AT HOME
THINGS WE ALL CAN DO AT HOME THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCEPractice the three R's: first reduce how much you use, then reuse what you can, and then recycle the rest. Then, dispose of what's left in the most environmentally friendly way. Read the tips below and explore what steps you can take towards going zero!
SIMPLE STEPS FOR YOUR HOME
- TURN OFF ELECTRONIC DEVICES YOU'RE NOT USING: Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when youre not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
- MOVE YOUR THERMOSTAT DOWN 2° IN WINTER AND UP 2° IN SUMMER: Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.
- REPLACE A REGULAR INCANDESCENT LIGHT BULB WITH A COMPACT FLOUORESCENT LIGHT BULB (CFL): CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we'd reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds!
- CHOOSE ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES WHEN MAKING NEW PURCHASES: Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models. If each household in the U.S. replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we'd eliminate 175 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year!
- USE A CLOTHESLINE INSTEAD OF A DRYER WHENEVER POSSIBLE: You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.
