At Home:
Calculate your impact: If knowledge is power, then
take a minute to assess the damage. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's online calculator estimates greenhouse-gas
emissions that result from your household energy use and waste
disposal. Get your number at
epa.gov/climatechange.
Trade up: Not ready to replace the roof with solar
panels? Then start small. The average U.S. home has
two TVs, a VCR, a DVD player and three telephones. If
everyone replaced these with Energy Star models, which meets
strict energy-efficiency guidelines, it would be equivalent to
taking more than 3 million cars off the road. Learn more
about Energy Star at
energystar.gov.
Sweat the small stuff: A faucet that leaks 60 drops
per minute can add up to 192 gallons per month. You can
find out how to leak-proof our home and even create a water
budget at
h2ouse.org.
Ramp up recycling: Increasing the recycling rate in
the United States from 30 percent to 60 percent would save the
equivalent of 315 million barrels of oil each year. Visit
earth911.org for a rundown on how to properly recycle
everything from aluminum to motor oil.
Do some green cleaning: Natural cleaners like borax
and lemon juice are ecofriendly alternatives to regular
chemical-based products. Check out
eartheasy.com
for basic house-hold-cleaner recipes.
Power properly: Using energy generated from
renewable sources like wind helps reduce the burning of fossil
fuels such as coal. The Green Power Network at
eere.energy.gov/greenpower will list what's available in
your area.
On the Road:
Drive in the green lane: Compare fuel-efficiency
rates and learn about green tax credits at
fueleconomy.gov. Not looking to buy? The site
also offers tips to help make your vehicle less of a gas
guzzler. Properly inflated tires alone could save
Americans more than 4 million gallons of gas each day.
Go public: You can reduce your carbon dioxide
emissions by about 1,590 pounds per year if you leave the car
home two days a week and take public transportation instead.
Find out about public-transportation in your area at
publictransportation.org.
Neutralize it: With some basic vehicle information,
sites like
terrapass.com and
gocarbonzero.com will give you an estimate of the carbon
dioxide your car produces. You can offset the damage by
donating money to suggested eco friendly projects.
At Work:
Get rid of the excess: Companies can stop receiving
mail meant for former employees by visiting
ecologicalmail.org. For every former employee entered
into the site's database, a company will avoid 100 pounds of
waste in undeliverable mail. That's equivalent to one
tree.
Pool your people: Simple carpooling or ride-sharing
can have a great impact when you consider that 78 percent of
cars on the road carry only one person. Create a company
carpool at
erideshare.com.
E-cycle: The EPA estimates that more than 2 million tons
of electronic hardware ends up in landfills each year.
Your company can recycle properly or donate old computers with
the help of eiae.org.
In Your
Community:
Be cool: Cities across the country are making a
pact to meet or beat Kyoto Protocol targets through community
efforts. Visit
coolcities.us to see how you can get your city involved.
Pay it forward: Want to teach your community more
about climate change? Find lectures in your area or apply
to become a presenter at the
theclimateproject.org.
Keep it local: Most food travels 1,200 miles or
more from pasture to your plate. Buying locally saves fuel
and helps farmers in your community. Web sites like
localharvest.org and
usda.gov provide lists of local farmers markets. Or
just visit our local market here in Renton at
gorenton.com/farmersmarket.
________________________________________
American Classic Homes
3016 Benson Rd S,
Renton, WA 98055
Phone (425) 277-1500 Fax (425) 277-6117