 Earth Day: Five small steps
1. Recycle Start recycling at home. Reuse jam jars and ice cream tubs as storage box for cookies and other food stuff. You may be surprised by how much can be recycled or reused! 2. Go paperless Try to use paper as little possible. Of course while print outs should be avoided it is best to use recyclable printer cartridges, since recycled replacements are cheaper than new ones. Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones. 3. Efficient electricity Use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent ones. LED lamps also use less energy. Many appliances have “standby” settings that draw power. Sometimes this takes as much as 15 or 20 watts, even when they’re turned off. To make sure that computers, monitors, printers, photocopy machines, televisions, VCRs, DVD players, and microwave ovens are not wasting any energy turn the appliance off and pull the plug rather than just flipping the switch on the machine. 4. Enjoy the sunshine! By far, the best and most economical source of light is the sun. Make the most of daylight by keeping your blinds and curtains open when light is required during day. Sunlight not only lights up the room, but morning sun rays are also supposed to be anti bacterial. It is not uncommon for interior air to be more contaminated with toxic chemicals than the air outdoors. Wooden furniture, carpeting, and paint are common sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a family of chemicals that pollute the indoor environment. VOCs have been linked to birth defects, endocrine disruption, and cancer. 5. Turn off the lights! As efficient as your lighting equipment might be, it doesn’t make sense to have lights and fans on when no one is around. If you use an air conditioner, set the temperature to 26 degrees or higher and make use of the timer to turn the machine off when the room has cooled. Every little step makes a difference so tell your family and friends about how they can help too! Not only will you be saving the earth but you will save a few dollars on your electric bill as well! What are you doing to make a difference? A To Do list for your refigerator:
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Several of us attended the Sustainable South Shore meeting last Thursday, March 29. There are several happenings around the area that we thought our members should be aware of.
Sustainable Hull is hosting a film called "Carbon Nation" on April 30 at 7 PM at Temple Beth Sholom. Carbon Nation is a documentary movie about climate change SOLUTIONS. Even if you doubt the severity of the impact of climate change or just don't buy it at all, this is still a compelling and relevant film that illustrates how SOLUTIONS to climate change also address other social, economic and national security issues. You'll meet a host of entertaining and endearing characters along the way. You can go to their website (www.sustainablehull.org) for more information. REACH, the Responsible Energy Alternatives Coalition of Hingham, has run a film series this winter. Their last film in the series is "Revenge of the Electric Car" on April 14. Information about the movies can be found at: http://www.wickedlocal.com/hingham/topstories/x1676720051/HINGHAM-REACH-Sustainability-film-series-starts#axzz1r6XDJ62s. Check out their website: www.hinghamreach.org. Mass Energy Consumer Alliance gave a talk about buying renewable energy and saving money on energy bills. You can visit their website for more information: www.massenergy.org. It gets very confusing but there are ways that you can buy more directly from renewables and these programs will put money into the system and encourage the growth of renewable energy. There are different programs with National Grid and NStar. Good luck! We may be having someone come and talk to us from Next Step Living and that will help shed more |
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