It’s Earth Day! 5 Things You Can Do to Be Green

Today is Earth Day, and while it’s admirable to help plant a tree or clean a park, there are many things you can do — or not do — to make every day Earth Day.  Think of it like being on a diet; you don’t want to just do something for a short period of time and see temporary results — you need to change your lifestyle and get permanent results. It’s the same idea with going green. And, believe it or not, if all of us take part, we might actually make some progress.

Remember this 1970s public service announcement involving an Indian and pollution? It’s probably very un-PC these days, but these television commercials ran non-stop back in the day to get the message out that littering is bad. Yes, people would actually throw litter on the ground and it was an accepted habit! I remember walking down the street and litter would hit my legs, as it was blown around by the wind. Little by little, Americans stopped littering and our neighborhoods are now generally clean. Fast forward about 40 years and the same kind of movement is at hand — being environmentally conscious.

5 Things You Can Do to Be Green:

These are relatively cheap upgrades that will save you money and help reduce energy costs, by GreenandSave.com:

Install a programmable thermostat – According to ENERGY STAR, switching from a conventional thermostat to a programmable model can save the average household $150 a year. Programmable thermostats cost anywhere from $30 to $250 and are more accurate than standard models. Just set and go. This will also solve thermostat wars. (Or, if you’re cold, go get a Snuggie).

Switch to fluorescent light bulbs — Replace your standard incandescent light bulbs in areas where you use lights frequently, like the living room and kitchen. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use at least two-thirds less energy than standard bulbs and provide the same amount of light, while lasting up to 10 times longer. Compact fluorescent light bulbs also generate 70 percent less heat. They don’t buzz nearly as much, but there is that mercury problem…

Put a blanket on your hot water heater – Pre-cut jackets and blankets can be purchased for about $10-$20 and the cost savings on your heating bill will be about 4%-9%, so a blanket will pay for itself in a year. Before you buy, call your public utility to see if they offer them at low prices or at a rebate. They might even install one for you at no cost. Of course, if your water heater is older than 10 years, you might want to install a new, energy efficient one — maybe even a tankless water heater.

Reduce your standby power – Your standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity, seems innocent enough — your appliance is not actually in use, but it is plugged in and is on standby. That means your appliances’ standby functions such as displays, indicators, and remote control features are all still sucking energy, albeit small. Many appliances consume 25% of their power when they are not even turned on! The solution is to install a power strip or two and plug in items such as your television, computer, DVD player, video games, cable adapter, cell phone charger, stereo, and microwave. Then, with the flip of one switch, you can turn off all of the appliances and save yourself money. Turn them off when you go to work, or at night or when you go on vacation. Power strips cost about $10 each and the return on investment is a savings of about $2 a month.

Install a low-flow showerhead — These run anywhere from $5 to $50 and are relatively easy to install. The big bonus is that a low-flow shower head and a faucet aerator for your kitchen can reduce your home water consumption as much as 50%, and reduce your energy costs of heating the water by as much as 50%. That’s some big ROI! See if you need a low-flow showerhead.

These are all small home improvements you can make to save yourself money and energy. They will pay for themselves in a year. Want some more pricier, long-term updates? Read the 2009 Family Guide to Going Green by GreenandSave.com.

We won’t even talk about the greenhouse implications of what it costs to produce a cheeseburger…