Your
green lawn may not be as green as you think! The
next time you mow your lawn, remember that
running a gas mower for an hour emits the
same amount of pollutants as driving a new
car over 400 miles. Typical lawn and garden
equipment is not regulated for emissions,
so our gas-burning tools pollute worse than
cars and power plants, per unit energy. Collectively,
gas powered mowers, blowers, edgers, etc.
contribute about 5% to our local air pollution...
quite a significant amount just to keep a
green lawn! If you're in the market for new
lawn equipment, consider self-powered equipment
(like a push reel mower) or electric-powered
tools for significantly reducing pollutants.
My personal strategy is to mow less often...
Organic
coffee is produced using methods and materials that
have a low impact on the environment; certification
organizations verify that this is happening. It is
grown in the same areas of the world as conventional
coffee. In the organic decaffeinated coffee, the caffeine
is removed using a certified organic decaffeination
processes rather than using chemicals to remove the
caffeine. In addition to being good for the environment,
most organic coffee is fair trade, which means that
the farmers receive fair wages and have good working
conditions. To learn more about organic foods and coffee
visit www.ota.com.
Did
you know that 23 percent of the US solid waste stream
is compostable? Yard trimming and food scraps (from
those who still don't eat all their vegetables) are
compostable, meaning that this waste can be decomposed
into useful soil material. Compost is used in landscaping
and agriculture both as a soil conditioner and fertilizer.
Making compost takes little effort in your backyard,
although your neighbors may not like the smell!
"If
every newspaper reader in the United States recycled
just one typical Sunday paper, he or she could help
create 212 million pounds of cellulose insulation—enough
to insulate 118,767 Habitat for Humanity houses. That’s
nearly twice as many houses as all the Habitat homes
built in America so far." [borrowed from Delta-Sky,
March 2008]
You
may have seen LED Christmas lights at stores and wondered,
is it worth paying $12 for a strand of LED lights?
These new Christmas lights use Light Emitting Diodes
(LEDs) instead of standard light bulbs. A strand of "mini" LED
lights uses less than 1/4 the power than an equal strand
of standard mini lights and a greater power reduction
when comparing the larger bulbs. LED Christmas lights
do not get hot, so they are safer for use in trees.
LED lights are housed in plastic, rather than glass,
and they will last for over 20,000 hours - almost two
decades of Christmas seasons. While LED's will save
significant energy, their high cost might yield a payback
time of 1-10 Christmas seasons -- but that all depends
on how long you keep Christmas lights turned on. Is
it worth the higher cost? Going green isn't cheap!
In
East Tennessee, like much of the US, our electric power
comes from a variety of fuel sources. More than 70%
comes from burning coal, oil, and gas. 23% is generated
from nuclear power; 9% is from hydro-electric dams.
The remaining 1%is generated from renewable energy
such as solar and wind power. Consider running household
appliances like dishwashers and clothes washers/dryers
in the early morning or late evening hours. Generally,
the "dirtiest"
fuels are used most during daytime hours and used less
for overnight, early morning, and late evening periods.
Within a few years, you may be required to pay different
prices for using electricity based on the time of day.
Some electric utilities in other parts of the country
already charge a "time of use" rate.
Squiggly
light bulbs save you about 75% off your lighting costs,
compared to standard light bulbs of equal brightness.
These energy efficient bulbs, called compact fluorescent
lamps (CFLs), will typically pay for themselves in
less than a year. Additionally, CFLs can last up to
ten times longer than standard light bulbs. At home
the EPA recommends replacing your 5 most-used light
bulbs with CFLs. However, be observant what you buy....there
are a variety of light "colors" such as cool
white, warm white, and artificial sunlight that are
available. CFLs also have variations in warm-up time,
physical size, and most are non-dimmable. Who would
ever think that buying a light bulb would be so complicated?!
You
can relate to carbon emissions... Carbon dioxide (CO2)
is a gas that is produced when fossil fuels burn – in
automobiles, electric power plants (ones that burn
coal or natural gas), and even campfires. When this
gas is released into the atmosphere, it is popularly
called “carbon emissions.” We can determine
the “carbon footprint” of almost anything
that uses energy. Here’s some examples:
- 1 gallon of gasoline will produce about 20 lbs
of CO2 from your tailpipe.
- 1 passenger car will produce about 10,000 lbs of
CO2 annually.
- A cable box (plugged in) will produce about 400
lbs of CO2 annually regardless of your TV usage.
- A 100 watt light bulb will produce about 1,300
lbs of CO2 if left turned on for one year.
One
degree can make a difference...For each degree you
raise your thermostat in the summer, you could save
about 6% off your air conditioning costs. In the
winter, for each degree you lower your thermostat,
you will typically save about 3% off your heating
costs (source: average US household data from EPA).
Lower costs mean less energy used and less carbon
emissions! Energy Star rated thermostats are preprogrammed
at 78 deg or higher for summer cooling and 70 deg
or lower for winter heating... where is your thermostat
set?
Recycling
saves...Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy
to run a TV for 3 hours. Recycling an entire run
of Sunday’s New York Times would save 75,000
trees. Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy
as burning it in an incinerator. Find your recycling
center online: www.cityofknoxville.org/solidwaste/map.asp
Review
the federal procedures for the disposal of prescription
drugs, issued by the Office
of National Drug Control Policy: