Happy Friday everyone!! I don't know about you, but I was ready for my weekend to start... oh, I don't know... about two days ago.
I'm hoping to begin a tradition here at Green. Chic. Cheap. of starting out every weekend the eco-friendly way by providing four tips for reducing your environmental impact that will cost you absolutely nothing ((some of them might even save you money)). So, without further ado, here are are your Free Four all Friday tips:
- Unplug your electronic devices when they aren’t in use. Devices with power adapters or which still feel warm even after they’ve been switched off for awhile are called “energy vampires”. Generally these devices only draw a few watts per day, but that adds up- energy vampires account for nearly 20% of a household’s electric bill. By unplugging these bad boys when they aren’t in use you can save between $50 and $250 a year on your utilities bill and prevent 2000 lbs. of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere yearly. Sounds like a no brainer to me.
- Reuse your coffee sleeves. Approximately 14 billion coffee sleeves ((the cardboard sheaths that places like Starbucks put on their hot drink cups to keep you from burning yourself)) will end up in landfills this year. How wasteful is that? So the next time you order a hot coffee from your favorite coffee shop, slip the sleeve in your purse ((or back pocket)) when you’re done. The next time you go in simply tell your barista that you don’t need a sleeve and slip your reused one on. They’re pretty durable and should last you for awhile. You might even want to go so far as to ask your local coffee shop if they’ll allow a sleeve recycling box near where beverages are picked up so ecologically minded customers can deposit their sleeves when they’re done and pick up sleeves when they get their drinks if they so choose. The Jazzman’s Cafe at my University does this and it’s been a pretty successful program.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator. You’ll gain killer legs and save 350wH of electricity per floor you would have travelled on the elevator.
- When driving under 45mph, roll down the windows instead of cranking up the AC. Turning on the AC during normal summertime temperatures can decrease fuel efficiency by between 3-10%. During times of excessive heat this can increase to as much as 20%. At higher speeds, however, it’s more efficient to turn on the AC, because the drag produced will decrease efficiency more than switching on the AC would. The threshold at which this happens is different for every vehicle, but 45mph is a good standard.
That’s all for this Friday. Enjoy your weekend and keep your eyes peeled for a green kitchen blog coming in the next few days!!
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And more: if you're gardening or tending indoor herbs and flowers, ask for the coffee grounds at the coffee shop. Starbucks offers "grounds for your garden" - others might, too.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips - thanks, Green Chick - here's a way to learn more and separate fact from fiction - there’s a lot of doubt surrounding which methods/products are truly sustainable and which are just green washing. Check out our myth-busting video “What’s Your Big Green Lie?!” which gives a taste of the widespread ignorance of green issues surrounding issues like hybrid cars - http://www.biggreenlies.com.
ReplyDeleteDaisy -- Just make sure that you are giving the coffee grounds to acid-soil loving plants, and not the ones that like alkaline soil ! Also, the coffee should be organic, because otherwise you will be feeding pesticides to your plants ! (Coffee is one of the most heavily sprayed crops)
ReplyDeleteGreat site !here is some information about the deregulation of energy out there. We are available in NY,NJ,CT,MD,PA, coming to Mass & ILL soon.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, if we can raise consumer awareness and demand for renewable energy, we can help drive the development of the technology and infrastructure necessary to establish a permanent energy source shift in our country.
Customers have a choice and Viridian gives them the ability to save money over time while being a part of a significant collective impact on the environment. It comes down to being a more informed consumer and exercising your right to choose. Electricity has been deregulated to benefit customers. It’s up to each of us, as consumers, to take advantage of the savings and innovation available now through deregulation. What really makes Viridian different is the positive impact customers can have on the environment. Our customers are part of a collective impact that has made a measurable difference they can be proud of.
To date our customers have a total of 46,094,694 lbs CO2 Emissions avoided
Please take a look through my website and exercise your right to choose
www.viridian.com/greendays
Great site !here is some information about the deregulation of energy out there. We are available in NY,NJ,CT,MD,PA, coming to Mass & ILL soon.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, if we can raise consumer awareness and demand for renewable energy, we can help drive the development of the technology and infrastructure necessary to establish a permanent energy source shift in our country.
Customers have a choice and Viridian gives them the ability to save money over time while being a part of a significant collective impact on the environment. It comes down to being a more informed consumer and exercising your right to choose. Electricity has been deregulated to benefit customers. It’s up to each of us, as consumers, to take advantage of the savings and innovation available now through deregulation. What really makes Viridian different is the positive impact customers can have on the environment. Our customers are part of a collective impact that has made a measurable difference they can be proud of.
To date our customers have a total of 46,094,694 lbs CO2 Emissions avoided
Please take a look through my website and exercise your right to choose
www.viridian.com/greendays