Going Green with Reuben: How To Do Your Part To Protect The Environment

the recycle arrows with recycle-reuse-reduce surrounding them

These are just a few of the simple, yet effective, ways that you can help cut down on energy usage and reduce your carbon footprint. Even if we all follow just a few of these steps it will make a big difference and save us money as well.

Climate change and the environment is top of the global agenda today as the need to cut down on carbon emissions becomes increasingly apparent. As world leaders negotiate to come up with a plan to halt climate change and cut down on carbon emissions, we can also play our part.

Reducing the amount of energy we use in our home, in our workplace and in our cars can have a significant affect on emissions. Not only that, it can save you money too. If everyone makes an effort in their lives, it can make a huge difference on a global scale. Here is some advice on how you can cut down on your energy usage.

Ways to Cut Carbon Emissions in the Home

Switch to energy-saving light bulbs. LEDs are a lot better than CFL and LEDs do not contain Mercury like the CFL bulbs do. They cost slightly more, but save up to ten times their price over their lifetime.
When you are boiling water, or heating anything, only boil the amount you need. You do not need a pot full of boiling water for one cup of tea.
Switch off appliances when you are not using them to save money and energy. TVs, videos, stereos and computers left on standby can use use a lot of energy.
Recycle everything that you can. We throw away our own weight in trash every month, but bottles, cans, paper, card, plastic and aluminium can all be reused or recycled which saves energy. For example, it takes the same amount of energy to make 20 cans from recycled material as it takes to make one can from scratch. Recycling will also save you money on garbage bill.
If you live in a sunny area you could potentially meet all your energy means using solar panels. They are coming down in price.
Turning down your thermostat by just three degrees will save you 10 per cent in energy costs. Also, make sure that your home is well insulated so that it keeps the heat in.
When washing clothes and dishes make sure the appliances are full. Also, try using lukewarm water.
Keep the lid on pots and pans when you are cooking.
Use cloth diapers instead of plastic
Go solar with your dyer. Use a clothesline

Ways to Cut Carbon Emissions in the Office

Where at all possible, store all documents in digital format on your computer or another storage device. If you must print something, use both sides of the page.
There is no need to fly half way around the world for a meeting. Online audio and video conferencing has effectively cut out the need for face to face meetings and conferences. The amount of energy that can potentially be saved here is huge.
Turn your computer off completely or at least put it to sleep when you are not using it. Computers still use a lot of energy when they are on screen saver mode.

Ways to Cut Carbon Emissions in the Car

Old man driving his car with smoke coming out of tailpipe

For shorter journeys, leave the car at home and use a bike instead. Bikes are a healthy, quick and enjoyable way to get around, and a great way to avoid congestion if you live in a big city.
Experiment with car pooling to get to and from work. It will save you money and could get you to work faster.
Join the hybrid revolution. Do you really need that gas guzzling SUV? Buy a hybrid and use a fraction of the energy for your journeys.
Public transportation is far more energy efficient than driving. Also, remember that air travel is a major polluter so use ground transportation wherever possible.

Ways to Cut Carbon Emissions in the Shops

Do not accept plastic bags from shops. Always bring your own reusable bags.
Try to buy organic food that is grown locally. Organic food is farmed less intensively and usually requires less energy to produce. In addition, the fact that it is grown locally means a reduction in transportation costs.
Try to eat less meat. Livestock are a major source of greenhouse gases.

How to Reduce Your Water Consumption

While water isn't strictly energy, it is a finite resource that we need to preserve and take care of. Here are some tips on how to cut down on your water usage:

Always use the shower instead of the bath.
Never leave the tap running while brushing your teeth.
Only use the dishwasher or washing machine with a full load.
Try to install a system to use your waste water run-off to keep your garden watered. This will also encourage you to use non-harmful soaps and washing powders.
Water your garden early in the morning or just before sunset. This allows the water to be absorbed into the ground instead of evaporating in the hot sun if you water during the day.
Water butts or large water containers are a good idea for the garden. Situate them under the edges of your roof so they receive run-off when it rains.

HELP SAVE EARTH ('ways on how to help the environment' on description) (video)

Published on Feb 20, 2010
On their Youtube page they have more ways to help, just hit the show more button

Thank you for taking your time to read my post "How To Do Your Part To Protect The Environment". You might be interested in some of my post listed below. You can always go to my Solar Page, there I have the solar products that I have been looking at. Then there is my eSolar Page, it's powered by Amazon. Maybe you can find something interesting in the related articles. Take your time and check out my site. With some feedback I could make it better
Thanks again and Y'all come back now.

Keep Smiling
reuben