Easy Things To Do
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Easy Things You Can Do
No cost or low cost ways to save money and energy
| I will take showers that last 5 minutes or less. | You save up to 9,125 gallons of water per year. |
| I will fill a reuseable bottle with water and drink from that instead of buying bottled water. | You will be cutting the number of plastic bottles that are in our community and will be using our local water resources. |
| I will turn the lights off when I leave a room. | You save wasted energy and money and air pollution. |
| When a light bulb burns out, I will replace it with an energy efficient bulb. | One compact fluorescent bulb saves about 600 pounds of coal over the life of the bulb. |
| I (and my family) will wear sweaters and set our thermostat between 65 and 68 degrees F during the day and lower it to between 55 and 58 degrees F at night. | You save energy and money and, if your home uses fossil fuels, you prevent air pollution. |
| I will use cloth bags or previously used paper/plastic bags when I go shopping. | If you say “no thanks” to two bags a day, that is 700 bags per year and you will save one 15 year old tree from destruction. |
| I will drive the speed limit. | Driving 55 mph will save you up to 30% in fuel costs compared with driving 75 mph. The most fuel efficient range is between 35 and 45 mph. |
| I will buy recycled paper products. | Recycled paper requires 64% less energy and 58% less water, which results in 74% less air pollution. It saves the demand for 17 trees per ton of paper made. |
| Before I buy a tool that I need for one job, I will check to see if I can borrow it from a friend. | You lessen the demand for the resources to produce the items you have chosen to share instead of buy. You save money and you have additional things to enjoy at no cost to our planet. |
| I will turn off appliances with a power strip | Save up to $36 per year |
| I will dry my wash on a clothes line | Two loads of wash per week will save you $44 per year |
| Drive fewer miles this year | Walking, biking, carpooling all will save you money |
| I will buy local food and other goods | Save gas by buying locally and save money on food that does not have a big shipping price attached |
| I will plant a garden | Even a small garden can grow a lot of food. If you rent, check with the Pleasant St. Community Garden at 773-5633 to see if you can have a garden plot there. |
| I will can, dry, freeze or store food in a root cellar for the winter months | Preserving food you grow or grown locally in the summer will give you high quality food at a much lower price |
| I will mow my grass with a manual or electric mower | It’s good exercise and less expensive to do |
| I will buy and use a programmable thermostat | A $30 investment can cut your heating bill by 10-15% |
| I will use insulated curtains to reduce the need for heating and cooling | You will be more comfortable, save energy, and save $$ on your heating bills |
| I will use fans instead of air conditioning | Fans cost 30-70% less than air conditioning |
| I will use cold water in your washing machine | You will save several dollars per load |
| I will seal ductwork in my forced hot air heating system | Save $63 per year |
| I will join a Low Carbon Diet group | The average American household uses 55,000 lbs of carbon/yr. Get group support to lower your carbon footprint 10% which will reduce carbon emissions in your home by 5000 lbs! Call 773-7004 for info and to register. |
NEXT STEPS: Big Savings that will last for years
| I will reduce energy loss by insulating my home | 20-80% savings on your heating and cooling bills |
| I will replace old single pane windows with energy efficient double panes. | 5-20% savings on your heating bills |
| I will replace old appliances with energy start appliances. | 30-80% savings over the old appliances |
| I will replace my old heating system with an energy star certified efficient system | 10-30% savings on your heating bill |
| I will purchase a tankless water heater | Up to 50% savings on your water heating bills |
| I will install a solar hot water heating system | 50-80% savings on your hot water heating costs |
| I will install a solar electric (photovoltaic) system | 50-80% savings on your electricity |
| I want to support the Greening Greenfield campaign and help build more renewable energy. I will call 800-287-3950 or go to www.NewEnglandWind.org and pledge $5/month or make a one-time donation. | Investing in renewables makes our electricity more secure. Greening Greenfield will receive a matching gift equal to your donation, thanks to a grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.
Thank you! |
Cool Things To Do
- Get a home energy audit through MassSAVE to see exactly how energy efficient your home is. It’s FREE ! Then cut your energy use and save $. MassSAVE will pay 75% of the cost of air sealing and insulating your home, up to $2000 and they offer 0% interest loans up to $15,000 for additional energy-saving work. Contact: MassSAVE.com or call 866-527-7283 for more information.
Go to the New England Carbon Challenge link and calculate your carbon footprint. It is fun and you may find more ways to save energy, save money and decrease your carbon footprint, too!
Explore other parts of the Greening Greenfield web site.
Please Join the 10% Challenge by clicking here!
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