Goal For The Green

Guest post by Amanda Green

When it comes to going green, one of the greatest ways to reduce your carbon footprint is by making your home more efficient. In addition to being one of our greatest expenditures, homes are also often one of the greatest ways in which we use energy.  However,with a few quick and fairly affordable updates, you can have your home running more efficiently in no time – allowing you to both go green and save green.

English: The carbon footprint as it is understood by people. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Insulation
Poor insulation can cost a home hundreds of dollars in utilities every year because they allow both hot and cold air to easily escape. To ensure that your home’s heating and cooling system isn’t overworked,make sure that your attic is well insulated, and even consider re-insulating your walls if you find that they also lack adequate insulation.

Low Flow Water Supplies

While taking a 5 minute shower is a good way to watch how much water you use on a regular basis,installing low flow shower heads and a ultra high  efficiency toilet or two in your home can greatly reduce the amount of water you use without sacrificing function. These items can be purchased for a relatively inexpensive price, and can be self-installed in a few minutes.

Weatherstripping

If you have an older home, there is a good chance that there are spaces between your exterior doors and their frames, as well as between windows and their frames. These spaces easily allow outside air in and inside air out,which makes your home’s heating and cooling system less efficient.
If you find gaps around your doors and windows, apply weatherstripping to prevent unwanted air flow.

Upgrade Appliances

Older appliances tend to be bigger energy wasters than newer ones.  So, if you can afford to make the switch, consider buying new Energy Star appliances. While the initial upfront cost may be a bit high, the savings that they will provide you with over the course of their life will have them paying for themselves.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy sources such as solar panels or geothermal units are becoming more affordable than ever before,and they are a great way to lower your utility bills while simultaneously doing something great for the environment. Not only will they reduce your bills, but there are several local,state,and federal grants and tax rebate programs that will put additional cash back in your pocket. Some utility companies will even pay you for putting power back into their system.

Going green, is possibly one of the best things that a person can do for their budget, as well as the environment. However, going green doesn’t have to stop at buying organic or using reusable shopping bags. By making your home more efficient, you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint, and make an even greater impact in the green movement than those reusable grocery bags ever allowed. Together, we are working toward better tomorrows!

Now there are 4 R’s!  Earth Month is approaching,as is Earth Day, along with that is also the summer move season.  Are you conscious of, or about your moving carbon footprint? What steps have you taken, or do you plan to take to reuse, reduce, and recycle as you relocate? Intuition tells us that moving consumes both resources and gas, but think of the dozens of boxes and packing materials you used when you last moved. This infographic takes a closer look at the impact of moving on the environment.

It examines how much gasoline and subsequent CO2 emissions are incurred by driving a rental moving truck short, medium and long distances to a new home. It also shows you ways that you can green your move.  Planning your move and recycling or donating unwanted items so that you don’t have to transport them, using biodiesel,and opting for reusable plastic moving boxes over cardboard, are just a few ideas that can make your move easier. You can even get them in different colors, and pack color coded to what you use, and what you want to keep and put away.

We used the plastic bin idea when we moved, 5 years ago.  We always have them for stowing things away.  Ideas such as this, help the environment, while helping us all work toward a better tomorrow!

From: Move Carbon Footprint

This is just a fun little look at Santa’s not so green, and kinda bad behaviors. I wanted to pass along this fun holiday infographic that was recently produced for Ethical Ocean: Santa’s Carbon Footprint.  While there, just click on What’s Santa’s Carbon Footprint, to expand the page. The graphic takes a close look at Santa’s non-green behaviors, and how he too can adopt a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

At Ethical Ocean, they all know that with the end of December quickly approaching, Santa is busy getting everything set for his worldwide tour. The boots he has to fill sure can, and do leave a large footprint behind. So, they took a look at Santa’s environmental impact, and tried to see if they could help him run a slightly more eco-friendly operation. This is what they came up with.  Enjoy, and feel free to comment!  🙂