Three months after writing my initial article about going green. I have been bombarded with information on the web, newspapers articles, and even Oprah, and the Philadelphia Eagles about going green. I think the best way for me to sort this information is to break-it down into three areas home, work, and entertainment/leisure.
This week’s article will concentrate on home, and the following two articles will go into more depth for work and leisure activities that will involve going green.
The most common of all the energy saving devices that is the easiest and least expensive that all individuals can do is to change from incandescent light bulbs to compact florescent light bulbs as they need replacing. Switching to a compact florescent cost a few dollars more but over the average life-span will save money. For example, by using a 26-watt compact fluorescent light bulb—equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent light bulb—users can save up to 59onenergycostsoverthelifeofthebulb.Manyofthehomebuildingstoresoffer3−packbulbstosavemoney.AnotherwaythatahouseholdcanhelpdevelopwindenergyisthroughPECOWINDprogramtherewebsiteiswww.exeloncorp.com/ourcompanies/peco/pecores/pecowind/andhowitworksisasfollow:Howitworksisasmalladditionalmonthlycostcoverstheaddedexpenseofharvestingthewindpower.PECOWINDenergyisavailableforpurchaseinmonthlyblocksof100kilowatt−hoursfor2.54 per block. For a typical home, one block is equal to about 15 percent of your average monthly electricity usage. You may choose to sign up for Wind Blocks at 2.54perblockpermonthorhave100percentofyouractualmonthlyelectricusagechargedat2.54centsforeachkilowatt−hourused.IfyousignupforBlocksandchoosemoreblocksthanyouuse,youwillnotbebilledformorethanyouractualelectricusage.ThewindenergyyousupportisdelivereddirectlyintothePennsylvaniaelectricgrid,reducingtheneedforenergyfromfossilfuelsourceslikeoilandcoal.Themorecustomerswhosignup,themorePennsylvaniawindenergywecanbuy.Thismeanscleanerairandwaterforallofus!Althoughbuyingwinddoesnotmeanthatelectricityisbeingdeliveredstraightfromthewindmilltoyourhome,itdoesmeanthatmoreoftheelectricitybeingputintothegridcomesfromwind,ratherthanothergenerationsources.ByparticipatinginPECOWINDyouarereducingtheneedtogenerateelectricityfromothersources.PECOcanbereachedatthefollowing:PECOEnergyCustomerServiceCenter2301MarketStreetP.O.Box8699Philadelphia,PA19101Telephone:1−800−494−4000IhavefoundagreatresourceinOprahrecentlywhenIwashomesick.ItunedinOprahforthefinal5minutesbutdidmangetoobtaintheinformationonherwebsitetohelpgreenyourhome.Thefollowingwebsite:http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200704/towspast20070420b.jhtmlreviewsitemssuchaslightbulbreplacementasmentionedabove,Usingareusablewaterbottleinsteadofthebuyingaone−timeusagebottlewateratthelocalconveniencestore.Thereusablewaterbottlescanbeusedwashedthoroughlyandusedagain,andeventuallytheycanberecycledwiththeotherplastics.Therearemanytipsandideasonhersiteandoneofmyfavoritesisbringingyourownbagtothegrocerystoretosavetheuseofpaperandplasticbags.OnaninterestingnoteIaskedanexpertwhattheanswershouldbewhenthecheckoutclerkaskswhattypeofbagsdoyouprefer“paperorplastic?”Iwassurprisedtolearnthatifyouhaveachoicepaperisthepreferablebagasitisarenewableresourceanddoesnotrequirepetroleumproductsinitsformation.ThePhiladelphiaEagleswebsitehasagreatresourcetohelpanindividualorfamilycalculatesavingsbychangingtogreenhabitsandtheamountofCO2producedannuallyisalsocalculated.Therewebsiteishttp://philadelphiaeagles.com/gogreen/calculator2.asp.ThePhiladelphiaEaglesevenhaveontheirwebsitetheabilitytopurchaseatreeinthe“PhiladelphiaEaglesForest”inNeshaminyStateParkhttp://store.philadelphiaeagles.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=52012˘6FID=2006thepriceforasingletreeis62.00. I was unable to obtain an address for the Philadelphia Eagles but did mange to obtain a phone number to place an order. Phone Orders Call us toll free at 1-888-247-8833 (Outside of the US \u26 Canada call 412-252-0028), 9:00a.m.- 9:00p.m. E.T. Some household tips that I have encountered and wanted to pass on are as follows:
• Use a clothes line to dry clothes instead of the dryer whenever possible. • Wash clothing in cold or warm water instead of warm and hot water. • Change showerhead to a water saving showerhead. • Keep a water jug near your sink and save the water coming out of the pipes while waiting for the hot water to come out, this water can be used in the washing machine or to water plants. • Save outside rain water to water outdoor plants, tree, and flowers. • During the hot summer months use the outside grill or microwave more then the regular oven and stove, during the cold winter months do the opposite. • Green gift ideas: environmental information and links to eco-friendly products www.wecanlivegreen.com, or green gift guide from the California Dept. of Conservation of gifts made from the states recycling program www.greengiftguide.com, alternative to buying gifts www.buylesscrap.com, and Yahoo’s Green gift guide http://green.yahoo.com/, click on green gift guide. • Caulk around windows and doors inside and out. • When purchasing appliances, buy only eco-friendly and water saving products • When it is time to replace your old water heater, replace it with a tankless on-demand electric or gas water heater. • If possible have solar panels installed • When designing or redesigning your kitchen use eco-friendly products like wheatboard cabinets \u26 wood veneers(Greenbridge Specialties ph# 717-463-3739), Recycled backsplash from Eco-Friendly Flooring ph# 866-250-3273, Earth-friendly countertops by Marblemaster ph#760-607-0903, Natural stone flooring check www.annsacks.com for stores, Sub-zero Fridge www.subzero.com, Viking Range www.vikingrange.com, and Bosch Dishwasher www.boschappliances.com.
I hope some or all of these tips and ideas help us all to get a little bit greener. Even just adopting one idea is better-then doing nothing at all