Clean Up Earth

The Electric bill can get pretty expensive in the southern part of the US during the summer.  The A/C units are cranked on almost full time which sucks up electricity, and mony out of your wallet.  There are also unneeded electronics that draw power full time, even when powered off.  Here are a few suggestions on reducing your electric bill.

1.  Programable Thermostat – This is a must.  It’s important to turn down your A/C or heater when you head to work each day.  Although, if you’re like me, you forget to do this often.  Programable thermostats offer a relatively inexpensive solution to this problem.  Most people have a schedule to maintain, so program the thermostat to turn down or turn off the A/C or heat during times that you don’t expect to be in the house.

2.  Timers - Another drain to your pocket book and the environment, is unused electronics.  In my case, I have a VCR, DVD, Radio Receiver, Wii, and Computer all plugged in to electrical outlets in my living room.  Even if these are powered off, some of them still draw power due to clocks or other features like charger for Wii remotes.  I found that a simple timer can eliminate the wasted energy that’s being consumed while I sleep and over the course of a year, it can also save some extra cash.

3.  Windows – I know your probably thinking I’m taking about replacing windows, and while you’re right.  That can save you money and conserve energy, many people can’t afford new windows especially during this recession.  So, open your curtains to bring in light instead of wasting electricity by turing on lights.  Also, if it’s a nice day outside, open the windows and resist the urge to turn on the A/C.

4.  Light Bulbs – Converting from incandescent light bulbs to flourescent light bulbs can definitely reduce your energy consumption.  It might not be as cost efective at first since a flourescent light bulb costs on average of 3 to 4 dollars more than incandescents.  However, in the long run, you’ll save money and electricity since fourescent light bulbs usually last longer and require about a quarter of the energy to operate.

5.  Insulation – If you are able to climb up into your attic, a good solution for conserving energy and saving money on your electric bill is to add insulation.  This might not be the easiest thing to do, and might be worth hiring a professional, but much of the energy loss in a house is due to poor insulation.

6.  Attic Fan – If you live in a Southern state, it’s very important that you have an attic fan (preferably solar powered).  This is very important in the summer since it helps to remove the heat trapped in your attic which of course keeps your house cooler.

Powertochoose.com is a great way to save money, and to come up with more environmental solutions for your household electric needs.  Powertochoose is a Texas company, only for use by Texas residents, but it compares electric company rates and specials. 

Many of the larger companies have overcharged for years, and continue to raise rates.  Fortunately, you can reduce your electric bill drastically by choosing one of the other less expensive companies.  Initially, I was concerned about doing this.  My thinking was “My power is going will shut off all the time for no reason”, and “This must be a scam….They’ll take my money, and then close down their company” .  Well, I tried it, and couldn’t be more happy.  As soon as the company I was currently with raised their rates, I’d go with a different company.  You can also lock in your rate for a year or more. 

However, one of the more interesting things that I notice, is that you can search for power companies that use specific percentages of renewable engergy.   Some of the companies use 100% renewable energy.  And while those companies have a slightly higher rate than a lot of the electric companies, they are by no means the highest charging companies.  I usually find that they are in the middle of the road.  As a matter of fact, the company I was using at one point (0% renewable energy) was charging me 6% more than the company that was 100% renewable. 

So, you can save money and help save the environment by switching your electric service using the powertochoose.com tool to guide your way.  It’s a start in the right direction.

Recycling can be a pain sometimes.  There’s the sorting, the extra trips to the trash can, the cleaning, and in general, it’s just not fun.  However,  if you are organized in your recycling process, you’ll find that it’s actually easy and benefitial for you.   Because I don’t like to make trips to the recycle bin every day, there’s 4 step process to the way I currently recycle. 

1.  Kitchen:  First off, I make sure I have 1 recycle bin and 1 trash can in the kitchen.  I also have a bucket outside the back door for veggie scraps and anything that would go good in the compost pile.  I both of these things, because I don’t like to take daily trips out to the trash and compost pile.  I found that I became very irritated with recycling when I had to do this.

2.  Garage:  I have a slightly larger trash can and recycle bin  in the garage.  So, when my trash and recycle bin is full in the kitchen, I empty it to the garage cans.  This, once again, prevents me from having to open the garage, and go to the recycle bins and trash cans every day.  I know it might sound lazy, but anything you can do to make recycling easier on you is a benefit.

3.  Recycle bins:  Because of steps one and two, I usually only go out to the recycle bin once or twice a week.

4.  Compost pile:  As I said, I throw food scraps into a bucket outside.  Once a week, I take the bucket to the compost pile.  You can then re-use the rich dirt for gardening, or refilling plant pots.

This process keeps everything neat and clean, and is the easiest way for me to recycle without getting frustrated.  This may not be the best way for you, but work at it a while, and you will figure out the most efficient way for you to recycle at your home or appartment.

It’s actually somewhat easy to make some money or benefits by recycling and reusing products. First off, recycling is a good thing no matter how you look at it. Landfills are increasing in size drastically, and will only continue to grow as we use up more resources. Recycling is the answer to at least reducing the amount of landfill space we take up. It also limits the need for cutting down as many trees for paper products, reduces the amount of oil, water, and other natural resources used to make plastics, metals, and glass products. By recycling, you’re helping to clean up the earth for future generations. However, it’s also good to make money while doing this. You’re probably not going to get rich by doing this, but any amount of money can help, and once you get into a routine of recycling, it doesn’t take much extra time to separate your recycled products from your non-recycled products.

1. Recyclebank.com: This is my favorite of all the ways to make money recycling. I was already recycling when I found out about this, so to me, this was a no brainer. http://www.recyclebank.com is a service that monitors how much you recycle, and then gives you reward points based on the weight of your recycled goods. The points can be redeemed for discounts to local stores, restaurants, magazines, products, and most importantly, 10 dollar gift cards (Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, Home Depot, and more). It usually takes about 1225 points to get one of these 10 dollar gift cards which takes me about 3 to 4 months of recycling to get, but since I was already recycling, it was worth it. There are also ways to speed up the process. I had too many recyclables for my existing recycle container, so I ordered an extra recycle bin which helped me rack up points even faster. Also, I found that my work doesn’t recycle, so I put out a trash can for recyclables at work, and then take it home to my recycle bins every few days. It’s very easy to earn points once you get started. It also shows you how many resources you’ve saved by recycling (see image below). Go to recyclebank.com for more info.

2. Composting: I know what you’re thinking. Dirt is cheap. You’re right, but like I said, we’re just talking about saving or making a little money, not how to become a millionaire recycling. So, instead of throwing all my extra scrap vegetables in the trash, I started throwing them out in pile in the backyard. I originally didn’t expect to do much with it, but eventually the pile started to grow, so I decided to throw other things in there such as yard clippings and dead leaves. The pile grew big enough and was comprised of such rich dirt, that I started using it to level sections of the yard, and in my small garden which saves more money since I’m now growing my own vegetables and herbs out of my compost pile. Of course, once you get into this further, you’ll probably want to build a compost bin, and aerate the pile. So, I saved money by not having to spend money on good soil, and reduced my grocery bill since I’m using that soil to grow vegetables.

3. Recycling Rain: I don’t see many people doing this, but this can be a real saver of money in the summer months of most areas of the US. I’m talking about using Rain Barrels to recycle the rain. I have my gutters setup to flow all rain water in my rain barrels. I’ve sunk a submersible pump into the bottom of the rain barrels, and when summer comes around (when there are water restrictions in my area), I use my saved up rain water to water my lawn and garden. This saves a ton on my water bill in the summer months.

4. Recycled Paints: Many cities in the US recycle paints and give them away to their citizens. Next time you have to paint a room in your house, instead of going to the local hardware store to spend 50 to 150 bucks on paint, check with your local city to see if they have a recycle paint program. This can save you money on your next home improvement project.

5. Job from green company: The “Green Industry” is booming right now. It’s a good time to look for a job with a company that’s responsible for recycling, solar or wind power production, or with the government since that is a high priority with the current administration.

6. Unused Items: There’s no need to throw away old unused items such as cloths, furniture, toys, etc. Instead, get on ebay or craiglist and see if you can sell the items (what’s one man’s trash is another man’s treasure). If you can’t sell the items, just go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and donate it. You will get tax deductions for this which can further save you money.

7. Reusable Grocery Bags: Now this isn’t a big savings, but it’s actually kind of convenient. Instead of using the paper or plastic bags at grocery stores, use re-usable grocery bags. This will limit the amount of trash/recyclables you have to throw away, and will save you a small amount of money on your grocery bill. (usually 5 cents per bag depending on the store)

8. Cans: Go to a local recycle center that pays for cans. Also, many grocery store parking lots around the country have recycle can centers where you can insert aluminum cans, and get back money depending on how much you place in the bin. Although, if this is too much hassle (it is for me), I just recycle it in my recycle bin, to get more points from recycle bank.

9. Batteries: It’s really hard to make much money recycling batteries since most companies want to buy batteries by the ton. However, you can get rid of these batteries, without filling up the land fills, by bringing them to Home Depot for recycling. Also, Car Batteries (made of Lead Acid), can be sold for usually around 7 dollars a battery. Check your local auto stores to see if they purchase batteries. You can also go to http://www.cf-core.com/batteries.htm to sell used car batteries.

10. Computers and electronics: It’s not easy to dispose of computers since they have parts that are not supposed to be put in our landfills. Usually, you are actually charged a fee for disposing of computer equipment. So, instead of being charged a fee, disassemble and sell parts on ebay or craigslist. If you’d rather not hassle with doing that, you can also donate the old computer to various non-profit organizations (such as Salvation Army and Goodwill), and take a tax deduction which will save you money at tax time. You can also turn in old toner cartridges to Staples for store credit.

It’s a set of techniques used to increase the gas mileage you your car. The techniques involve accelerating slower, braking less, drafting, and typically trying to prevent the amount of time that your car is sitting idle doing nothing. There are also technical things that you can do to your car to help increase mileage such as lightening your car weight, using fuel additives, aerodynamics, and more.

Recycle bank is a really cool way to earn benefits based on how much you recycle.

If your city has the technology, they will install a scanner on your recycle bin. Every time the recycling truck comes by, it automatically scans the bin, and weighs the material that is recycled. Then recycle bank give you reward points based on how much is recycled.

You can use your reward points for discounts at many stores, restaurants, and discounts on various products. You can also redeem your points for gift cards to places like Home Depot, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Old Navy, and more.

If you’re already recycling and your city uses recyclebank systems, there is no reason not to sign up and start earning points. Head to recyclebank.com for more info.

Hello. I created this blog to discuss environmental issues and solutions for global warming, resource conservation, alternative energy, and anything related to keeping our earth clean. Hope you enjoy it here.

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