Green Seasonal 1

Ahah! For some eco-activists, deep ecological truths are arrived at in spectacular natural settings, like viewing the Grand Canyon. For others, an unsettling, dramatic experience, like seeing a Mount Everest sized heap of plastic waste, motivates action.

Times are tough, and as the recession rolls on for the foreseeable future, it is important to consider what you can do to save yourself those hard-earned dollars. The good news is that saving money at home is ridiculously easy, thanks to poor environmental standards for homes and appliances. The twelve tactics below, which can all be completed in about an hour are free of any outside costs. They have the potential to immediately save a homeowner $500, and $5,000 over the next decade.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Philadelphia is doing a great job when it comes to becoming a “green” city. Even the show based around our city, Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia, enables the cast to wear eco-friendly clothing. Sub-Urban Riot provides the cast with organic tees. Their shirts “combine art and bold-styling with high-end basics.” If you want to find some of these same shirts visit link: http://www.Suburbanriot.com SubUrbanRiot.com.

Jump On the Bandwagon

For the past century, incandescent lamps have been the standard bearer in home and office lighting options, however they are much less efficient than the newer alternative, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). That is because the majority of electricity used to power incandescent bulbs generates heat, not light, and light bulbs are an incredibly inefficient way of generating heat. And though you might think everyone already knows about CFLs, not every light fixture in every office is already fluorescent.

Pennsylvania, like every state, is facing challenging issues in the recession. Two immediate issues that directly impact families are lost revenues from layoffs and increasing utility bills given the winter heating demand. Homeowners need ways to save money and make their homes more energy efficient, but there are not necessarily enough people trained to help them find the most cost-effective solutions.

For many recent years in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Americans have increasingly considered and purchased ‘fake’ Christmas trees due to the perceived environmental advantage as well as the cost savings and the overall convenience.

When it comes to ‘pros and cons’ here are the highlights:

Stop wasting your money on bottled water. According to the World Wildlife Fund, "Bottled water may be no safer, or healthier, than tap water in many countries while selling for up to 1,000 times the price." 40 percent of bottled water should be labeled bottled 'tap water' because that is exactly what it is.

Computers are the largest energy consumers among office equipment. Each workstation left on after business hours, with a computer and monitor, is responsible for nearly one ton of CO2 emissions per year. To put this in perspective, the average annual worldwide emission of CO2 is 4 tons per person per year, while the US emission per person is over 14 tons per year. If a workstation is switched off at night and set to go to "sleep" during idle periods in the day, it would cut the waste by 80%.

Properly insulate your house since 50% of the energy that a single family house consumes goes toward heating and cooling. Save energy, reduce utility costs, and improve comfort. Proper installation is key because compressed areas and gaps can significantly reduce effectiveness. Additional advantages of proper insulation include fire resistance and safety, plus noise reduction.