Tip of the Week

Carbon Pincher

I plug all of my home entertainment electronics into a power strip so I can cut their power drain in standby mode. But one afternoon I noticed many other appliances that were always plugged in, but that were only in use for minutes a day. The math is clear: Miscellaneous appliances can be just as guilty as electronics of pumping out the greenhouse carbon dioxide when not in use. Plug in the appliances below for no more than an hour a day and you'll get the savings listed below over the course of a year.

• Electric toothbrushes: A fully charged Sonicare electric toothbrush has enough juice for two weeks of twice daily two minute brushings. Unplug it and save 22 pounds of CO2.
• Electric shaver: Norelco's 1050 Arcitec Cordless Electric Shaver is fully charged in one hour and has a three-minute quick charge feature for emergencies. Unplug it and save 11 pounds of CO2.
• Microwave oven: Do you really need another kitchen clock? Unplug it and save 34 pounds of CO2.
• Hand held vacuum: Unplug it and save 34 pounds of CO2.
• Coffee maker: An automatic coffee maker with digital features drain energy all night waiting for the timer to go off. Flip the switch manually and unplug it, saving 34 pounds of CO2.

By simply unplugging the items above you can save 135 pounds of carbon a year! But don't stop here. Go on a hunt for energy-wasting appliances and unplug them. And see Green with Children for smart power strips, that can automatically turn off electronic peripherals http://thegreenguide.com/blog/children.

Extra Credit: At the office, invest in an industrial coffee maker with a thermal carafe that will keep coffee warm without using any energy, like the Classic Café Concepts GBT60 that we use in house. By running the machine only to refill (about an hour and a half a day when we go through ten pots) we save 158 pounds of CO2 per year!

© The Green Guide, 2008

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Idle Waste

Record high gas prices have slipped in recent days, but not by much. The average U.S. price for a gallon is still over four dollars, a dollar above prices this month last year, and drivers have responded accordingly. According to the Transportation Department, Americans drove 400 million fewer miles in April than they did in March, and 1.4 billion fewer miles than they did in April of 2007.

But getting behind the wheel can't always be avoided. When the car is the only reasonable way to get from a to b, you can save fuel by cutting back on idling. If you idle for more than thirty seconds, you are better off turning off the car and restarting it. Plus, the more gas burned, the more carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere. So turn the ignition off at long stoplights and other lengthy hold-ups. And rather than using the drive-through, just park and go in.

See fueleconomy.gov for up-to-date gas prices by state, and How to Deal with Gasly Petroleum Prices for more tips on upping your vehicles fuel efficiency.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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Stop the Dripping

There are currently 400 million people worldwide facing severe water shortages, according to the United Nations. By 2050, that number will be 4 billion, yet the pain is already being felt around the country. In California, Governor Schwarzenegger has declared the first statewide drought in 17 years. Meanwhile, residents in some areas of Georgia were only recently relieved from a moratorium on car-washing and running sprinklers, while most of northeast Georgia still faces what officials are calling "extreme drought." All the while, an enormous amount of water is lost through seemingly minor drips around the house. A leaky faucet can lose up to 20 gallons of water a day, while a leaky toilet can flush an extra 200 gallons every day! What's worse, the toilet could be leaking and you might not even know it! To test for a leak, put five to ten drops of food coloring in the tank. If ten minutes later there's coloring in the bowl, you've got a problem.

Not sure how to stop the dripping? Check out H20use's repair guide, which includes sinks and toilets, or learn how to repair a faucet from the folks at How Stuff Works.

And if you're still having trouble, call your landlord, the plumber or the next-door neighbor who's really good with a wrench. Do whatever it takes to fix the leak in your sink, bath tub, toilet, garden hose. . .

© The Green Guide, 2008

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