Carbon Friendly

In the Home
  • About half the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling! Change air filters annually, have your system checked annually and using a programmable thermostat are all easy things to do. Just by using a programmable thermostat, you can save about 1,800 pounds of carbon dioxide a year and about $100 a year in energy costs.
  • Close up any visible cracks and gaps in your house, install adequate insulation, check that ducts are sealed and choose energy efficient qualified windows when replacing old windows.
  • Turn off your TV, video player, stereo and computer when you aren't using them. Turn off your lights when you don't need them and you start saving within a minute or two.
  • For a water heater more than five years old, wrapping it in an insulating jacket will result in 1,000 pounds per year reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120 degrees F or 48 degrees C and you can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 550 pounds per year. Use less hot water by installing a low-flow showerhead.
  • Use a push mower, which, unlike a gas or electric mower, 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, Composting your food and yard waste reduces the amount of garbage that you send to landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Plant a tree - a single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
  • Avoid products with lots of packaging. You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.
  • Everyone can save water through simple actions. Municipal water systems require a lot of energy to purify and distribute water to households, and saving water, especially hot water, can lower greenhouse gas emissions. Do not let the water run while shaving or brushing teeth. Do not use your toilet as a waste basket for toiletry items - water is wasted with each flush. And did you know a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day? Repair all toilet and faucet leaks right away.

Climate models suggest that global warming will cause more frequent extreme weather conditions. Intense hurricanes, heat waves, fires and drought will become more common.