Also, a good programmable thermostat saves you time. ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostats come with four pre-programmed settings that regulate your home’s temperature in both summer and winter and even when your family is asleep or away. This means a programmable thermostat automatically help to reduce heating and cooling in your home according to your families schedule.

Visit the ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat page to learn about choosing the right programmable thermostat how to make sure that your thermostat is properly installed, and how to properly set and use your thermostat.

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When it comes to powering up your house it can take a lot of energy and cost some big bucks. Nowadays we power up everything from lamps, to laptops, to toothbrushes, and more. To save energy and money try the following…

1. Use rechargeable batteries whenever possible. This not only saves you cash but saves landfill space as well. Some studies show that it can take as many as 1,000 regular batteries to cover the lifespan of one rechargeable battery.
2. Install light sensors that automatically turn off when people leave the room.
3. Use voice mail service vs. an answering machine. If you have only a cell then you likely already use voice mail. If you still have a land-line phone, and an answering machine, consider switching to a voice mail service in order to cut out a little clutter plus save energy. Because your answering machine is plugged in 24/7 it drinks up energy.
4. Use compact fluorescent bulbs, solar charged lights, or LED lighting where possible (both inside and outside) over incandescent bulbs.
5. Unplug anything that’s not in use. While one lamp sitting plugged in doesn’t drain too much energy during the day, consider everything you have plugged in. It all adds up. In the kitchen alone people have their microwave, toaster, blender, and more plugged in all day. It’s unnecessary.
6. Close air vents in all unused rooms of the house. It’s silly to heat or cool unused rooms, and it’ll save you money.

[Image via Stock.xchng]

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It’s worth the click though – it’s a stellar book. In fact, I’ll even give you click choices; click the link or book image to whisk off to the book review.

Book Review: The Carbon-Free Home: 36 Remodeling Projects to Help Kick the Fossil -Fuel Habit

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in September 2008

[image via Chelsea Green]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Waste-free lunches covers everything you need to know in order to pack an earth-friendly lunch for your kids. The waste-free lunch website notes that “It’s been estimated that on average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year. That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school.”

That’s a lot of waste. This site can help you beat the waste.

Ideas covered include:

• Cost of a waste-free lunch.
• Comparisons between a wasteful vs. not wasteful lunch.
• How to start a waste-free lunch program in your own school (although the tips are easily adapted to home lunches for homeschooled kids).
• Research on waste in school lunches.
• Stories about successes on the waste-free lunch front.
• And more.

Visit waste-free lunches and make this the year that your basic lunch efforts make a positive difference for the environment.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in August 2008

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That’s right, clearly the sin of, “I leave unused appliances and chargers plugged in all day” is something many of us do. All appliances from your chargers to your lamp suck up energy even when they’re turned off, so long as they’re plugged in.

I don’t unplug everything. The things I don’t unplug include the TV, because it’s got some funky, “If you unplug me you’ll have to reprogram me” deal going on, and I’m not TV savvy enough to figure out why. I also don’t unplug my computer. I turn it off of course, when I’m not on it – when is that again? But I don’t unplug it.

I actually only own three appliances; my beloved coffee pot, the toaster, and blender, and then two chargers. We don’t even have alarm clocks, and we only own two lamps, so it’s easy for me to remember to unplug everything. Oh, wait we have a popcorn popper too, but that’s almost never plugged in.

If you don’t live all crazy sparse like me, and you own appliances and many chargers, I’ve got a tip that might help you to remember to unplug them.

Steps:

• Choose 3 appliances for the week. Why three? It’s an easy start. Also, if I can unplug three so can you.
• Grab one of the following: Duct tape, clear tape AND recycled colored paper, or colored sticky notes. Why you should not have sticky notes is a whole other green issue, but I’ll let it slide for the sake of this small step.
• Grab a thick black marker.
• Wrap a piece of duct tape around the cord of each appliance (where you can see it please). Close to the appliance, not the wall, is a good bet.
• Write PLEASE UNPLUG ME! on the tape with your marker.

If you’re using clear tape and paper or stickies, do the same.

Visual cues work for all sorts of things; they’ll work for this. Really. When I’m stressed I’ve been known to write “Chill out” on my hand in ink, and it never fails. Visual cues rock.

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you. This is a pretty big sin, in that a bunch of us do it, so I’m sure you’ll be seeing more posts on getting unplugged before the month is over.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008

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Marye – “Meat and dairy… commercially produced meat of all kinds is unethical, unhealthy, bad for the earth, and downright nasty. Genetic manipulation, hormones, antibiotics, canabalism, unethical treatment…the list of why not goes on and on..AND not only that but the studies that show commercially produced sanimal products have a much higher proportion of Bad Fats than those raised in stress free conditions.”

Rachel – “Cleaning products!”

dh – “I always buy organic dairy too. I like to buy organic plants and seeds. I’d like my veggies to be mostly organic. I buy my mother organic flowers for Mother’s day or her birthday”

Susan – “How about organic diapers? The cloth and non-cloth choices that are available now weren’t around when my babies (25 and 26 years old) were in diapers.”

Tammy – “I want to say makeup/body care products. There are so many options that are very affordable, and you put these chemicals on your body, so that makes it extra important.”

These are all really good – diapers were in fact already on the list; but only cloth. If you do buy disposable, you should buy the more biodegradable types. Meat and dairy is also huge. These are two of the most dangerious foods you buy conventionally. Buying organic is so much better. Plants, seeds, flowers, and body care are also excellent additions. These are items we use daily for the most part, or things that are around us daily; it’s important to be green about items that we frequently use first.

What my ideas were:

One of my ideas was what Rachel said, “Cleaning supplies” – the population uses them in such an abundance that it seems wacky not to have them on the list. It’s one way people can make a difference every single day.

My second idea was housing. Green built housing is still not very green (housing and structures by nature, just aren’t all that eco-friendly). That said, green building practices help save untold amounts of resources. Not to mention green building practices include things like structure deconstruction vs. demolition, reuse building supplies, and proper trash disposal and recycling. Buildings are one of the biggest man-made issues, and new ones go up daily, so it makes sense to buy green.

My problem is, what would I take off the list? I guess this is not a case of taking stuff off, but adding on. Maybe Co-op America didn’t want to overwhelm people. I mean, if you had to take something off, to add something, what would it be? I can’t think of one.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008

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It lists 12 items and if you’re watching your green spending, I’d say this is a good place to start. It can help you to zero in on the best ways to spend your green dollars.

Here are 6 of the 12:

1. Produce
2. Coffee
3. Transportation
4. Paper
5. Batteries
6. Light bulbs

I agree with the list. I was trying to think if there was anything I might switch out for something else, and I can’t think of anything. I think they nailed it. Maybe gardening gear should be in there, but I can’t think of something I’d leave off. I’m interested to know what you think. Read the whole list, then let me know if you think something is missing, or if you’d take something off the list.

OH! I just thought of one biggie one they left off, and another possible one too. Oooo. Ok, I’m going to let folks comment, and I’ll be back later to tell you what I think they missed.

[photo via stock.xchng]

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Assuming you’re clean after a bath or shower (let’s hope) then there’s no good reason not to hang that towel up, let it dry, and use it again. At my house we go about a week, sometimes more, with the same three towels – one for Cedar and two for me (my hair is long I gotta wrap it). This small step saves time, energy, detergent, and water.

If you have a good argument against this practice go ahead and let me know why. I’m interested.

[shoddy, fuzzy towel photo via Jennifer's personal "I'm practicing with the camera" collection]

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Weekly Green Audit Challenge: Trash!

Daily Green Audit Tip: Trash Control

Daily Green Audit Tip: Trash Control & What Can’t be Recycled

Update: Aerosol Product Recycling

Now, let’s add the audit all up and see where we stand. The key point is that this audit should have made you aware of what you’re throwing out vs. what you’re actually recycling.

If you noticed that there was an excess of paper, cardboard, cans, and plastics in your trash the fix is easy – recycle those suckers. Why? Well, first of all the earth will thank you. You’ll save energy and resources by making sure your recycling-ready trash is being recycled rather than lounging in a landfill.

Another benefit is you’ll save money; if you pay for garbage. Some of you don’t I’m sure, in that case please refer back to why you should recycle for the planet. But if you do pay for garbage you could lower your bill by having one less trash can. I do know families with two or more – so I know this is an issues. If you have that much trash something fishy is going on (besides the smell).

There is no way you’re recycling all you can if you have more than one trash can. Period. Families simply don’t buy, on average, that many non-recyclables. And if by some off chance you are; think about why. Do you really need those non-recyclable items? Really?

If you are buying some items that you know are recyclable, yet, your local recycling center won’t take the items, you can stop buying those products and look for new packaging options OR convince your local recycling center to take said items.

Did you look at your trash this week? If so, what did you learn? Is your family tossing recyclables? What about compost items?

Following are some Tree Hugging Family resources that can help you make the most of a trash audit:

Two Weeks Worth of Reuse

Are You Recycling?

One Small Step: Refillable Liquid Hand Soap

Seven Trees A Year

Get Your Recycling Under Control

How To Recycle Prescription Bottles

One Small Step: Remove Plastic Beverage Lids

Following are some outside resources that can help you make the most of a trash audit:

The Recycling Center: Enter your zip code and locate local recycling centers. I tried and got more than 10 centers.

Recycling facts from the EPA.

One of your best recycling resources is going to be your local trash or recycling company (often the two are associated, if not the same company). Call or visit yours to find out what’s accepted in your community.

Don’t forget – tomorrow is kid day here at Tree Hugging Family.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family