Adjust your thermostat a few degrees warmer in summer and cooler in winter or open a window instead of running air conditioning at all.
Turn off fans and air conditioning when not home.
Caulk and weather-strip doors and windows and insulate walls, attic, crawlspace, and ceilings.
Clean or replace air filters on your air conditioning and heaters regularly.
Minimize opening your oven door when in use. It reduces the temperature by 25-30 degrees every time.
Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees.
Appliances
Refrigerators and freezers use more electricity than any other household appliance up to 1/6th of the electricity used at home. Keep them clean and full and open them sparingly to save energy and money.
Run only fully-loaded washing machines and dishwashers, and use natural dishwashing soap.
Wash clothes only when they are dirty. You could save a load a week and about 160 gallons of water a month.
Your dryer will use less energy if you clean the lint filter after every load.
Try drying your clothes outside. They, look, feel, and smell great.
Wash clothes with cold water to save money and energy on heating. New products are developed to clean just as well in cold water.
Water & Gardening
Gas lawn mowers may contribute as much as 5% of our air pollution, according to the EPA. A great alternative is a push mower. It's not only pollution free - but gives you a free workout with every use.
Save between 1,000 and 8,000 gallons of water a year by installing faucet aerators and high-efficiency showerheads.
Turn off the tap while shaving or brushing teeth to save gallons of water every day.
Water the lawn in the morning or evening to use less water. Watering during the day wastes water because it evaporates in the sun.
Try composting your kichen waste into your garden – free and natural nutrients for your yards.
Leave grass clippings from mowing to decompose and return nutrients to your yard.
Power
Turn off lights and appliances when not in use.
Avoid the phantom load from appliances that drain energy when not in use by unplugging them or turning off powerstrips.
Replace light bulbs with environmentally friendly compact fluorescent bulbs.
Buy local food to conserve fuel, reduce pollution, and eat more fresh. Find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other local sources at your own super market.
Use reusable bags instead of getting new bags every time you shop.
Americans use 3.3 million plastic bottles every hour but only one in five is recycled. Use a reusable bottle and stop contributing to the mess.
Use cloth instead of paper for towels and napkins.
Start noticing packaging. Avoid products with lots of it and try buying in bulk.
Buy secondhand – everything from books& music to outdoor furniture.
Before throwing away, donate unwanted items to charitable thrift stores.
When shopping for cars, investigate all alternative and fuel efficient vehicles.
Laptops use about half the energy as a desktop. Look for Energy Star® certified laptops that use 70 percent less energy than noncertified models.
Use re-usable containers instead of plastic wrap or foil and even reuse takeout containers.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator. It’s healthier and more eco-friendly.
Ask your employer about telecommuting or a compressed work week.
Use sleep mode and turn your computer off when you are gone. By activating the sleep mode on your computer you can reduce its electricity consumption to less than 5% of full power.
Only print what you need, print with low ink resolution, use both sides of the paper, and print two pages per sheet when possible. Paper can be up to 70% of a typical office’s waste.
Put a plant at your desk to protect from germs, absorb pollutants, replenish oxygen levels, and reduce fatigue and stress. A plant not only looks nice at but it also acts as a natural air filter.
Try reusable containers for packed lunches to avoid unnecessary trash.
