Practical ways you can save energy, save money and make a difference

Change your light bulbs

eco: light bulbGoing to a compact fluorescent bulb saves a lot of energy and money too. Compact florescent bulbs (CFLs) come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors of light. It is estimated that a CFL pays for its higher price after about 500 hours of use. After that, it’s money in your pocket.

VISIT ENERGY STAR

 

"If every American home changed out just five high-use light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR, each family would save about $60 every year in energy costs, and together we’d save about $6.5 billion each year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from more than 8 million cars."

TIP: Standard incandescent: turn off even if you leave the room for just seconds. Compact fluorescent: turn off if you leave the room for 3 minutes. Standard fluorescent: turn off if you leave the room for 15 minutes.

Insulate Your Home

eco: houseEnergy can seep out of cracks in your home and cause a major loss both environmentally and economically. Your local utility can give advice on how to insulate your home, or ask at the hardware store.

VISIT Air Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR Home Sealing

Do-it-yourself home energy audit, with information on how to make your home more energy efficient.

Find an alternative way to commute

eco: commuteCommuterchoice.com is a site contains resources for commuters in some of the nation’s most congested areas. Commuter Choice is a nationwide partnership designed to help employers create customized solutions to their employees' commuting challenges. Look up your area!

Check out fueleconomy.gov to calculate your fuel costs and compare fuel efficiencies of cars on the market.

Check out this list of the “greenest” cars on the market at GreenerCars.com.

Reuse A Bag

eco: reuse a bagTake a canvas or mesh bag to the supermarket – keep a spare in your car. Plastic bags are made of chemicals and paper bags destroy trees. Both create a lot of pollution and use up precious resources.

Eco friendly bags and water bottles at reusablebags.com

Clean Green

eco: clean greenLook for products that are non-toxic, biodegradable and made from renewable resources (not petroleum.)

Check out Which Eco Cleansers Work? to evaluate green cleansers on the market.

Consider making your own all purpose cleaners with vinegar, lemons and baking soda. For details visit Environmental Cleaning Solutions.

Reduce your carbon footprint

terrapass.comHelp stop global warming – buy a TerraPass that reduces your carbon footprint. Select a category from the home to transportation—even weddings. Here’s how it works: say you are a frequent flier. Jets burn a lot of
fuel—about 100 gallons per passenger on a cross-country flight. You buy a TerraPass. TerraPass funds clean energy projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Your TerraPass is verified to reduce the equivalent of your air travel’s carbon dioxide pollution.