5 Easy Ways to Help the Environment

I will have to begin this to say that I'm not a treehugger, but I have thought about a lot of common practices in our American lifestyle that are wasteful. Some of this is out of convenience; some of it is out of ignorance. Below I am going to list five easy ways that you can adjust your lifestyle, or make simple changes to help the environment.

1. Adjust your thermostats
Try lowering your home thermostat to 68º Fahrenheit (20º Celsius) in the Winter or 78º F (26º C) in the Summer. Also adjust your water heater to 140º F (60º C) or lower. You will be surprised on how little you will notice the difference. My house is an older house with some single pane windows, therefore I keep my thermostat a bit higher at about 72º F.

2. Switch your regular incandescent light bulbs to Compact Florescent Light bulbs (CFL).
CFL's are more efficient than standard light bulbs as they convert more of the energy supplied to actually producing light. I blogged about CFL's in April and I have switched to them in my house as well. They create a nice light and work just as well as regular lights. I have seen my electric bill drop quite a bit because of this change.

3. Turn off lights and appliances
You would be amazed on the amount of money you can save by just making sure that lights are turned off in rooms that are not occupied. Appliances can also be a big drain on your electric bill as well; keep appliances on standby if you have to.

4. Recycle
Recycle all your paper waste as well as cans and bottles. Most communities have curb-side pickup available, but if they don't there are usually convenient drop off points for your recyclables.

5. Transportation
Try to eliminate unnecessary travel by planning out your route and make it as efficient as possible. If possible try to use alternative forms of transportation such as bicycle or public transportation. Even one day a week can make a difference.

Hopefully those of you reading this will take the time to use these tips and help preserve our planet a little bit longer. Most of these tips don't take much to implement, so try them out and you'll be surprised on how you will readjust quickly.

Sources:
Global Stewards
Practical Environmentalist
Development Crossing

New lights on the subject?

Civilization may have never evolved in the way that it has if it wasn't for the light bulb. Since this invention, it has spurred an industrial revolution, leading the way for many of the products and policies that we have today. So it would seem odd to be without this invention that we have grown accustomed to, but Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) looks to change the light bulb's image. She has introduced H.R. 1547 to place a minimum output on the amount of lumens per watt a light bulb must produce, similar to the new ruling made by Australia.

One of the technologies to immediately see a benefit in sales is the compact fluorescent light bulb, or CFL. While incandescent light bulbs only used about 5% of their wattage on light, CFL's can use up to 2/3 less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and still maintain the same output of light. Energy Star states that you can have a savings of $30 per CFL installed over a years time.

There is a downside to CFL technology: They contain mercury. This toxic substance can cause health problems if it is ingested or introduced into the bloodstream. The only way the mercury can become dangerous, is if the light bulb is broken. For this reason, CFL's should not be thrown away with the rest of your refuse. It should be taken to a recycling center to be reclaimed and reused.

Another downside to the CFL is the price. A CFL light can run about $4 to $7 for a single bulb. There are other deals out there, but in general they cost more than incandescent bulbs. While the bulbs may cost more, they also last longer. CFL's last 4 to 10 times longer than a standard bulb.

There are some who do not take to the new technology, mainly because of misleading information and myths. An article on the American Thinker website claims that there are no American manufactures of CFL's. A simple Google search clarifies this information for us and shows that there are numerous manufactures here in the United States. The article also refers to the H.R. 1547 bill and how the U.S. wants to "Ban the bulb". The bill actually states that there will be standards to set new minimum lumen per watt ratios on light bulbs. This wording allows incandescent technology as long as it can adhere to the new standards. With its current technology, the incandescent light bulb will not meet these standards.

And while there is mercury in every CFL, the very power plants that supply the power release mercury into the atmosphere with their emissions. So much so that in the overall span of each bulb, an incandescent will actually produce more mercury (from consuming more power and in turn emitting mercury from the power plant) than a CFL will with its power consumption and supplied mercury.

Overall, I believe that the CFL is a wise choice to make if you are looking to save a few dollars on your electricity bill. If you are looking to help the environment, there is still plenty debate on whether there is a significant difference in overall environmental impact. Because of manufacturing differences, power consumption and politics, we may never know our true environmental impact on this earth.

Technorati Tags: CFL