Green Matters™
by Crissy Trask
Welcome to my blog where I share almost anything I think will help make greener living undeniable and simple. News, tips, insight and resources served up weekly. I also share my perspectives on others' perspectives and actions. Agree or disagree, I hope you will find them thought-provoking and a starting point for conversation.
Previous Post...Next Post...Information on Reprints...2010 Blog
JULY 6, 2009 It's
summer time, and the livin' is 'green'
Summer is a great time to be green. The weather and long days provide many occasions and opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint. If you are ready to green your summer, read on.
Use the clothes dryer less
and a clothesline more. The
dryer accounts for 9% of home energy use, and running a dryer
during hot summer months can make your home uncomfortably warm,
leading to higher air conditioning bills too. Keep your home
cooler and save energy by abandoning your dryer in favor of a
clothesline.
Control outdoor lights. There are only eight hours of darkness at the height of summer compared to 16 hours during winter! Make sure your outdoor security lights don't remain on longer than they are needed. Install timers, photo sensors or motion sensors so outdoor lights will come on only when needed.
Reduce lighting energy. Sixteen hours of daylight means you won't use as much artificial light indoors. Further reduce home lighting energy use by replacing incandescent bulbs in high-use fixtures with more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.
Convert your hot water system to solar. To offset the cost of installing a solar system for hot water, look up available local, State and Federal rebates and tax credits at dsireusa.org.
Dust off your bike and walking shoes. With weather this good there are few excuses not to walk or bike to nearby destinations. You'll save gas and avoid the agony of climbing into a hot car that's been parked in the sun.
Cook outside. If you're barbequing, cook your entire meal on the BBQ. You're creating all that heat, so instead of firing up your inside stove or oven as well, cook potatoes, corn, beans--whatever--right on the grill.
Install ceiling fans. During hot summer months, energy costs--and our carbon footprint--can spike when we rely on energy-intensive air conditioning to cool buildings. Try installing and using fans in place of running the AC. Ceiling fans use a small fraction of the energy used by central air conditioning systems and even room air conditioners. If you do run the AC, operating a fan at the same time will make a room feel 4 to 6 degrees cooler, allowing you to raise the thermostat by the same margin.
Take advantage of natural breezes. Opening windows may be enough to cool your home if furniture is placed to take advantage of cross breezes. Rearrange furniture to catch breezes and use fans if necessary to help circulate air.
Go camping. Summer camping excursions can take us out of a routine that includes hours of daily driving, television watching and computer use. A camping trip to a not-so-far destination provides down time where we can avoid the carbon producing activities of modern life and reconnect with nature--reminding us of what we need to preserve and protect.
Support local farmers. Locally grown, fresh produce is abundant
this time of year, and food products grown and raised nearby
require fewer transportation miles to get to us. Visit your local farmers'
market and buy locally grown, fresh produce.
Practice clean air gardening. Nothing can ruin a peaceful
summer day like the buzzing, growling and whining of gas-powered
lawn and garden machines. But that's not all: According to the
Union of Concerned Scientists, a single traditional gas-powered
lawn mower running for one hour emits the same amount of pollutants
as eight cars driving 55 mph for the same amount of time. And
over a year, that mower will emit 80 pounds of carbon dioxide--the
chief greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. Consider
human-powered lawn and garden equipment. Even electric-powered
machines, though not quiet, will reduce harmful pollutants and
carbon emissions.
2009 BLOG INDEX
Posts by Topic
Air Quality
6/8/09, Leaf Blowers:
An Environmental Nightmare
Cleaning
4/14/09, Don’t
Be So Quick to Blame the Low-Phosphate Detergent
Energy
7/6/09, It’s Summer
Time and the Livin’ is ‘Green’!
4/7/09, Window Films Can Lower Your
Cooling Bills and Your Tax Liability
3/14/09, Bundle Your
Gadgets
Food
10/27/09, Super
Freakonomics Authors Come Down Hard on Local Food
10/22/09, Hey Foodies, What
Are You Feeding Your Pets?
Green Terms
5/26/09, A Closer Look
at the Definition of “Recycled” and Some Other “Re”
Words
Plastic, and other Trash
7/13/09, Will a
Ban on Bottled Water Lad to Bad Beverage Choices?
4/22/09, Bottled Water
Gets Reinvented
3/2/09, Inefficient Packaging
Awards (No. 1)
Perspectives
9/14/09, Gullibility
is Derailing Progress
8/24/09, Check
Your Lifestyle Before Bragging About Recycling
8/19/09, Simple
Solutions Won’t Work Alone: Comprehensive is the True Agent
of Change
2/22/09, The Unhappiest Generation
2/12/09, Inauguration
Attendees Fail to Demonstrate Change
Reduce
8/5/09, Direct
Mail Marketers Want to Force Junk Mail on Us
3/21/09, Better
Yard Sales
1/25/09, Wasting Trees:
Why I Hate Junk Mail
Reuse
10/14/09, Wrapping
with Your Butcher
5/7/09, Craigslist
Buyers are A Flakey Bunch on the Whole
Recycling
6/22/09, Not
Separating Your Recyclables from Your Trash Can Hurt
3/4/09, Recycle Your
Water Filters
Transportation
6/15/09, Avoid
Hot Car Syndrome to Reduce Emissions…and Discomfort
Water
3/27/09,
Water, Water Everywhere, but Not a
Drop…
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