Simplest CO2-saving Tip
Posted
Friday, April 25, 2008 6:46 PM
As you no doubt noticed, Tuesday was Earth Day, and the media gave a ton of attention to it. Although I try to think about my impact on the planet every day, all of the Earth Day coverage got me thinking about ways I can live more eco-consciously. I’m pretty good when it comes to the three R’s (buying minimally packaged goods, toting re-usable water bottle/shopping bags/coffee container, recycling obsessively, etc.) and as you know if you’ve read this blog before I’m pretty obsessive about keeping chemicals out of my home. But when I was examining my eco-conscience on Earth Day I had to admit that my carbon footprint could use a little reduction. The problem of global warming is so overwhelming that it’s hard to imagine that my little life does much to impact it one way or another. But reading this Michael Pollan piece in the New York Times helped remind me that individual actions do matter. He suggests that we all start growing some of our own food, and although I can’t quite imagine fitting that into my work/parenting/trying-to-find-five-minutes-for-myself schedule any time soon, the story got me thinking about other things I can do.
I’m committing to switching even more of my lightbulbs to CFLs and (cross my heart) I’m going to remember to switch off power strips so my home electronics don’t suck up energy when I’m not using them. But something that has more of an impact that those moves, and which doesn’t even require a trip to Target to buy more CFLs and power strips, is to use less hot water. Heating water, along with heating and cooling indoor air, account for way, way more of your home’s energy usage than lamps and household electronics do. So while switching to CFL bulbs is certainly helpful, you’ll do much more to help the global warming problem if you focus on using less hot water. A few simple moves that I’m resolving to make:
Shorter showers. According to the Green Guide, shaving two minutes off of your daily shower will save 342 lbs of carbon dioxide emissions every year. And now that warm weather is here we can try taking less steamy ones too. In honor of Earth Day I started timing my showers. I’m finding it impossible to do all the necessary conditioning, shaving, scrubbing, etc. in five minutes, but am aiming for six.
Washing my clothes in cold water. 90% of the electricity used by your washer goes to heat the water, and cold water is easier on your clothes anyway. So unless you’re battling some serious stains, use the cold cycle.
Setting my water heater to 120 degrees. This saves 550 lbs of carbon dioxide per year.
Washing my hands in cold water. The crucial components of hand washing are the soap and the rubbing, so I’m going to skip waiting for the water to heat (unless I know my mitts are truly polluted for some reason).
Did you make any Earth Day resolutions?