The Weather Outside is Frightful

The Climate Change Summit is going on in Copenhagen right now and you can hear all about the protests and controversies on television or read about them all over the internet.

This is my favorite ‘news’ source:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
World of Warmcraft
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

I, personally, am not into this whole ‘green’ thing. I believe in global warming and the efforts to counteract it, but I’m not going to sit here and lie about being carbon neutral or whatever. I drive an SUV and I love it. I eat meat and non-organic vegetables. I like to travel and I am absolutely leaving a carbon footprint.

With that said, I must also tell you that I love the other ‘green’ thing – money. The reason I mention this is that there are several things we can do to help our environment and save money. I’m sure this post isn’t going to tell anyone anything they don’t know, but maybe it will be that extra push in the right direction.

- Turn off lights and electronics when you aren’t using them. If you’re only in 1 room of your house or apartment at a time, why would you leave other lights on? That’s a waste of electricity AND money.
- Unplug electronic appliances when you aren’t using them. Even when ‘off’ electronic devices suck energy if plugged in. If you don’t use your toaster everyday, why leave it plugged in? What about your laptop when it’s hibernating?
- Recycle cans and bottles. In most places you’ve paid a deposit on those bottles and sure it’s chump change and maybe there’s a stigma about collecting your $0.05 but a) it’s money and b) it’s good for the environment. 2 birds, 1 stone.
- Turn off or at least turn down the AC when you’re sleeping. Wrap up tight in your blanket and you’ll sleep just as well. Maybe even better with that good feeling of having extra cash in your bank account.
- Turn off the heated drying cycle on your dishwasher. The dishes will air dry just fine.
- Insulate your homes, upgrade to double paned windows, upgrade to more efficient (energy star) appliances. Yes, this is upping the ante a little, but in most cases these are completely worth while investments. You’ll save not only on your utility bills (and eventually make up your costs), but you’ll improve the value of your home. This is, in most cases (do your research before acting), a long-term win.

Any of you have any other good ideas I can impliment in my own life?