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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Small Changes Will Make A Difference

In our current economy, not everyone can afford to buy hybrid or electric cars, or install soar panels to reduce their carbon footprint. Here are some examples of 5 simple ways to reduce your own personal carbon emissions on a more realistic budget. Making small changes in your daily life can make a difference – if everyone works together and makes a change, collectively we will make a dramatic difference.

  Buy local & Organic : Eating food locally and purchasing locally grown ingredients not only reduces your carbon footprint, but it also has added health benefits! If your food was grown locally, chances are, it didn’t have far to travel to get from the farm to your plate!

  .Pay attention to Packaging: Try to go to stores that keep packaging to a minimum. For example, you may chose to buy the loose tomatoes rather than boxed or plastic-wrapped tomatoes. Also, take reusable bags to the grocery store.

  Unplug: Unplug appliances that you don’t use frequently. Most have a standby mode that reserves energy when not in use.

  Remember the 3 “R”s : Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Try buying less, and reusing and fixing things when you can instead of buying new. And for a lot of people, recycling is as easy as rolling the trash bin to the curb.

  Energy-proof your home: This doesn't  have to mean making drastic or expensive changes. Make sure all of your windows close properly and that the walls are properly insulated. Try switching from incandescent to compact florescent light bulbs. CFL bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than our normal light bulbs and last much longer. Compared to regular bulbs, the fluorescents are a bit more expensive, but they will eventually pay for themselves due to lower energy costs.

-Allison Berg

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