You don’t have to save the cheerleader to save the world :-). You can even save money while doing it, so says the Live Green Movement.
So here are some more tips on reducing energy and water consumption that’s also easy on the checkbook, in addition to the very informative links from qwerty.
Living green at home.
A sizeable 46 percent of energy use is energy loss. That’s electricity being consumed for no productive use, such as when you keep your cellphone charger permanently plugged into a wall outlet. By keeping unused electronic appliances truly switched off, you save more than 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and around P12,500 a year.
Ortigas skyline last July 14. Photo from PDI.
Put a brick in the toilet.
A brick wrapped in a plastic bag or a water-filled bleach bottle kept inside the toilet reservoir displaces and saves a half or full gallon of water with each flush. You can also reduce your potable-water use by flushing with “gray water” such as shampoo-rinse water saved in a bucket.
Don’t tolerate a leaky faucet.
Even a slow drip can waste about two gallons of clean water daily. (With the Angat dam water level at critical lows, this made my eyes grow wide as saucers.) Invest in water-saving devices such as aerators for your faucets, shower heads and drip-irrigation watering systems. Even something as low-tech as a rain barrel is helpful.
Switch from incandescent lighting and go LED and CFL
A compact fluorescent bulb lasts ten times longer than an incandescent bulb and uses only 25 percent the energy. A single CFL bulb can save you about P1,900 in electricity over its lifespan! Light emitting diodes are an efficient option for mood and task lighting and use even less energy than CFLs.
Rethink your garden.
Plant trees, grasses and shrubs that require less water. Practice deep watering in the early evening to avoid daily watering.
Halve your consumption.
Use half the toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, detergent, bleach, fabric softener that the TV ads urge you to squeeze or pour out, and see how it still does the job. By consuming less, fewer chemicals go into the air and water supply, and fewer product packaging end up in landfills.
I tested this during the weekend. My teeth still feel clean and my bath cream will last a lot longer! This tip is so proven hehe. Now, how to get the maids to use less detergent…
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:58 am
i know i may seem like such a cheapskate but i actually add water to my shampoo bottle. makes it a little less creamy but it still lathers my hair nicely.
and yes, i do only use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.