percent.
For Home:
- Use Ceiling Fans Frequently: Ceiling fans can make you feel cooler while reducing air conditioning costs by as much as 40% in summer. In winter, they can save up to io% in heating costs by circulating warm air from the ceiling to the floor where you can enjoy it.
- Composting is the smart way to dispose of leaves, yard clippings, selected food scraps, and other organic wastes. Instead of burdening landfills, you'll produce rich nutrients to fertilize your garden the natural way. And it's free.
For School or After School:
- Kids, ease up on the video games! Playing video games on your computer uses a LOT of energy! That's why your computer feels hot afterwards! Save energy by simply doing homework or going outside to play instead of posting up in front of the TV or computer screen. This activity uses more electricity than regular TV or computer usage, so it should be kept to a minimum.
-Walk, bike, carpool, or take the bus to school. Less carbon emissions and less smog comes from less burned fuel. We have to use gasoline to run most of today's cars - so, let's use as little of it as we can! When you share a ride with others, it means fewer use gas. When you walk or bike there is no fuel burned at all...except maybe your breakfast.
For the Office:
-Make it a habit to turn off your computer—and the power strip it's plugged into—when you leave for the day. Otherwise, you're still burning energy even if you're not burning the midnight oil. (Check with your IT department to make sure the computer doesn't need to be on to run backups or other maintenance). During the day, setting your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by 7o percent. Remember, screen savers don't save energy.
-Think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead? If you receive unwanted catalogs, newsletters, magazines, or junk mail, request to be removed from the mailing list, then recycle the item.