Happy Earth Day!

Today is a day when we should all reflect on what we can do to help our environment.  Believe it or not, changing small things in your daily routines can have a big impact on your personal "carbon footprint."  Today is a day to bring those little things to the forefront of our consciousness and make a concerted effort to make changes.

Let's look at a five easy areas you can take a look at today:

1. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.  Simply by turning off the water in the morning and at bedtime can save 8 gallons of water! Saving water saves energy reducing carbon pollution (and saves money on your water bill).
2. Use a power strip instead of the wall outlets.  Having devices plugged in, even when you're not using them accounts for more than $11Billion (yes Billion) in annual US energy costs! When you use a power strip for things like your computer and all the peripheral equipment allows them to completely disconnect from the power supply, which eliminates "standby power consumption" and help reduce carbon pollution, it also won't hurt that electric bill each month.
3. Use cold water to wash your clothes.  90% of the power your washing machine uses comes from heating the hot water that you use to wash those whites.  There are plenty of detergents that have created cold water formulas that will keep your whites sparkling even when washed with cold water, why not give it a try and save energy while you're at it.
4. Check out what kinds of bulbs you're using in your lamps.  Check out the five most used lamps/lights in your house and change them out with Energy Star qualified bulbs - not only could you save up to $75/year on your electric bill, but you'll also reduce carbon pollution!
5. Speaking of lights - how about turning off the lights when leaving a room.  Seems to me that teenagers are notorious for walking out of a room and not turning off the light...try giving them the electric bill for one month and tell them they have to pay for it, watch how quickly those lights get turned off if it's THEIR money.  I tried it in my house and it worked like a charm, my daughter is VERY good about turning off the lights now!

If you're interested in learning more tips on how to reduce your own carbon footprint AND saving money, visit the EPA site and calculate your household carbon footprint, as well as learn more ways you can make a difference!

Happy Earth Day!

^Amy