Drive/fly less
- Walk, bike, and ride-share
- Combine trips and shorten commutes
- Increase use of public transportation i.e. streetcar, buses, light rail, rail
Drive better
- Lower Speed - every 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is equivalent to paying $.20 extra per gallon of gas
- Fully inflate tires, tune-up vehicles, and stop idling
- Remove excess weight from the vehicle
- Try other eco-driving techniques-see www.ecodrivingusa.com
Improve fuel efficiency of vehicles (cars, buses, trucks, etc.)
- Hybrids
- Greater MPG vehicles/scooters
- Bio-fuels
Did you Know?
100 pounds of material carried in a car will reduce the gas mileage by 3-5%
Improve energy efficiency of current homes
- Use day or natural lighting in winter; close shades in summer
- Install compact fluorescent bulbs-they use about one quarter of the energy and last up to ten times longer
- Turn off lights, computers, etc. when not in use
- Set computers to hibernate in 30 minutes
- Paint interiors with light colors
- Adjust temperature settings winter/summer, occupied/unoccupied (programmable thermostats)
- Add roof and wall insulation
- Install a water heater blanket and lower setting
- Wash in cold water
- Air-dry dishes
- Use barrier film on windows
- Buy Energy Star appliances/equipment
- use power strips to avoid phantom use
- Add solar or geothermal for heat/cooling or hot water
- Install super efficient HVAC systems
- Conserve water
- Low flow shower heads, toilets, faucets, etc.
- Consolidate-full loads for dishes, laundry, etc.
- Drought resistant landscaping
- Add a green or reflective roof
- Rehab/upgrade to LEED™, ENERGY STAR® or other green standard
Did you Know?
By resetting your programmable thermostat from 72o to 65o for eight hours a day (for instance, while no one is home or everyone is sleeping) you can cut your heating bill by up to 10%.
Improve energy efficiency of new homes
- Build to LEED™, ENERGY STAR®, or other green standard
Did you Know?
A typical ENERGY STAR home is 15-30% more efficient delivering $200 to $400 annual savings in utility bills.
Eat less meat and less deep water fish, buy locally, eat organic foods
Reduce-buy/use less
- Scrutinize purchases - if you don't need it, don't buy it.
- convert to electronic documents
- Print double-sided
- Eliminate junk mail -call the sender and remove your name from their mailing list
Buy Green
- Recycled content
- Bio-degradable
- Less packaging
- Concentrates
Re-use
- Redistribute usable items-charities, thrift stores, garage sales, churches, etc.
- Lessen disposables-cups, food storage containers, towels, grocery bags, etc.
Recycle more
- Encourage friends, neighbors, family, employers to participate
- Increase amount recycled, i.e., paper, plastics 1 and 2, glass, yard waste, electronics, printer cartridges, food composted, construction waste, etc.
Did you Know?
Every ton of paper made from recycled materials saves 17 trees, 6,953 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, 587 pounds of air pollution, 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space, and 4,077 kilowatt hours of energy.
Live closer to work, school, activities, and shopping
- Mixed-use communities
- Integration of mass transit
Consume less space
- Multi-unit structures
- Smaller square foot homes/offices/work places
Conserve green space
- Plant trees and native species that require less water; plant less grass
- Incorporate community gardens
- Minimize parking and use pervious pavement
- Increase trail systems
Encourage your employer to be green by incorporating all the above ideas
Consider additional ideas:
- Work with energy management staff or performance contractors to develop a long-term strategy
- Implement a combined heat and power strategy
 | Click here to print the:
"Global Climate Change - Opportunities to Make A Difference
Easy Lifestyle Modifications Brochure" |
