1. Each year more than 380 billion plastic shopping bags are produced just for use in the United States.
2. Less than 35% of these bags are recycled. The rest will be thrown away, either to pollute the landscape on put in landfills.
3. Plastic bags are generally made from polyethylene and will take over 1,000 years to biodegrade in landfills. During this time they will emit harmful gases.
4. It’s easy to reduce the use of plastic bag, take a cloth bag or one made from plant-based materials to use each time you go to the store.
5. Chemicals commonly used by the plastic industry [propylene, phenol, ethylene, polystyrene, and benzene] are ranked as the chemicals that generate the most hazardous waste.
6. Countries that have banned or taken action to discourage the use of plastic bags include Australia, Bangladesh, Ireland, Italy, South Africa and Taiwan. Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India, also has banned the bags.
Showing posts with label Waste. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Waste. Show all posts
10 Ways to Conserve Energy
It doesn’t matter whether you consider Global Warming a fact or a hoax. The one thing for certain is that we do harm the environment every day. These are things we can do to not only save and conserve energy but also help the environment.
10) Follow The Three ‘R’ - Recycle/Reuse/Reduce
American’s have become a very wasteful society. When our founding fathers were creating the nation in which we live, they didn’t waste anything. Washington at Valley Forge, the frontier families who settled west of the Mississippi even the families of World War II used everything.
Today nearly every item that we purchase is in some type of disposable wrapper. It’s used once and thrown in the trash and using another piece of a resource that is diminishing. Even though by following these three ‘R’s’ one may not see a direct savings, the cost of products might be less. A recycled aluminum can require less energy to reuse than having a new one produced from the raw materials.
9) Drive Smart
There are a number of ways that we don’t drive smart. We are a mobile society and don’t always consider everything before we get in a vehicle to go someplace. How many of us have gone one place, come back only to realize we also need to go to another? Planning your trips will allow you to use less fuel as well as save time.
One of the biggest consumption of fuel in a vehicle comes from poor maintenance. Have the engine routinely serviced will keep it running at peak efficiently? Don’t forget the tire pressure. Tires at the wrong pressure, especially ones that is low are a big fuel waster. And don’t forget to have the brakes checked. A dragging brake not only causes the brakes to wear out faster, it will make the engine work harder using more gas.
When driving, don’t make rapid stops and starts as well. This, as well as exceeding the speed limit, can quickly reduce gas mileage. By using the speed control on long trips, the vehicle runs at a constant speed.
8) Heat or Cool the Living/Work Space – Not the World
Does the building have enough insulation? Older homes and building probably don’. Windows are also an area where energy costs are moving from their desired purpose to change the temperature of the outside air.
Many homes are heating or cooling areas that are seldom used. By setting up heating and cooling areas, one can save money and energy by keeping the seldom used area warmer or cooler than the rest of the house. Many people may like a warm living room in the winter, but rather have a cool bedroom. This would be another reason for separate environmental areas.
Use a programmable thermostat. By using a programmable thermostat you can automatically turn down the heat when it’s least needed, at night when sleeping or during the day when no one is home. Have it raised to a comfortable level shortly before getting up or arriving home. Be certain that it is the correct type of programmable thermostat for your heating or cooling system. Some heat pumps and air conditioning systems require specialized programmable thermostats.
7) Use Water Wisely
Water may be free, but getting it from the ground to the home costs a lot. There’s the cost of pumping it from one location to another. As well as the cost of treating it to be at a useable state. And the costs removing and cleaning the waste water.
6) Use Energy-Efficient Products
Many older appliances use a great deal more energy than a new one. The 20 year old refrigerator may be working fine, but a newer one could use half of the energy of the older one saving as much as 100 dollars per year or more.
Water heaters can use as much as 14% of the energy bill. The older it gets the less efficient it is with one over 10 years being as much as 50% efficient as it was when new.
And don’t forget the light bulbs. Most of the energy used by old style incandescent lights is turned into heat not light. A 15-Watt Compact Fluorescent Light gives the same light as a 60-Watt incandescent using a quarter of the energy.
5) Turn Off and Unplug
Unplug devices that use a transformer when not in use. Example; battery chargers. Whenever these devices are plugged in they consume minor amounts of energy. Many devices such as TV and DVD players still use energy when not in use. Unplug them when they won’t be used for a long period of time.
Turn off computers at night, and use sleep mode as often as possible. When not in use turn off televisions, radios and other entertainment equipment.
4) Light the area reasonably
Office lighting, as much as anything else in the office, is one of the items that are the biggest user of electric each month. Reducing the energy used by lights can make a quick and noticeable impact to the bill.
Many offices either use too much light or does not use the most efficient type of lighting. It’s important to have enough lights in an area so that it’s safe, but there may be places where lights can be removed, the size of the fixture reduced or more economical sources of light are use.
Use task lights to reduce the amount of overhead lights. Task lights puts the right amount of light on the project at hand allowing the room lights to be at a lower light level, therefore saving energy.
Don’t light areas that aren’t being occupied. Install times and occupancy sensors. These are great in offices for restroom, storage closets and copier rooms.
3) Make it a Habit
A habit are those things that we do without thinking. Developing a habit takes time. At first it may take some constant thoughts and reminders. By spending time considering your actions and doing the things to save energy each day, these actions will become a habit.
2) Pass Along the Word
It’s amazing how many people there are out there that just don’t know, don’t have an understanding or just needs to have a person they know and respect to assure them. Pass along the information. Let your friends know when you replace an appliance and see a drop in the electric bill. Or when they throw a plastic bottle or newspaper in the trash let them know it can be recycled and used again. The more people hear it from someone they know, the more apt they are to follow the advice.
1) Switch Off the Lights
When being the last to leave a room turn out the lights. It will always be saving energy with few exceptions also saving money.
10) Follow The Three ‘R’ - Recycle/Reuse/Reduce
American’s have become a very wasteful society. When our founding fathers were creating the nation in which we live, they didn’t waste anything. Washington at Valley Forge, the frontier families who settled west of the Mississippi even the families of World War II used everything.
Today nearly every item that we purchase is in some type of disposable wrapper. It’s used once and thrown in the trash and using another piece of a resource that is diminishing. Even though by following these three ‘R’s’ one may not see a direct savings, the cost of products might be less. A recycled aluminum can require less energy to reuse than having a new one produced from the raw materials.
9) Drive Smart
There are a number of ways that we don’t drive smart. We are a mobile society and don’t always consider everything before we get in a vehicle to go someplace. How many of us have gone one place, come back only to realize we also need to go to another? Planning your trips will allow you to use less fuel as well as save time.
One of the biggest consumption of fuel in a vehicle comes from poor maintenance. Have the engine routinely serviced will keep it running at peak efficiently? Don’t forget the tire pressure. Tires at the wrong pressure, especially ones that is low are a big fuel waster. And don’t forget to have the brakes checked. A dragging brake not only causes the brakes to wear out faster, it will make the engine work harder using more gas.
When driving, don’t make rapid stops and starts as well. This, as well as exceeding the speed limit, can quickly reduce gas mileage. By using the speed control on long trips, the vehicle runs at a constant speed.
8) Heat or Cool the Living/Work Space – Not the World
Does the building have enough insulation? Older homes and building probably don’. Windows are also an area where energy costs are moving from their desired purpose to change the temperature of the outside air.
Many homes are heating or cooling areas that are seldom used. By setting up heating and cooling areas, one can save money and energy by keeping the seldom used area warmer or cooler than the rest of the house. Many people may like a warm living room in the winter, but rather have a cool bedroom. This would be another reason for separate environmental areas.
Use a programmable thermostat. By using a programmable thermostat you can automatically turn down the heat when it’s least needed, at night when sleeping or during the day when no one is home. Have it raised to a comfortable level shortly before getting up or arriving home. Be certain that it is the correct type of programmable thermostat for your heating or cooling system. Some heat pumps and air conditioning systems require specialized programmable thermostats.
7) Use Water Wisely
Water may be free, but getting it from the ground to the home costs a lot. There’s the cost of pumping it from one location to another. As well as the cost of treating it to be at a useable state. And the costs removing and cleaning the waste water.
6) Use Energy-Efficient Products
Many older appliances use a great deal more energy than a new one. The 20 year old refrigerator may be working fine, but a newer one could use half of the energy of the older one saving as much as 100 dollars per year or more.
Water heaters can use as much as 14% of the energy bill. The older it gets the less efficient it is with one over 10 years being as much as 50% efficient as it was when new.
And don’t forget the light bulbs. Most of the energy used by old style incandescent lights is turned into heat not light. A 15-Watt Compact Fluorescent Light gives the same light as a 60-Watt incandescent using a quarter of the energy.
5) Turn Off and Unplug
Unplug devices that use a transformer when not in use. Example; battery chargers. Whenever these devices are plugged in they consume minor amounts of energy. Many devices such as TV and DVD players still use energy when not in use. Unplug them when they won’t be used for a long period of time.
Turn off computers at night, and use sleep mode as often as possible. When not in use turn off televisions, radios and other entertainment equipment.
4) Light the area reasonably
Office lighting, as much as anything else in the office, is one of the items that are the biggest user of electric each month. Reducing the energy used by lights can make a quick and noticeable impact to the bill.
Many offices either use too much light or does not use the most efficient type of lighting. It’s important to have enough lights in an area so that it’s safe, but there may be places where lights can be removed, the size of the fixture reduced or more economical sources of light are use.
Use task lights to reduce the amount of overhead lights. Task lights puts the right amount of light on the project at hand allowing the room lights to be at a lower light level, therefore saving energy.
Don’t light areas that aren’t being occupied. Install times and occupancy sensors. These are great in offices for restroom, storage closets and copier rooms.
3) Make it a Habit
A habit are those things that we do without thinking. Developing a habit takes time. At first it may take some constant thoughts and reminders. By spending time considering your actions and doing the things to save energy each day, these actions will become a habit.
2) Pass Along the Word
It’s amazing how many people there are out there that just don’t know, don’t have an understanding or just needs to have a person they know and respect to assure them. Pass along the information. Let your friends know when you replace an appliance and see a drop in the electric bill. Or when they throw a plastic bottle or newspaper in the trash let them know it can be recycled and used again. The more people hear it from someone they know, the more apt they are to follow the advice.
1) Switch Off the Lights
When being the last to leave a room turn out the lights. It will always be saving energy with few exceptions also saving money.
Six Things To Do To Keep Heating Cost Low
1) Let the sunshine in. Open the curtains on the south windows during the day and the heat of the sun will help heat the home.
2) Keep the filters clean. By keeping them clean the air will flow easier and be more efficient.
3) Use a programmable thermostat. By using a programmable thermostat you can automatically turn down the heat when it’s least needed, at night when sleeping or during the day when no one is home. Have it raised to a comfortable level shortly before getting up or arriving home.
4) Upgrade the windows. Old windows allows much more cold air to enter the house than new energy efficient insulated windows.
5) Insulate and seal. Add an extra layer of insulation to your roof or walls, and use caulking, foam or weather stripping to seal cracks around windows, light fixtures or electrical outlets.
6) Lower the temperature of the hot water heater. The default settings of hot water heaters are 140 degrees, but at that temperature it could cause scalding. 120 degrees is plenty hot enough for showering and dish washing.
2) Keep the filters clean. By keeping them clean the air will flow easier and be more efficient.
3) Use a programmable thermostat. By using a programmable thermostat you can automatically turn down the heat when it’s least needed, at night when sleeping or during the day when no one is home. Have it raised to a comfortable level shortly before getting up or arriving home.
4) Upgrade the windows. Old windows allows much more cold air to enter the house than new energy efficient insulated windows.
5) Insulate and seal. Add an extra layer of insulation to your roof or walls, and use caulking, foam or weather stripping to seal cracks around windows, light fixtures or electrical outlets.
6) Lower the temperature of the hot water heater. The default settings of hot water heaters are 140 degrees, but at that temperature it could cause scalding. 120 degrees is plenty hot enough for showering and dish washing.
Do An Energy Audit
For most businesses their single most costly item is their electric costs. In some cases a business may have to spend some money to save it. But there are ways to save on energy costs without spending a dime.
By doing an Energy Audit savings can be seen quickly by finding the energy wasting hotspots.
When looking at the electric costs, there are three major places where it’s used. Lighting, Office Equipment and Heating/Cooling. Each area needs to be looked at individually as well as in total.
Lighting:
* Reduce lighting by using task lights.
* Turn off the lights when they aren't needed.
* Use timers and sensors for seldom-used areas such as storage closets, conference room and rest rooms.
Office Equipment:
* Shut off computers, copiers and other office equipment at nights and on weekends. If these items are always on just by turning them off during these times will reduce energy costs associated to Office Equipment by over 50%. While some computes, such as servers, need remain on at all times, the monitors do not.
* Use Power Management on computers, copiers and laser printers.
* Replace CRT style monitors with LCD monitors.
Heating and Cooling:
* Don't open windows and doors.
* Lower the thermostat in the winter and raise them in the summer.
* Make certain that the thermostats are not blocked and can get a correct reading of the room air temperature.
When performing and energy audit, it’s important to walk around the office with an energy checklist to help identify areas where savings cane be found.
This walk around should involve the employees and done at different times during the day, during work hours as well as after-hours and on weekends. Since seasonal conditions may change it should be done on average once each season.
Once the checklist is finished items needs to be itemized and prioritize. Those that can be accomplished quick and with little expense can be done first. Those that have costly upfront costs need to be part of the annual budget review and made part of the business plan.
© 2007 Steven G. Atkinson – All Rights Reserved
By doing an Energy Audit savings can be seen quickly by finding the energy wasting hotspots.
When looking at the electric costs, there are three major places where it’s used. Lighting, Office Equipment and Heating/Cooling. Each area needs to be looked at individually as well as in total.
Lighting:
* Reduce lighting by using task lights.
* Turn off the lights when they aren't needed.
* Use timers and sensors for seldom-used areas such as storage closets, conference room and rest rooms.
Office Equipment:
* Shut off computers, copiers and other office equipment at nights and on weekends. If these items are always on just by turning them off during these times will reduce energy costs associated to Office Equipment by over 50%. While some computes, such as servers, need remain on at all times, the monitors do not.
* Use Power Management on computers, copiers and laser printers.
* Replace CRT style monitors with LCD monitors.
Heating and Cooling:
* Don't open windows and doors.
* Lower the thermostat in the winter and raise them in the summer.
* Make certain that the thermostats are not blocked and can get a correct reading of the room air temperature.
When performing and energy audit, it’s important to walk around the office with an energy checklist to help identify areas where savings cane be found.
This walk around should involve the employees and done at different times during the day, during work hours as well as after-hours and on weekends. Since seasonal conditions may change it should be done on average once each season.
Once the checklist is finished items needs to be itemized and prioritize. Those that can be accomplished quick and with little expense can be done first. Those that have costly upfront costs need to be part of the annual budget review and made part of the business plan.
© 2007 Steven G. Atkinson – All Rights Reserved
Appliance Off – It Doesn’t Mean No Energy Used
Many modern appliances may be using as much as 15 to 30 watts when off or in Stand-by mode. Some may actually be using the same amount of energy off as they are when on. One common term for these devices is ‘energy vampires’.
Stand-by power is estimated to be as much as 5 percent of all residential energy being used in the United States. A homeowner can see hundred of dollars per year being used by stand-by power. It is estimated to be about 65 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year costing consumers more than 5.6 billion dollars.
What are some common items that use this stand-by power? Anything with an external power pack, has a remote control or displays a clock will be using some stand-by power. The most common are TV’s VCR, Cable Boxes and Stereo Systems.
The real problem with this stand-by power consumption isn’t that they use power, but they have been poorly designed to use more power than necessary. Manufacturers presently have no reason to design their products with efficiency in mind. Only when consumers begin to evaluate brands with this as a consideration will that occur.
In many cases the older the appliance the more energy it may be using than with a newer model. When purchasing a new appliance look for the one that uses the least amount of stand-by power by checking the label and specifications.
While it may not make much sense to unplug the TV, VCR or DVD player when not in use, it may not be a bad idea to unplug these devices when away for an extended period of time such as when on vacation or even a weekend away.
One thing you probably would want to consider unplugging when not in use are battery chargers for items such as cell phone, MP3 players and blackberries. If you have all of these chargers plugged into the same power strip simply turn the strip off when not in use. Make it a habit to charge all of the devices at the same time and turn the strip off when done.
© 2007 Steven G. Atkinson – All Rights Reserved
Stand-by power is estimated to be as much as 5 percent of all residential energy being used in the United States. A homeowner can see hundred of dollars per year being used by stand-by power. It is estimated to be about 65 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year costing consumers more than 5.6 billion dollars.
What are some common items that use this stand-by power? Anything with an external power pack, has a remote control or displays a clock will be using some stand-by power. The most common are TV’s VCR, Cable Boxes and Stereo Systems.
The real problem with this stand-by power consumption isn’t that they use power, but they have been poorly designed to use more power than necessary. Manufacturers presently have no reason to design their products with efficiency in mind. Only when consumers begin to evaluate brands with this as a consideration will that occur.
In many cases the older the appliance the more energy it may be using than with a newer model. When purchasing a new appliance look for the one that uses the least amount of stand-by power by checking the label and specifications.
While it may not make much sense to unplug the TV, VCR or DVD player when not in use, it may not be a bad idea to unplug these devices when away for an extended period of time such as when on vacation or even a weekend away.
One thing you probably would want to consider unplugging when not in use are battery chargers for items such as cell phone, MP3 players and blackberries. If you have all of these chargers plugged into the same power strip simply turn the strip off when not in use. Make it a habit to charge all of the devices at the same time and turn the strip off when done.
© 2007 Steven G. Atkinson – All Rights Reserved
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