First off...I am by no means a green, hippy stereotype....but I recognize how much waste people generate and I want to reduce my part...just feels better to do it morally, I also have began eating better since i started all this and i can honestly say i do feel better overall....something to think about. one insulate your hot water heater....you will see a huge change in your energy bill...all you gotta do is buy some half decent insulation from your local hardware store and you will see a difference on your bill. Also...start a compost bin if you have the space for it. My girlfriend and I have reduced our garbage by a bag every two weeks by starting a compost bin. Buy the grocery bags that your local grocer has for sale...most places will give you money off for using them each time (i get 3 cents off per bag each time) big whoop right? well it adds up believe me...you buy groceries what, once a week or more? 3 cents per bag once per week...it really does add up. Plant your own veggies....yea i know it sounds hippy and all that...but I kind of got pulled into the whole gardening thing after I took a summer job at a nursery and...not only is it fun (for me at least), stress relieving and rewarding...the veggies really do taste better. plus you save cash for something that is really quite easy to do. Support local retailers and farmers...this isnt really a green thing but can be. I buy all my food if its grown in BC, or neighbouring provinces (Alberta) or states (WA OR, ID or MT) that way I get much fresher food overall, support local business's and do not contribute to the costs of food being imported. Not saying do this exclusivly...but it does help. For example I cave when it comes to asparagus...its out of season so the stuff I buy from the supermarket is from Chile...oh wells for the most part i stick to my rules. if you leave your home, room whatever...turn off your tv, lights or computer. My dad and grandad used to scream at me if I left lights on but I would always do it...it really doesnt make a huge dent in the energy bill and I am not frugal enough to care about that money....but in the end...why bother leaving them on. its not the money that i worry about its more the energy wasted for no reason...same idea with leaving the sink or shower running while you aint in it....i am still guilty of the later...but i try to minimize it it all sounds goofy to some...but in the end you do save money and I can honestly attest that I do feel better overall...i've stopped eating garbage (anything in the frozen section is usually a red light, recylced much more and made efficient green additions to my home and its paid off...so thought some of you may like to try it and save some money If you have any ideas to add please feel free. cheers, Z
AMD has released some very nice processors. Their EE (energy efficient) line are a little slower on average to their main line, but you don't really see any actual hit, and you do save a few watts. About twenty or so. More, I think, with their newer ones. There's also EE TV's, monitors, and power supply units. Of course, most of those will only come into consideration 'eventually'. I admit, the only reason I even researched them was because I was considering an internet cafe at one point in time. Those spiral florescent lightbulbs on the other hand, you can go out and buy a pack next time you're out. It cost me about twenty dollars for a pack of twelve, and they save about seventy seven percent on electricity usage. Those are 14 watt bulbs. You might want to go with slightly higher ones (20-some), as these are a little dingy. They would still cut consumption by two thirds. What's more, they're garunteed to last five years or so. They don't cost any extra money when compared to the cheap 60 watt bulbs that lasted maybe a month.
Thanks for the reply FDJusting. Your post has reminded me to post a few more things. When you go to bed or out for more then a couple hours...put your comp on standby or if possible turn it off...saves a bunch of energy that you wasted otherwise... As for the bulbs you described you are right those lights are fantastic...however, when and if they burn out on you do not throw them in the garbage...the contents inside them are toxic and wll leech into the ground at the landfill. Take them back to where you purchased them and they will usually have a program to trash them properly. If the place you bought them from does not, larger retailers usually will, like home depot, rona, home hardware etc.
oh and another one I forgot to add, Cell phone chargers, they still use up electricity even when they are not charging...there is literally no point in leaving them plugged in when you are not charging your cell phones or whatever it is you are charging...just wasting cash. Unplug them if you aint using them...this applies to almost every electrical device you plug in but its not practical for all thigns since you use them often...but stuff you don't use so often, just unplug it!
I personally use any paper to the maximum I can, both pages, any little torn part. I know that the ultimate goal is to eliminate any usage of paper altogether, but some work can't be done without paper. Still, I use email A LOT