DIET TIP OF THE WEEK: Reduce plastic water bottle use. Buy a reusable bottle or a filter for your tap.

DIET TIPS - WHAT YOU CAN DO OR STOP DOING

MODIFY YOUR ELECTRICITY AND HEATING USE

Electrical power plants are some of the biggest contributors of harmful emissions, so reducing electrical energy usage is a responsible choice.  There are several ways to do this:

• Turn computers, printers, and monitors off when not in use, or at least put them on standby or “sleep”.   You can set up your computer to go into standby or sleep mode or turn off after a specified number of minutes of inactivity. (Go to settings, then control panel, then power options to do this.)  If your computer does not have a standby or sleep mode, for example Windows NT systems, turn off your monitor when it is not in use. Do not use screen savers as energy savers as they continue to use the monitor at full power and do not conserve energy.
• Turn off lights whenever they are not needed – either because the room is empty or because natural light is sufficient.  This is one of the easiest ways to save energy.  Or install motion sensors so that lights automatically turn on when someone is in the room and turn off when empty. Lighting accounts for about 21 percent of commercial energy consumption and about 12 percent of home energy consumption, and a lot of it is an unnecessary waste. Nightlights (LED ones- super-efficient- are available now, too) are useful for hallways to light your way without more candepower than is necessary.
• Use compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)- often found on sale subsidized by Focus on Energy.  They use one-fourth of the energy of an incandescent bulb, last at least 10 times longer, and release much less CO2 into the atmosphere. CFLs contain some mercury, so proper disposal is important.* They now come in "cool daylight" variety and don't have "that awful pink/yellow tint but feel like sunlight." There are CFLs which can be used with dimmers, but that must be specified on the package. LED lights are even more efficient, and do not contain mercury. They will not work for all applications, and now are quite expensive, but keep your eye out for them.
• Adjust your thermostat down by two (why not more?) degrees in winter and up two (why not more?) degrees in the summer.  Put on or take off clothes instead of using the extra energy. Turn the thermostat down for sleeping, and invest in extra blankets.  Use a programmable thermostat timer for automatic turn on or shut off.  Always turn the thermostat down or up when you will be away. Why heat or cool an empty house?
• Unplug un-used electronics.  Even when electronic devices are turned off, they use energy. Cable boxes and video game boxes, and to a lesser extent TVs and VCRs, use almost as much energy when they're off as when they're on. Make it easy to turn them all the way off—plug them into a power strip and turn off the whole strip.
• Defrost refrigerators and freezers (except for auto-defrost models) for greater efficiency.
• Use solar lights for your patio or walkway instead of electric. They cost less than $20 and don't produce CO2.
• Block out natural light on hot summer days to keep the heat out and save on cooling costs.
• Pull down window shades at night and close the curtains when the weather is cold. Window coverings make a "wall" that helps keep heat inside your home.
• Remove interior heat with "thermal siphoning". When the inside temperature is higher than the outside temperature, open the lowest windows on the side from where the breeze is coming. Leave interior doors open, and open the upstairs windows on the opposite side of the house. The warm air in your house will draw upwards and out the upper window, an effect called 'thermal siphoning'.
• Keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120°F. Water heated to between 120° and 125° is hot enough –this is about midway between the "low" and "medium" settings on most water heaters.  Insulate your water heater with an insulating jacket (cost under $15).  (This step has more effect on older water heaters which were not as well insulated.) Always follow the manufacturer's instructions given in your owner's manual.
• Have your home furnace and air conditioner tuned up, and change or clean your air filter regularly so that the units run at their maximum efficiency. This could save you 5 to 15 percent on your energy bills.
• Utilize ceiling fans to move air and provide the feeling of greater warmth or coolness which allows you to set your thermostat lower or higher and save money on heating and air conditioning.
• Be conservative about water usage in general, but especially hot water usage.  Water is precious; everyone can save through simple actions. Municipal water systems require a lot of energy to purify and distribute water to households. Water-conserving or low-flow shower heads (with a shut-off valve to conveniently turn off water while soaping up) can cut hot water use in half. Take shorter showers, and don’t use more pressure than necessary. Remember to turn off the water when you’re not using it, for example, while brushing your teeth, shaving, shampooing the dog, scrubbing dishes, or soaping up your car. Invest in high-efficiency faucets or aerators. Some aerators have a turn-off valve to allow convenient turn on-turn off without resetting the faucets. Other options regarding hot water are to switch to a tankless water heater or a solar water heater. See the EPA's Water Sense site and a new site, H2OConserve, for good information about water efficiency and its importance. H2O Conserve has a calculator to measure your water footprint, including as well as it can the water used to make the products you buy. According to H2O Conserve, most of the fresh water used in the US goes to agriculture (for watering crops), power plants (for cooling), and industry (for manufacturing goods). A much smaller portion of our water supply is used for domestic purposes (including both indoor and outdoor home use). In fact, our energy system is responsible for 39 percent of our entire fresh water use, our farms use 40 percent, and our factories use about 4 percent.
• Do laundry in cold or warm water and always use cold water for the rinse cycle. In addition, wait until you have full loads to do laundry.
• Line-dry your clothes instead of using the dryer. Electric dryers use five to ten percent of residential electricity. If you don’t like the stiff feel of line-dried clothes, put them in the dryer for 5 minutes before hanging them. If you do use a dryer, try “dryer balls” or some tennis balls to fluff the clothes and reduce drying time. www.laundrylist.org
• Insulate your home. (See Home Improvement section of Focus on Energy.) This is a biggie.  Add extra insulation to your walls and attic, and install weather stripping or caulk around doors and windows, which may result in a 10 to 30 % reduction in heating  & cooling costs. Check for places where heated or cooled air can escape from your home, like cracks or holes in walls and ceilings; sites where plumbing or wiring penetrate walls, floors, and ceilings; and leaks in attic doors, and seal them. An energy audit will help you find those leaks.
• Switch to double pane windows if replacing windows. Good windows save a lot of energy. Keep the storms if you can- they add an extra layer of protection.
• Install a whole house fan in your home. These fans can supplement or replace air conditioning on summer nights by quickly bringing in cooler evening and night outside air, resulting in lower utility bills.
• Plant deciduous trees on the south, east, and west sides of your home to provide shade and cut air conditioning costs. In some studies, researchers have seen a 20 to 30 percent reduction in electricity consumption for air conditioning when residents planted shade trees. Planting trees is also important because they suck up carbon dioxide.
• Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.
• Use your oven judiciously.  Don’t bake at midday on a hot summer day, don't preheat longer than necessary. Use energy-efficient products.  Look for the Energy Star label and check efficiency when purchasing appliances.  Inefficient appliances and furnaces waste a lot of energy.
• Here's a useful site about saving electricity: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/
• Avoid the big-screen plasma TV's- they are energy hogs. According to a Wall Street Journal article, those getting them for Christmas are going to be in for a surprise when the utitlity bill comes. Being on an average of 5 hours a day, they may use almost twice as much as a refrigerator. The EPA has not rated TV's with an energy guide to help consumers in making proper choices.
• Get a home energy audit to find out where your home is poorly insulated or energy-inefficient. Contact Focus on Energy to find a home energy auditor near you.
• Develop a plan to reduce daily electricity use around your home. Ask each member of your household to take responsibility for a different electricity-saving action.  Make a game of it-give “tickets” for violations of your home energy policy.
• Be sensible about outdoor lighting.  Install motion sensitive lights instead of those that stay on all the time. There are a lot of outdoor solar light options as well.

 

ADJUST YOUR TRANSPORTATION HABITS

How and how often you choose to travel is a key choice that can produce a large amount of emissions. There are several ways to make responsible choices in this area:

• BEST IDEA - DRIVE LESS.  Walk, or bike, or use public transportation. Ask for and offer to share rides with others- to work, to events, to shop.  Many communities have rideshare programs, or you can establish one yourself through the internet. (www.erideshare.com) Plan errands to consolidate trips. Get inspired by reading the book Divorce Your Car:Ending the Love Affair with the Automobile by Katie Alvord.

• For greater fuel efficiency: Keep your tires inflated.  Check them regularly. Gas mileage goes down with underinflated tires.
• Check your car's air filter regularly according to the manual schedule - a dirty filter reduces fuel efficiency.
• Slow down- GO THE SPEED LIMIT and drive less aggressively.  Speeding reduces fuel efficiency, as does rapid acceleration and braking.
• Eliminate extra weight, especially on top of the car.  I suppose this includes dieting.
• Know when to use the air.  Air conditioning can decrease your fuel efficiency by as much as 12 percent in stop-and-go traffic, so consider cracking the windows. 
  
• Don't idle. If you are stopping for more than ten seconds—except in traffic—turn off your engine.  Idling for more than ten seconds uses more gas and creates more pollution than simply restarting your engine.
• Fly less, or not at all. 1700 lbs. CO2 per average domestic flight is a lot of emissions. If you feel you must fly, purchase carbon offsets- see below- to invest in clean energy elsewhere. (see below under PROMOTE GREEN ENERGY OPTIONS)

MAINTAIN YOUR HOME & CONSUME RESPONSIBLY

Making a responsible consumer choice can save a lot of energy. HOW you consume products for your home, office, and community can either increase energy use or curb your carbon. What products you buy make a difference, too. There are resources available which rate companies on their performances in areas which may be of concern to you.

BETTER WORLD SHOPPER is a site dedicated to providing people with a comprehensive, up-to-date, reliable account of the social and environmental responsibility of 1000 companies AND making it available in practical forms that individuals can use in their everyday lives. Coming out of more than 5 years of intensive research, this work is based on a comprehensive database and utilizes 25+ reliable sources of data to cover everything from the environment to human rights, community development to animal protection. It also sells a pocket guide: Every Dollar Makes a Difference- The Better World Shopping Guide.

The mission of Coop America is to harness economic power- the strength of consumers, investors, and businesses- to create a socially just and economically sustainable society. It has a National Green Pages, a directory of screened green businesses.

Here's some tips:

• Buy products locally, and buy local products. Support your local merchants as much as you can. Buying local products reduces the amount of energy required to get products to you. If local produce is available, why should you buy something that has been shipped from California or Florida? Supporting local businesses makes for a strong local economy, and usually involves driving less. Ask your local merchants to carry the "green" or other products you want, and guide them toward resources if necessary.
• Reduce plastic and energy waste by avoiding bottled water and other plastic bottles. Buy a reusable bottle and fill it from your tap, using a filter if you have concerns about purity. (Much bottled water is tap water from somewhere.)
  
• Fix leaky faucets and toilets. Did you know a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day? Repair all toilet and faucet leaks right away.
• Reduce garbage:  Buy minimally packaged goods.  Packaging takes energy to produce and dispose of.  Let businesses know that you do not approve of over-packaging. Choose reusables instead of disposables. Take your own bags with you when shopping. Recycle paper, plastic and glass, and purchase recycled items to ensure there is a market for recycled goods. Compost your food waste, and use your compost for fertilizer.
• Support local food growers, farmers' markets, and Community-Supported Agriculture(CSA). Encourage them to go organic. The chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce.
• Eat less meat. Consider eating 2 vegetarian meals a week. Producing meat is very energy intensive. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released a report concluding that livestock is responsible for 18 percent of our world global warming emissions.
• Bring cloth bags to the market or reuse plastic and paper bags.  It reduces waste and requires no additional energy. Saves the breath of those saying “paper or plastic?” Heart of the City has reusable bags for sale.
• Receive and pay your bills online. It's easy, and saves a lot of paper.
• Recycle your clothes. Donate your clothes to Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, Easter Seals (which offers convenient pickup in many places) church organizations, and thrift shops, or share them with friends. Purchase clothes from thrift shops. Fashion recycles itself, why shouldn't you too?
• Be an informed consumer. Learn about environmental issues so you can make wise choices for yourself and your family. For example:
• Buy only toilet paper, tissues and paper towels that are made from recycled paper. Does it make sense to use virgin timber from the Canadian boreal forest to create these things?
• Get rid of junk mail.  It creates a lot of wasted paper and time. The following website has instructions for how to remove yourself from junkmail. http://www.obviously.com/junkmail/ If you do get junk mail, be sure to recycle it.  You can also reuse blank sides of junk mail for printing and scratch paper. Catalog Choice is an easy, free service that allows you to decline unsolicited catalogs, reducing the number of catalogs in your mailbox and lightening your footprint on the environment. Take a look at their Environmental Facts section. The numbers are staggering. Catalogs and magazines with glossy paper use spruce, much of which is lowland spruce and very slow growing. The boreal forest, which provides spruce, harbors more nesting bird species than any other ecosystem in the temperate latitudes.
• If driving, be sure to combine shopping trips, or coordinate with a friend to shop together.
• Plant a rain garden and set up a rain barrel to catch runoff from your roof and keep it on your property. Stormwater runoff is a big problem, creating pollution in streams, rivers, and lakes, and can invade your basement when city sewer systems are overtaxed.
• Rethink lawn care and home landscaping. Use a person-powered push mower, which consumes no fossil fuels and emits no greenhouse gases. If you do use a power mower, make sure it is a mulching mower to reduce grass clippings. Compost your yard waste. (In Fort Atkinson, this can be done at the city compost site.)
• Make your own dog waste composter- a bottomless garbage can buried in the ground so that the doggy doo decomposes into the subsoil. As a recent Rock River Coalition newsletter points out, pet waste is a large contributor to the pollution of our streams, and pet owners can do something about it.
• When remodeling or building, get informed about green building choices which will make your home and the materials and process of building it as green and energy efficient as it can be.  There are many resources on the internet to help with this. http://www.madisonenvironmental.com/services_buildgreen.html . In Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin Extension has a guide to green building. The Wisconsin Green Building Alliance (WGBA) facilitates and promotes the development and use of ecologically sustainable materials and practices within Wisconsin's built environment.

PROMOTE GREEN ENERGY OPTIONS

• Support renewable energy through your utility. Does your utility company sell energy from renewable sources, like wind and solar? In southeast Wisconsin, you can sign up with WE Energies to support energy from renewable sources.  This will result in higher energy bills for you, but in the long run should spur the renewable energy market.
• Buy carbon offsets or renewable energy credits (also known as green tags). Help spur the renewable energy market and cut global warming pollution by buying carbon offsets. Carbon offsets enable individuals and businesses to reduce the CO2 emissions they are responsible for by offsetting, reducing or displacing the CO2 in another place, typically where it is more economical to do so.  Carbon offsets typically include investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects. As more and more people are concerned about global warming and seeking to reduce their climate impact, carbon offsets, as well as doing your best to reduce your energy usage, provide an important solution to global warming. They are not all equal however. See Clean Air- Cool Planet's Consumers Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers and Coop America. The offset for a trip to the west is about $12.
• Invest responsibly, encouraging development of renewable energy. Find some information at Coop America' s website.

ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY ACTION

You can work within your community to promote energy efficiency and use of clean energy.

• Make sure that public buildings are models of energy efficiency and encourage the incorporation of energy efficiency techniques in community construction or remodeling projects.
• Urge your local library, businesses, and church or synagogue to install bike racks.
• Promote community carpooling plans and the construction of bike lanes and sidewalks.
• Work to change local zoning ordinances and other regulations that involve energy use.
• Encourage your local electric utilities to promote energy efficiency and the use of clean, renewable energy sources.
• Read about the Natural Step movement, based on some core principles to understand and demystify sustainability, and look for a study circle near you.  Sustain Jefferson, TNS Monona and Heart of the City are resources for this.

STATE AND FEDERAL SOLUTIONS

The government at all levels needs to play a leadership role in addressing global warming, and you can help make this happen.

• Write to your local newspaper about the significance of the global warming threat and the need for leadership.
• Monitor your newspaper's coverage of this issue and write in response to any stories or letters that dismiss global warming.
• Write or call the President to let him know that you expect him to be an international leader on this issue. Do not expect him to write back.
• Contact your congressional representative and senators to encourage them to support actions to address the root causes of global warming and much air pollution: the excessive burning of fossil fuels.
• Ask your governors, state legislators, and public utility regulators to promote energy efficiency, nonpolluting transportation alternatives, and the development of clean, renewable sources of energy -- like solar and wind power.
• Tell government officials that you want them to push industry to protect the future health of the environment by reducing carbon emissions, and protecting air, water, and land quality.

For additional Diet Tips visit: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/actionsteps.html

  *Recycling burnt-out CFBs is the best option. In Fort Atkinson, Ace Hardware has a bin for these spent bulbs. To find out if there are recycling options near you, call 1-800-CLEAN-UP for an automated hotline, visit earth911.org, or contact your local government agency in charge of household hazard waste. Should a bulb break, take these simple safety precautions for cleanup. First, open nearby windows to disperse any vapor that may escape. Carefully sweep up the fragments (do not use your hands) and wipe the area with a disposable paper towel to pick up all glass fragments. Do not use a vacuum. Place all fragments in a sealed plastic bag and follow disposal instructions above.