10 Ways to Green Your Day Off

 

1. Visit a farmer's market

Since you have some free time on your hands, make a trip to that unexplored farmer's market you've been eying. Buying local and sustainably-farmed produce dramatically decreases the footprint of your nightly meals, and these picks tend to be healthier and tastier, too. From heirloom veggies to homemade hot sauce, you never know what you might find from farmers and vendors in your area.
Not sure where to find a farmer's market near you? Just punch your zip code into the USDA or Local Harvest databases, and you'll get a list of choices in your neighborhood.

2. Explore your neighborhood

If you're ever stumped for a green activity, the best thing you can do is get outside. Spending time outdoors helps you remember why protecting the planet is so important, and you'll also save some cash on your electric bill, as you won't have to use energy for heating and lighting your home.
So, pile on the winter gear, and head to a local pocket park, botanical garden or uncharted walking path to experience something new in your town. Don't know where to go? Head to your town or municipality's Website to find listings of nearby parks, outdoor events and more. Once you get home, get cozy and enjoy one of our yummy coffee shop-free winter beverages to warm up.

3. Volunteer

Take a page from Dr. King's book and do a little volunteering in your spare time. Lend a hand at a local community garden or animal shelter, or take part in park or beach cleanup.
Most municipalities have a calendar of upcoming volunteer days on their Website. But if you don't see an event that strikes your fancy, a simple Google search with your town's name and the words "Martin Luther King Day (or Presidents' Day) volunteering" should point you in the right direction.

4. Relax the natural way

Planning a day full of much-needed TLC? Skip the pricey eco spa, and do a little relaxing right in your own home. Dim the lights, spark up some all-natural candles and test out one of these five luxe spa treatments that you can do yourself on the cheap. Most treatments cost less than $10!
And if the winter weather has been taking a toll on your bod, this is a great time to get your fix on. Check out our DIY guide to curing common winter woes like dry skin, chapped lips and frizzy hair using common pantry ingredients.

5. Do some winter weatherizing

If you've noticed a few drafts in your home, apartment or dorm room, your day off is the perfect time to make things a little more comfortable (and energy-efficient!). Start by taking a walk through all of your rooms, and make note of any drafty areas. Then, use our weatherization guides for homeowners, apartment-dwellers and dorm residents to fix the problem.
Also, take a moment to check out your heating system. Make sure the exterior of your system is clean and free of obstructions, and change the air filter if it looks dirty. If you live in an apartment or dorm room, speak to your landlord or RA about heating system maintenance, as an inefficient system can suck up loads of energy and cost you or your school big bucks on utilities.

6. Start a reuse project

Recycling your household waste is a great step towards sustainability, but why not reuse some of your throw-aways instead? Check out these five super-elegant decor items made from waste, or craft with the kids using recyclables for an afternoon of eco fun.
Want to take your day-off project beyond crafting? Check out our 12 crazy ways to go DIY in every room of the house, from homemade cheese to super-functional storage.
SEE: 15 Reuse Projects to Try in 2012

7. Do a packaging purge

Whether the food packaging in your home is recyclable or not, it's always best to find ways to reuse it before tossing it in the bin. Go through your pantry and transfer dry items from their original packaging into reusable storage containers, like these 100 percent recycled containers from Preserve.
Once you have all your packaging in the same place, consult our food packaging reuse guide to find ways to repurpose it. And take note of the products that the majority of your packaging waste came from. Can you buy any of these materials in bulk to cut back on waste? How about switching to homemade? A little planning could mean emptier trash cans all year long.
READ: 5 Absurdly Over-Packaged Foods

8. Stock up on bulk

Buying your favorite dry foods in bulk results in a huge reduction in packaging waste. But it can be hard to fit a trip to the bulk-foods store into your schedule. On your day off, make a list of the most common dry items you use in the kitchen: cereal for the kids, rice, beans and pasta for nightly dinners and nuts and dried fruits for healthy snacks.
Head to the bulk-foods store with plenty of reusable bags, and stock up on your favorites sans-packaging. Transfer your items into large reusable containers when you get home to keep them from getting stale.
READ: 5 Reasons to Bulk Up on Food Purchases

9. Choose a veg-based meal

Vegetarian Weeks have been steadily gaining popularity in recent years. But you don't need to cut out meat for a whole week to make a difference. Eating just one vegan or vegetarian meal each week will save about 35 pounds of meat a year, amounting to 84,000 gallons of water, 245 pounds of grain and 15.5 gallons of gasoline.
Wary about bland and boring vegetarian food? Our library of recipes, including exotic international cuisine, tasty low-cal delights and compostable classics, is sure to change your mind.

10. Plan a green getaway

Having something to look forward to can get you through all those tough weeks at work or school. So, spend some time planning an eco-friendly vacation for yourself this winter. Our go-to guides will help you plan a romantic, kid-free vacation with your sweetie, pick the right location for a family getaway or find a nearby weekend retreat.

Source: www.earth911.com

Simple Actions to save Energy and Go Green

One Change leads to another. When it comes to saving money and cutting your hydro bill, switching to energy efficiency light bulbs is just the start. Here are some more simple actions to help you conserve energy and save money.

Replace your old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving CFL and LED bulbs
Compact fluorescent light (CFL) and LED bulbs use about 75% less energy than old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs and last much longer. For every bulb you swap, you can cut greenhouse gas emissions and save money on your energy bill over the lifetime of the bulb. Click here for information on CFL recycling in North America.

Plug your electronics into power strips and shut them off when not in use
Fight what’s known as phantom or vampire power. Your computer, printer, TV, DVD player, stereo, kitchen appliances and other electronics are still sucking power while you have them shut off. In North America, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off! Switching them off with a power strip when you’re not using them will cut all power to the appliances and save you loads of money on wasted energy—as much as 15% of your monthly bill!

Stay cool with a ceiling fan
Instead of A/C consider installing an ENERGY STAR-qualified ceiling fan, which can cost as little as 10 cents a month in energy. You can even save money in the winter. Reverse the direction of your ceiling fan motor so that cool air is pushed up towards the ceiling, drawing warm air down into the room. Rather than cold floors and warm ceilings, you’ll have a more even temperature throughout the room. Now, can your air conditioner do that?

Install a programmable thermostat and lower it
Install a programmable thermostat to lower your heat when you don’t need it, for example when you’re out of the house and you could save up to $65 a year. Turning the thermostat down just 1 degree C can save you 2% on your heating bill.

Run a Full Dishwasher
By using an ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher, running it when it’s full, and using an economy setting helps reduce the amount of hot water and energy used to clean your dishes. As much as 80% of the energy your dishwasher uses goes to heat water. So the less hot water you use to wash your dishes, the more energy and money you save. For an additional 10% energy savings, select the no-heat dry cycle (or simply open the door) to air dry your dishes.

Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators
Get an adequate flow for less dough! Installing low-flow showerheads and low-flow aerators on your kitchen and bathroom faucets is the single most effective water conservation action you can do for your home. Inexpensive and simple to install, low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators can reduce your home water consumption as much as 50%, and reduce your energy cost of heating the water also by as much as 50%. You likely won’t even notice a drop in water pressure—just in your water and energy bills (to the tune of over $150 a year)!

Air dry your laundry
Did you know that your clothes dryer is the second biggest electricity-using appliance in your home (after the refrigerator)? Why not air dry your cloths on a clothesline or drying rack to save as much as $100 on your electricity bill each year.


Wash your laundry in cold water
85 – 90% of the energy used to wash your clothes is used to heat the water, so why not switch to cold to save money and energy. While you’re at it, wait until you have a full load before starting the washing machine.


Source: http://www.onechange.org

Canadian trio invent ‘most energy-efficient’ light bulb

 

There’s a new energy efficient lightbulb making waves, and not only was it invented by Canadians, but it’s about the funkiest looking illumination device we’ve seen since the lava lamp.

Introducing the Nanolight.

The flashy device promises to produce as much light a 100-watt incandescent bulb while using only an eighth of the power, reports the CBC.

Its makers are three University of Toronto graduates, and they took to crowdfunding website Kickstarter to get the project off the ground. Gimmy Chu, Tom Rodinger, Christian Yan, who all met at a solar car-building competition in 2005, were hoping to raise a paltry $20,000. They quickly blew past that marker and are currently sitting on $141,911 in pledges after less than a month of fundraising.

Make no mistake — these bulbs aren’t cheap. A $30 donation will get you a single 10 watt bulb, while a $45 will get you the 12 watt model. But NanoLight’s makers promise that users will quickly earn back that initial investment in electricity savings. The blub will last for 25-30 years based on three hours a day usage.

The NanoLight's genius is in its complex circuit board design, which is implanted with numerous tiny LED lights facing in different directions.

(Credit: Nanolight)

According to its makers, the NanoLight is superior to the current energy efficient LED lights on the market for a number of reasons.

For one, it lights in all directions, something current LED lights cannot do. It also produces the equivalent of 100 watts of light, something that is still relatively rare among LED lights. The Nano Light is also reportedly one of the coolest on the market, in that it won’t overheat when used in an enclosed fixture the way many other LED bulbs will.

Those interested in getting their paws on the first generation of these groundbreaking new bulbs need look no further than NanoLight’s Kickstarter page, which will be accepting pledges until Friday, March 8, 2013.

Source: http://ca.shine.yahoo.com