Small Steps make Big Changes

Did you know that gas powered lawn mowers emit just as much volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides (ingredients for smog) in one hour as 11 new cars being driven for one hour? It can be easy to overlook the many small things that can make a big contribution to pollution. Luckily, even small changes such as switching to electric or manual tools can also make a big impact on pollution and waste. 

According to the EPA, over 17 million gallons of fuel are spilled each year while refueling lawn equipment, more than was was spilled by the Exxon Valdez. It can seem insignificant when a bit of gas doesn’t make it into your lawn equipment but on the ground instead. Yet if all of the estimated 54 million Americans who mow their lawn every Saturday were to spill even a teaspoon; it can add up quickly. Refueling with precision is a small effort that can make a big difference. Lawn mowers aren’t the only piece of gas powered equipment used to beautify the lawn but wreaks havoc on the environment. Chain saws, leaf blowers, weed whackers, and any other equipment that runs on gasoline can increase ground level ozone, a toxic gas, that is not only harmful to our own respiratory health but can also inhibit plant growth. There are many small steps each person can take to help reduce damages to our environment. 

Small steps lead to big changes.

Learn about energy efficient mowers, and consider taking the step.

Staying Green on the Road

     For many of us, summer brings along a number of activities that take us away from the routine of every day life.  From barbecues, picnics, camping, and more notably: vacations!  Whether it's a quick getaway or a week long excursion to the coast, we finally have the opportunity to enjoy the sun and relax a bit.  While some have a place they often retreat to such as a beach house or a rental, many will stay in hotels while they are away.  It can be easy to forget all about those wonderful "green" habits we practice at home, so here is a quick guide on what some major hotel chains are doing to ensure your stay is as eco-friendly as possible.

What LED Really Stands For: Lessening Environmental Destruction

Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs are one way we can help slow down climate change, while improving our quality of life and saving money. The Alliance to Save Energy released a study that claims lighting comprises 22% of the total electricity use in the United States, and that eliminating incandescent bulbs would save $18 billion dollars each year! Incandescent bulbs are currently being phased out of use in the United States. One of the things that the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 did was that it increased efficiency standards for incandescent bulbs, causing many low-efficiency bulbs to be banned from being manufactured. Though this bill created higher standards for bulb manufacturers, many people still use incandescent bulbs or have switched to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). The most energy-efficient and cost-effective light bulbs available are LEDs. When I initially purchased LED bulbs, I was put off by the higher cost relative to other light bulbs. Reading more about LED bulbs, I learned that the slightly higher initial investment would actually save me a lot of money, and help the environment.

LED bulbs are more energy efficient than other light bulb types. They use 80%-90% less electricity than traditional lighting. The long life and durability of LED bulbs furthers the savings and reduces the hassle of constantly changing light bulbs. The average LED bulb has a life of 100,000 operational hours, in other words, if you left an LED bulb on for 24 hours a day, it would last for over 11 years! While they may seem expensive at first, LED bulbs, save money in the long run. There are many programs around the United States that give households some free LED bulbs, so check with your local electric company to see if there are any programs available in your area.

In addition to the money and lower energy consumption you get with LED bulbs, they are physically less harmful to the environment than other energy efficient bulbs such as CFLs. LEDs contain no toxic substances such as the mercury present in CFLs. The long life of LED bulbs will lower the amount of light bulbs you have to replace and recycle.

Other benefits of LED bulbs include brightening immediately, better light dispersal, higher quality light with lower electricity, a lower operating temperature, and reliable quality that is not temperature-dependent. LED bulbs also do not emit UV radiation like CFLs and other bulbs, which damage skin cells and greatly affects those with conditions such as lupus. I hope you see that LEDs are good for your wallet, health and the environment, and you consider looking into the benefits of them more through the following:

http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/led-lighting

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/sustainable/led-light-bulb2.htm

https://www.energystar.gov/products/certified-products/detail/light-bulbs

Drive less, drive differently

You may think that your efforts in reducing climate changes are useless. But what you don’t know is any little green changes in your life will definitely have impacts on people around you and on earth as well. One of these changes would be driving your car less or even driving it differently.  The truth is that your car produces a high amount of carbon dioxide (CO2).  If you still want to drive you can pay more attention to fuel efficiency in your car which may be the single biggest thing you can do to prevent climate change.  Replacing your gas-guzzling car with a fuel-efficient one is by far the best thing you can do, out of all your choices. Or simply, you can slow down, don't race your car's engine, and watch your usage. All of these save on gas – and of course saving you money- and have a big impact on burning gasoline.

On the other hand, what you can do is to drive less. Walk or ride a bicycle for short trips, or take public transportation for longer ones. Several studies have shown that people who use public transportation are healthier than those who don’t. Moreover, families that use public transportation can save adequate money annually to cover their food costs for the year. Those were simple options to help reducing climate change that will not harm you but would defiantly make your life healthier and save the earth from another perspective. 

Read more:

http://www.clf.org/blog/clean-energy-climate-change/why-driving-less-and-biking-more-celebrates-earth-day-every-day/

Save energy, save money from your lights.

From many years ago and we always hear about climate change effects to our earth. Climate change is caused mostly by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, gasoline, and natural gas. This generates carbon dioxide (CO2), a gas that stores heat and other gases called greenhouse gases. Too much of those gases would increase global temperatures as a result our health and global ecosystem health is in danger.Humans are the first one who blamed about this mess. We might think that it is not our “business” and we might think that our efforts will not change the anything. But what we don’t realize is that each one of us is responsible to reduce climate change effects and it still on our hands.  We should start with our selves, with our behaviors and believes. We should start to think about our children and the next generations. You may ask know what I can do? How should I start? And the answer will be very simple, start from your own house.

We have various creative technologies that could have a great impact on climate change, if only we would adopt it. One of those inventions is energy light bulb and other efficient lighting systems. Those lighting systems would help to prevent tons of carbon from being added to the world's atmosphere over the next 25 years. Changing your home and office lights will not save the earth but it will also save you a lot of money.  The cooler-burning bulbs, including CFL (compact fluorescent light bulbs) that look like soft-serve ice cream and LED are “light-emitting diodes." This is only the first step to start reducing climate change. Just change what you used regularly with more sufficient technologies. Whenever you buy a new light think about how it will save energy, reduce emissions, and save your money.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/a-bright-idea-how-changing-light-bulbs-helps-beat-global-warming-and-cut-bills-406494.html

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/climate-change/science/energy/energy-efficient-lighting/