The Daily Green

Welcome Back!

This morning, Jonathan talked about decreasing your home’s water usage by putting a plastic bottle in your toilet tank.

The old adage that a brick in the tank is a good one, but the brick can do major damage to your plumbing. 

All you have to do is drop some sand or pebbles in a bottle, then fill it with water and put it in your tank.  Just make sure it does not disturb the toilet’s working parts.

Most toilets flush just as well with a little less water.  The average model uses three to seven gallons per flush and a bottle in the tank will displace enough water to save half a gallon to a gallon each use.  That adds up to about 10 gallons a day.

Thanks for tuning in!  We’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.

Welcome Back! 

This morning, Jonathan and Lisa talked about small steps you take to be more eco-friendly.  Recycling is a great way to start.  Environmental experts estimate the average American produces more than four pounds of garbage each day, which means about 1,500 pounds of garbage per person, per year.  Here are their tips to cut down on the waste.

1- Don’t Take A Bag.  If you are only grabbing a few items at the store, tell the clerk you don’t need a bag.  This will cut down on plastic bags piling up in landfills.

2- Buy Refills.  If you are getting laundry detergent or soap, grab a refill container.  It uses less plastic than other ones.

3- Consider Longevity.  When buying any item, think about how long it will last.  Purchasing durable items means long-term savings, both for the earth and your bottom line.

4- Use A Trash Compactor.  When you get home from the store, think about installing a trash compactor.  They don’t eliminate waste, but they can reduce the amount of space consumed by garbage.

5- Recycle On Your Own.  Even if your community does not have a recycling program, you can still collect cans, paper and glass and drop them off in a nearby bin.  Make dates once a week for delivery which will start a habit.

Here are a couple more tips:

1- Buy In Bulk.  Most grocery stores offer a variety of items in bulk, including spices, cereal, peanut butter and more.  Take advantage of these items!  They use less packing material, produce less waste and best of all they’re often much less expensive.

2- Watch What You Buy.  Avoid purchasing paper plates, cups and plastic utensils.  They are a shortcut come dish washing time, but create needless waste.

Thanks for tuning in!  We’ll see you Monday morning — have a great weekend.

Welcome Back!  This morning Jonathan and Lisa talked about ways to reduce food waste.  Many people think throwing food away is safe because it decomposes.  Wrong!  For food to properly compost, it needs light and air, which it does not have in a bag in a landfill.  Food which decomposes without light and air produces methane gas, and that contributes to global warming.  Plus, it’s a big waste of money!  American families throw away about one third of the food they buy each week!

Here are their tips to avoid food waste:

1- Write A List.  Make menus for each week.  Then, you can check the ingredients in your refridgerator and cupboard so you only buy the items you need.

2- Stick To Your List.  Take your list to the store and don’t buy anything else!  Try to avoid being tempted by special offers, and NEVER shop on an empty stomach.

3- Rotate Your Food.  When you get home from the store, bring your older food to the front of the cupboard and put the new food behind it.  That way you’ll remember to eat the older food first.

4- Use Your Leftovers.  Instead of throwing the leftovers away, make use of them for tomorrow’s meal.  Extra tuna can be turned into a casserole, and leftover veggies make a great start for a crock pot meal.

5- Turn It Into Garden Food.  Some food waste is unavoidable, so set up a compost bin for things like fruit and vegetable peelings.  In a few weeks, you’ll have rich, valuable compost for your home garden.

Here are a few more ideas:

1- Keep A Healthy Fridge.  Check the seals and temperature on your refrigerator.  Food needs to be stored between 1 and 5 degrees Celsuis for maximum freshness and longevity.

2- Serve Smaller Portions.  If you serve smaller amounts of food, your family can come back for more if they are still hungry and they won’t throw excess food away.  This is especially helpful for young children who have small stomachs.

3- Buy Only What You Need.  Go for loose produce instead of bags of apples or oranges.  That way you can buy only what your family will eat.

4- Freeze It!  If you only eat part of a loaf of bread and it will go bad soon, freeze it.  You can take out slices when you need it, and the bread will last much longer than just shoving it in the cupboard.  You can cook a large amount of food and freeze it as well.  That way, you have meals ready to go when you don’t feel like cooking.

That’s all for now.  Thanks for tuning in!

We’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.

Welcome Back!

This morning, Jonathan and Lisa talked about doing an energy audit in your own home.  These audits are good to do every season change to make sure you are not wasting money or energy.  Here are their tips:

1- Get To Know Your Energy Bill.  Paying bills is never a fun process, but don’t forget they contain a lot of important information along with the pain.  Compare your heating and cooling costs month by month and try to track trends.  Do you see any spikes or drops?  You can figure out ways to avoid those changes by taking a good look at the bill.

2- Locate Air Leaks.  Simple leaks can sap home efficiency between 5% to 30% a year.  Check corners, chimneys, where pipes or wires exit and along foundations.  Reinforce the seals around the doors and windows and that no mortar is cracked.

3- Look For Energy Vampires.  When electronics like TVs, DVD players and cell phone chargers are plugged in but not on, they still draw power.  That energy also results in about 8% of your annual energy bills.  It’s simple to stop the drain — look around your house and unplug any unused devices you find.

4- Analyze Your Appliances.  They are major energy users, so your task should be to identify models that may be costing you a lot and find ways to trim waste.  Check out a “Kill A Watt Usage Monitor.”  All you have to do is plug it into a wall socket and then insert the plug into the electronic device you wish to monitor.  It will give you detailed information on energy use and even has a “money button” which calculates how much the appliance costs you.

5- See The Light.  Lighting eats up about 10% of a typical electric bill.  Swap out high-wattage bulbs with lower usage ones, ideally CFLs.  Start with one or two bulbs and slowly replace the rest.  Of course, don’t forget to turn off the lights when you leave the room!

Here are a few more tips:

1- Examine Your A.C.  Not surprisingly, cooling your home accounts for the biggest home energy loads.  To reduce waste, invest in an electrostatic filter for your window unit.  It cuts down on waste and does a better job of cleaning the air.  If you have central air conditioning, check the coils both inside and outside.  If you find dirt on them, carefully vacuum the coils.

2- Gauge The Results.  After you made some improvements, revisit your audit steps a month or two later.  Get out those energy bills and compare.  If you usage didn’t drop, try something else.

Thanks for tuning in!  We’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.

Welcome Back!

This morning Jonathan talked about ways to have a fireworks-free Fourth of July weekend.

Here’s why that’s so important for the environment: The smoke and ash which rain down from the displays contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals, like barium, cadmium and lead.  Recently, scientists started warning that fireworks could be a main contributor of acid rain.

Now to Jonathan’s tips:

1- When the sun goes down on July 4th, start a campfire.  It provides longer-lasting light than fireworks.  Plus, you can roast marshmallows and who doesn’t love that?

2- Instead of lighting sparklers, hand out noisemakers.  That way everyone can celebrate our country’s independence without ruining the environment.

3- Skip the loud explosions and throw a block party.  It’s a great opportunity to get to know your neighbors and give your kids a great experience they will remember for a lifetime.

4- Check out a light show.  They are just as exciting and creative as fireworks without damaging pollution as a side effect.

And here are a few more ideas:

1- Show your kids how to create noisemakers.  Just place dried beans in a pie tin or empty can and cover it with plastic or paper.  Glue, staple or clip it together and you have yourself a homemade noisemaker.  Then you can decorate them with patriotic pictures, streamer or anything else you like.

2- If you are looking for loud crashes, bright colors and lots of fun, attend a local parade!  You can celebrate the birth of our nation with your friends and family.  Plus, if you are really motivated, consider enter a green-themed float to share your ideals with your neighbors.

That’s all for today!

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July holiday, and we’ll see you tomorrow morning.