Reducing Power Costs: Part 2

GREEN HOME SHOW #47: Earth Day, Energy Saving Tips for Spring, and Reducing Power Costs: Part 2 Top 10 ways to save energy this spring

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The following content is from THE GREAT GREEN HOME SHOW #47.

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The content of the GGHS is solely the responsibility of the ECF and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of WILM, its sponsors or Clear Channel Radio.  Any rebroadcast, reproduction or use of the Great Green Home Show or its contents without written permission from the Green Fox, Paul Hughes, Doug Hunt, Aunt Jean, Brenna Wallace, Brooke Chase, the Watson Brothers, The Snap and the Sin City Band is strictly prohibited.

Overall Segment #2 – 12:00

Welcome back to the GGHS

Top 10 Things to do This Spring... – 3:00 Sponsored by: Energy Services Group

1. Plant a garden, some flowers, some vegetables... our trees... plant something you can watch that grows...
2. Install rain barrel technology on your gutters and use this water to wash your car's and water your plants and garden because 70% of the water we use at home goes to water our cars and wash our lawns.... but not in Emmitsburg Maryland ...why. Because according to Vera the grass is not dirty here....
3. Get a bunch of friends together..... and go tubing down the Brandywine.... make sure you carpool ( no pun Intended ) and don't just meet there...
4. Throw a potluck supper in your neighborhood.... get to know your neighbors.... do not comment on their food other than to say how wonderful it is.... make sure people don't try to spend too much money on their dishes so a sign that you platter's, whole grain Mac and cheese, etc
5. Again we say... compost.... recycle.... reducer sought consumption
6. Take a bunch of year old clothes down to the Goodwill and donate them.... and then look around to see if there's anything there you'd like to recycle back into your closets.... don't forget about freecycle.co
7. Support your local farmer by buying local produce and products, CSA, again,... carpool with your friends and go find your closest produce stand.... talked to the guy behind the counter find out where the f food is coming from and how it's grown...
8. Take a canning class, get ready to put a lot of the fruits of your labor up for the winter and save a lot of money, some people make a lot of sauces, soups, sauces, or just plain canned vegetables...April 19th at the Calvert grange off 273 west of Newark....
9. When you have to replace any of your Spring power tools, mower, hedge clippers, etc, etc... try to replace with either hand tools... or electric tools... you might consider planting a section of your yard with native plants and an interesting blend of flowers and complementary plants from bordering regions...
10. Remind yourself to start hanging your clothes outside again on a clothesline....if you don’t have one... figure out how to build one and have fun with it....

Brooke’s Green Business Tips and Factoids – 5:00 Sponsored by: CMI Electric

PH: The Office:

• building to meet LEED or even use the new GHBC standards, they cost the Builder less...
• reward green behavior--hybrid car better spot and money towards car
• use energy star appliances(tax write off:)
• reusable bags--marketing and promo tool as well as coupon and incentive
• use less light bulbs
• turn off pc's when not in use; If every US computer and monitor were turned off at night, the nation could shut down eight large power stations and avoid emitting 7 million tons of CO2 every year.
• get lap tops
• recycle old pc's or donate to charity again tax write-off
• Try environmentally friendly pencils, such as those made from recycled paper, available from Earth Share. Try plain paper fax machines rather than those that rely on non-recyclable, chemically treated thermal paper.
• Use electronic mail rather than paper whenever possible. "E-Mail" is faster, cheaper, and less resource intensive than overnight mail.
• Keep a scrap box for all of your junk mail/papers with one blank side. You'll never need to buy scratch paper again.
• Use both sides of paper before you recycle it, and be sure that your photocopying is two-sided when possible.

DH:

• Use earth friendly cleaning supplies
• Use led lights!
• Encourage and organize car pooling- walk- bike etc
• Replace petroleum-based ink with soy-based ink
• Eliminate vending machines
• Occupancy sensors ; Regularly cleaning the coils of your office refrigerator and defrosting the freezer will cause the refrigerator to operate better. It will also operate better if it is kept full, so if you’re refrigerator is too big for the amount of people in the office, fill the extra space with water bottles
• Buy products in bulk to minimize packaging.

PH: Hire an energy manager or transportation coordinator. It may be beneficial to have someone in the office whose sole job it is to set up carpooling or keep track of office recycling and energy use. The money spent on paying somebody to hold this position will be well worth it when you get your utility bill and help save our planet.

work from home pack lunch

DH: book--->Greening Your Office
From Cupboard to Corporation, an A-Z Guide
Amanda Cuthbert and Jon Clift

PH: Green sleeves
You might be amazed how sharp work clothes from thrift stores can look. If you buy new, get clothes made with organic or recycled fibers. Avoid clothes that need to be dry cleaned, and if they so demand it, seek out your local “green” dry cleaner. See How to Green Your Wardrobe for more tactics on greening those work duds.

• Monitor and record rates of water and energy usage and solid and hazardous waste generation.
• Provide three on-going incentives or training opportunities to encourage management and employee participation.
• Inform your customers about your business' efforts to meet the Green Business Standards.
• Assist at least one other business in learning about the Green Business Program and encourage them to enroll.