|
Newsweek
April 16,
2007
by Jessica
Ramirez
At
Home
Calculate your impact:
If knowledge is power, then take a minute to assess the damage.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's online calculator
estimates greenhouse-gas emissions that result from your household
energy use and waste disposal. Get your number at epa.gov/climate.
Trade
up:
Not ready to replace the roof with solar panels? Then start
small. The average U.S. home has two TVs, a VCR, a DVD player
and three telephones. If everyone replaced these with Energy
Star models, which meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines,
it would be equivalent to taking more than 3 million cars
off the road. Learn more about Energy Star at energystar.gov.
Sweat
the small stuff:
A faucet that leaks 60 drops per minute can add up to 192
gallons per month. You can find out how to leak-proof your
home and even create a water budget at h2ouse.org.
Ramp
up recycling:
Increasing the recycling rate in the United States from 30
percent to 60 percent would save the equivalent of 315 million
barrels of oil each year. Visit earth911.org for a rundown
on how to properly recycle everything from alumi-num to motor
oil.
Do
some green cleaning:
Natural cleaners like borax and lemon juice are ecofriendly
alternatives to regular chemical-based products. Check out
eartheasy.com for basic household-cleaner recipes.
Power
properly:
Using energy generated from renewable sources like wind helps
reduce the burning of fossil fuels such as coal. The Green
Power Network at eere.energy.gov/green power will list what's
available in your area.
On
the Road
Drive
in the green lane:
Compare fuel-efficiency rates and learn about green tax credits
at fueleconomy.gov. Not looking to buy? The site also offers
tips to help make your vehicle less of a gas guzzler. Properly
inflated tires alone could save Americans more than 4 million
gallons of gas each day.
Go
public:
You can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by about 1,590
pounds per year if you leave the car home two days a week
and take public transportation instead. Find out about public-transportation
options in your state at publictrans-portation.org.
Neutralize
it:
With some basic vehicle information, sites like terrapass.com
and gocarbonzero.com will give you an estimate of the carbon
dioxide your car produces. You can offset the damage by donating
money to suggested ecofriendly projects.
At
Work
Get
rid of the excess:
Companies can stop receiving mail meant for former employees
by visiting ecologicalmail.org. For every former employee
entered into the site's database, a company will avoid 100
pounds of waste in undeliverable mail. That's equivalent to
one tree.
Pool
your people:
Simple carpooling or ride-sharing can have a great impact
when you consider that 78 percent of cars on the road carry
only one person. Create a company carpool at erideshare.com.
E-cycle:
The EPA estimates that more than 2 million tons of electronic
hardware ends up in landfills each year. Your com-pany can
recycle properly or donate old computers with the help of
eiae.org and get information on ecofriendly re-placements
at epeat.net.
In
Your Community
Be
cool:
Cities across the country are making a pact to meet or beat
Kyoto Protocol targets through community efforts. Visit coolcities.us
to see how you can get your city involved.
Pay
it forward:
Want to teach your community more about climate change? Find
lectures in your area or apply to become a pre-senter at the
climateproject.org.
Keep
it local:
Most food travels 1,200 miles or more from the pasture to
your plate. Buying locally saves fuel and helps farmers in
your community. Web sites like localharvest.org and usda.gov
provide lists of local farmers markets.
Text
the next generation:
E-mail your kids and their friends a link to mtv.com/thinkmtv
and have them sign up for daily green tips via text message.
Each text suggests a small way to make a big difference.
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