een!
“
I believe a leaf of grass is no less
than the journey-work of the stars.
Walt Whitman
Think you could lead a more eco-friendly life? Here are the best, most effective steps you can take, from the EMA (Environmental Media Association).
”
USE A SMARTER PAINT. According to the EPA, the air inside your home is up to three times more polluted than the air outdoors. Much of this pollution comes from paints and finishes. If you are going to repaint any rooms
Reduce the water temperature at home
Repair those leaks
in your house, look for low or no-VOC (volatile
Is the temperature of your shower scalding hot? If you
When cleaning your house or making repairs, be sure
organic compounds) paint for the project.
cool your water heater from 140°F to 120°F, you'll prevent
to check your house for leaky faucets or running toilets.
burns and save up to 10% of your home's energy use.
Fixing can save you up to 2,700 gallons of water per year.
Cut down on your food miles
Recycle rather than trash
produce the equivalent amount
Food typically travels 1,000 miles before it gets to you,
Sort and recycle your waste. If we could convince every
of light as the standard incan-
and each of those miles involves the emission of CO2. Cut
American to recycle even just the Sunday paper each
descent bulbs but consume 1/3
back by supporting your area's agriculture: visit a farmer's
week, we could save over 500,000 trees, every week.
of the energy required. They
BUY AND USE BETTER BULBS. Compact fluorescent light bulbs
also have a lifespan 10 times
market, look for regional produce at the grocery store or
Don't speed
longer than standard bulbs. So
Speeding on the road will decrease a car's fuel
when your bulbs burn out, re-
economy by as much as 7 percent. If only 1/3 of all drivers
place them with CFL's. Changing
Did you know that each week the average American
decreased their speed by 5 miles per hour it would save
out just 5 bulbs can save almost
household makes 19 different car trips of 7 miles or less?
about 2.5 billion gallons of gas. Take your foot off the
500 pounds of CO2 and $40 in
If we combined or skipped two of those trips we could
pedal!
energy costs per year.
Pump them up
USE BETTER ENERGY.
create a garden of your own
Combine your trips
save 3.6 billion gallons of gasoline.
Reuse your towels
Riding on under-inflated tires can decrease your car's
Electricity consumption accounts for 40% of
When staying in hotels, use your sheets and towels more
mileage. Surprisingly, about 25% of all cars on the road
the CO2 emissions in the United States. Switch
than once. Doing so will save the hotel an estimated 72,000
have under-inflated tires. If all drivers checked their air
to a supplier that generates electricity through
gallons of water and 480 gallons of detergent per year.
pressure it could save over 800 million gallons of gasoline.
renewable sources such as wind, water and or
Do the drive-through
Take efficient showers
electricity is a simple process that only requires
If you must wash your car, take it to a car wash. Profes-
Did you know that showers account for 32 percent of a
a phone call and helps to cut down on emissions
sional car washes use an average of 32 gallons of water
home's water usage? By installing a low-flow showerhead
from coal generated power plants.
per vehicle, but cleaning your car in the driveway can use
a family of four can save up to 20,000 gallons of water
up to 10 times more water.
each year.
Stop your idling
Carry reusable bags
By turning your thermostat down two degrees
If your car is idling for more than 30 seconds and you're
In the United States we consume approximately 100
in the winter and up two degrees higher in the
not in traffic, turn it off. An idling car gets 0 miles to the
billion plastic bags each year. Try using and reusing a
summer you can save loads of energy. You will
gallon. If the average American can reduce their idling
canvas bag for your shopping and you will save almost
also save about 3% on your heating bill for every
by 2 minutes, our country can save 400 million gallons of
1000 bags per year.
24-hour period that you do so.
solar power. If available in your area, switching
ADJUST YOUR THERMOSTAT.
gasoline each year.
Let the dishwasher work
Set up a recycling program On average, up to 80% of a school's waste stream can be
Scrape your dishes off rather than pre-rinsing before load-
recycled, and about ½ of that waste is in paper form. Work
ing the dishwasher. You'll save as much as 20 gallons per
with your neighborhood or child's school and make sure
full load, and your dishes will be just as clean.
that recycling is taking place.
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HEALTHY UTAH APRIL 2014
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