| 1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle |
| Do your part to reduce waste by
choosing reusable products instead of disposables.
Buying products with minimal packaging (including the
economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to
reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper,
plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there
isn't a recycling program at your workplace, school, or
in your community, ask about starting one. By recycling
half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds
of carbon dioxide annually. |
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| 2. Use Less Heat & Air
Conditioning |
| Adding insulation to your walls and
attic, and installing weather stripping or caulking
around doors and windows can lower your heating costs
more than 25 percent, by reducing the amount of energy
you need to heat and cool your home. So, Turn down the
heat while you’re sleeping at night or away during the
day, and keep temperatures moderate at all times.
Setting your thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter
and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of
carbon dioxide each year. |
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| 3. Change Your Light Bulbs |
| Wherever practical, replace regular
light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.
Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with
a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs
also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use
two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less
heat. If every U.S. family replaced one regular light
bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of
greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars
off the road. |
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| 4. Drive Less & Smarter |
| Less driving means fewer emissions.
Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great
forms of exercise. Explore your community’s mass transit
system, and check out options for carpooling to work or
school. When you do drive, make sure your car is running
efficiently. For example, keeping your tires properly
inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3
percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only helps
your budget, it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide
out of the atmosphere. |
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| 5. Buy Energy-Efficient
Products |
| When it's time to buy a new car,
choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances
now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and
compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more
natural-looking light while using far less energy than
standard light bulbs. Avoid products that come with
excess packaging, especially molded plastic and other
packaging that can't be recycled. If you reduce your
household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200
pounds of carbon dioxide annually. |
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| 6. Use Less Water |
| Set your water heater at 120 degrees
to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if
it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to
save hot water and about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide
yearly. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to
reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to
produce it. That change alone can save at least 500
pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most households.
Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and
let the dishes air-dry. |
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| 7. Use The "OFF" Switch |
| Save electricity and reduce global
warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and
using only as much light as you need. And remember to
turn off your television, video player, stereo and
computer when you're not using them. It's also a good
idea to turn off the water when you're not using it.
While brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog or washing
your car, turn off the water until you actually need it
for rinsing. You'll reduce your water bill and help to
conserve a vital resource. |
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| 8. Plant A Tree |
| If you have the means to plant a
tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and
other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen.
They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric
exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of
them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide
caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other
human activities. A single tree will absorb
approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its
lifetime. |
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| 9. Get A Report Card From
Your Utility Company |
| Many utility companies provide free
home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in
their homes that may not be energy efficient. In
addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs
to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades. |
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| 10. Encourage Others To
Conserve & Spread The Word! |
| Share information about recycling and
energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and
co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public
officials to establish programs and policies that are
good for the environment. These 10 steps will take you a
long way toward reducing your energy use and your
monthly budget. And less energy use means less
dependence on the fossil fuels that create greenhouse
gases and contribute to global warming. |
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