Tips to Save Your Money and the Environment in One Fell-Swoop

Conserve Energy in Your Home

• Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees and wrap an insulated blanket around it to keep the water warmer longer. You will protect the environment and lower the amount of your energy bill because your water heater won't have to work as hard--the insulated blanket will usually pay for itself in one year. Also, turn your water heater off when away for extended periods of time during warmer weather. In colder weather if you turn your water heater off, turn off your water as well, or else your pipes will freeze.
  
• Almost half the energy used in homes goes to heating and cooling. Turn your thermostat down 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer to save energy and money.
  
• Add weather stripping to your home to make it more energy efficient year-round.
  
• Unplug seldom-used appliances. Appliances like your microwave can use up energy when they are plugged in, even if they aren't turned on, which will raise your energy bill and adding to unnecessary energy emission that is bad for the environment.
  
• Unless necessary, Avoid opening the oven door while cooking food. Doing so reduces the temperature in the oven by 25 to 30 degrees.
  
• Strategically place refrigerators away from heat-producing appliances and direct sunlight.
  
• Set your refrigerator temperature between 36 - 38 degrees and your freezer temperature between 0 - 5 degrees.
  
• Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy.
  
• Wash clothes in warm or cold water rather than hot.
  
• Whenever possible, air-dry wet laundry rather than using energy-hungry driers. The trade-off will save energy and give your clothes a fresh, natural smelling clean that dryer sheets only attempt to mimic.
  
• Replace your regular light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent light bulbs, which use 60 percent less energy than regular light bulbs and last for five years.
  
• Turn off unneeded lights and other appliances, even if you are just leaving the room for a short period of time.
  
• Buy Energy Star rated appliances, which are up to 40% more efficient than those without the Energy Star logo.
  
• Use battery operated clocks, and when replacing the batteries in them use rechargeable ones. This will save energy, as battery run clocks use much less power than the electronic versions, and will also keep you on track in the event of a power outage.

Conserve in Your Office

• Increase your use of electronic posts and e-mail to reduce clutter, paper waste and other costs associated with printed materials.
  
• Use a ceramic coffee mug or water mug instead of a disposable cup.
  
• Use discarded paper for scrap paper and print on the back-side. Or else print double sided on unused but recycled paper.
  
• Try using soy-based inks to print documents as opposed to other inks which are more toxic.
  
• Recycle your print cartridges.

Re-Landscape

• By strategically placing trees to provide shade or allow sunlight, you can naturally, and more cost-efficiently, heat and cool your house each season.
  
• Shade outside air conditioning units with trees to reduce the amount of energy expended.
  
• Plant as many trees as possible. They offer much more than assistance heating and cooling your house. Recent environmental studies have shown how crucial trees are to our environment:
  
  
  • They provide more oxygen for our atmosphere
  • They assist in the purification of water in urban areas.
  • They decrease the amount of ozone in the environment.
  • One tree, over its life, will absorb over one ton of carbon dioxide and put healthy oxygen into the air.
  
  
• Take the initiative to use non-hazardous components for your outdoor needs (e.g. to ward off pests plant marigolds in a garden instead of using pesticides). Just like using natural cleaning products in an effort to eliminate toxins from your home, these tactics can be less expensive and more environmentally friendly.
  
• Use an electric lawnmower rather than a gas-powered one.
  
• Leave grass clippings on your yard. They will decompose and return nutrients to the soil, saving you time and money that you might have otherwise had to use to buy fertilizer.
  
• Minimize pesticide use in your yard. As an alternative, use recycled wood chips to keep your weeds down, to retain moisturizer, and to prevent erosion.

Generate Clean Air

• Walk or ride your bike instead of driving whenever possible.
  
• Join a carpool or a vanpool to get to school or work.
  
• Consider utilizing one of the many car sharing companies. These are perfect if you don't commute a large amount but simply need a vehicle here and there for shorter amounts of time.
  
• Purchase radial tires for your vehicle and make sure they are properly inflated. Proper inflation alone can improve gas mileage by more than three percent.
  
• Drive smoothly to save gas and to lower vehicle emission.
  
• Don't drive around with a lot of heavy items in your car or trunk. The extra weight causes lower-gas mileage.
  
• Get regular tune-ups to ensure the best gas mileage and to catch or avoid more costly expenses down the road.
  
• Don't waste gas by idling in your car for extended periods of time.
  
• Don't use your wood stove or fireplace when air quality is poor. If you do use a wood stove try to use one sold after 1990 because they are required to meet federal emissions standards and are more efficient than those made earlier.
  
• Burn seasoned wood which burns more cleanly than green wood.
  
• Ignite charcoal barbecues with something other than lighter fluid, such as an electric probe.