Easy Ways to Go Green

By Jason Pelletier

An LEED-certified auditor shares simple things you can start doing today to lessen your environmental impact -- at home and in the garden:

1. Get a High-Efficiency Showerhead
A high-efficiency showerhead saves up to 3,000 gallons of water per person per year. You'll also save $50 of energy costs and 1,000 .lbs of carbon dioxide per person per year. Today's latest and greatest are specially designed to conserve resources while still feeling like a decadent showerhead. Sink aerator attachments also save major water and go for as little as $2 per sink.

2. Recycle Water in Your Bathroom
Use devices such as the Sink Positive system, which allows you to reuse sink water for flushing your toilet. Or keep a bucket by the shower or tub and fill it with the cold water that comes out before the hot water kicks in. Then you can take the bucket outside and use it to water your plants.

3. Compost
Use a composter to turn your food and lawn wastes into rich mulch. It's a great way to reduce your trash production, and the combination of food waste and all of those falling leaves is the perfect mix for composting. Next spring you'll have rich compost ready to go for spring planting.

4. Purchase Green Power from Your Utility
Most charge less than $5 per month extra. Not only will your power come from a renewable source, but you'll use the power of your spending to show utility executives and government officials that we need more investment in renewable energy projects.

5. Improve the Efficiency of Your Existing Hot Water Heater
Tankless and solar hot water heaters are great, but simple changes to your existing setup can cut your energy bills and carbon emissions by 25 percent or more. Reduce the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees, wrap it in a water heater insulating blanket and insulate the first 3 to 6 feet of hot and cold water pipes. These changes should take you less than an hour and cost less than $50 to complete.

6. Use High-Efficiency Outdoor Lighting
A typical 100-watt floodlight, if used for six hours per day, can consume up to $40 of electricity over the course of a year and produce upwards of 400 pounds of CO2 depending on where you live. For starters, replace those floodlights with compact-fluorescent versions — they're just as bright and use 1/4 the energy. Next, replace low-wattage halogen landscape bulbs with LED versions. They cut energy use by over 80 percent and can last for 10 years or more. Finally, install motion sensors on any nonessential lights. New versions just screw right into your existing light socket.

7. Replace High-Use Indoor Lights with Compact Fluorescents or LEDs
Today's compact fluorescent bulbs are better than ever. No long waits to get up to full power, high-quality light, sizes for almost any fixture and even versions that are dimmable for all of those recessed lights. They're more expensive to begin with, but between energy savings and much longer lifespan they pay for themselves in less than two years. Also, consider LED bulbs for those non-dimmable circuits (especially for holiday lighting). They are true energy misers, and will last for as long as you live in your house.

8. Load Up the Washing Machines
Make sure you run dishwashers and clothes washers only when they're full. Clothes washers are huge energy and water users, so make sure you're doing full loads (or adjusting the water setting) whenever possible. And most of us use far more water (and soap) then we need to when hand-washing, especially when compared to todays' high-efficiency Energy Star dishwashers. So save your time, water and power by putting those dishes directly in the dishwasher after a meal.

9. Drive Smarter
Hybrids, biodiesels, electric - today we have more choices than ever when it comes to efficient transportation. But, some simple changes in our existing driving habits can improve fuel efficiency by up to 25%. Tips include driving at (or near!) the speed limit, keeping your tires inflated, making sure oil and air filters are clean, and stepping on the gas / brakes carefully. Driving like a drag racer may be fun, but it has a substantial environmental cost!

10. Avoid the Daily Waste of Fast Food and Shopping
Next week, keep track of how much trash you generate by eating out and making trips to the store, I guarantee you'll be amazed! All of those bags, cups, and containers really add up and are stuffing our landfills to capacity. Bring your own plastic/metal boxes to your favorite take-out joint. You'll save resources and save them money. Use reusable shopping bags whenever you go to the store. Say "No Thanks" when the pharmacist or fast food clerk tries to put your one or two items in a bag. Use reusable cups for coffee and other beverages including for soda and fountain drinks. And, reuse some of the extras at home - keep extra napkins and reuse plastic cups and cutlery.

Find a Green Auditor in Your Area
Visit Low Impact Living's website to find a list of green products and services.

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