Greening the Home

How To Go Green Around Your House

By Dr. Ashraf Hanafy Mahmoud Mohammed

Many people want to go green, in the face of such clear and deadly climate change. However, they are not particularly sure how. Though you may recognize how important going green is to help future generations, you may think you cannot do much to help. However, every small step you take to combat climate change helps. By following the simple tips below, you can help change the impact you have on the environment, starting today. 

On cold mornings, stop starting your car for a few minutes before you get into it. Additionally, don't idle your car if you are waiting for someone, if you are pulled over, or if you are waiting to pickup a child from school. Though the heat in your car may not be as hot, and you may have to ride in mild discomfort for a brief period of time, is saves you from wasting gas, and puts less exhaust into the air. Making the amount of fuel you waste and the amount of emissions you produce less are both great, free, and easy ways to decrease your carbon footprint. Additionally, they actually save you some money per month, which is a rewarding reason to do them.

Shut down your PC or laptop every night. Though this may mean you have to wait a few seconds for it to boot up again in the morning, shutting down your PC is one of the only ways to ensure it stops consuming energy. If your computer is a laptop, consider unplugging it at night, too, so that it does not continue to draw energy despite not being powered on. If unplugging electronics is difficult because of the location of the outlet, consider using a power trip, and switching the whole block of electronics off as your go to sleep.

Check with your utility companies to see if you can utilize green energy, like that produced by tides, wind, or the sun. In some areas, you will be unable to do anything without going completely off-the-grid and producing your own energy. In others, though, you can contact another power company that may produce its own wind energy.

Drop the heat in your heated house, or raise the heat in your air-conditioned house, by one or two degrees. This small measure adds up greatly over time, and does not make much of a difference in the actual feel of how warm or cold your house is. You can also decide to turn on your heat later in the year, if possible, or not air condition your house one summer. Set 'temperature limits' when you will turn on the air conditioner or turn off the heat. If it gets above 50 degrees, but lower than 95, consider not using any heat or air conditioning.

Do you laundry in cold water. In addition to preventing your colors from running, washing your clothes in cold water means that you will not have to use energy to heat up the water your clothes are washed in. 

Pay bill online to save paper. Additionally, stop getting the newspaper, and read your news online.

Register with the Direct Marketing Association website, to stop receiving junk mail and having to throw away paper.
Saving energy is a process that occurs through small steps. By taking the simple, small steps above and adopting them into your lifestyle, you can go green, save money, and preserve the environment for posterity.

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