How to Go Green and Save Energy in America Right Now
83American Wastefulness
Listen up fellow-Americans. It’s time for action. We are the third most populous country in the world, right behind China and India. We account for 5% of the world’s population, but we consume more than 25% of the world’s energy. We are the ultimate consumer society, using up more of just about everything than our fellow human beings around the world. We are also the world’s number one producer of greenhouse gases, (though China and India are quickly gaining on us and China has, by some measures, recently surpassed us it this area.)
Still, we take first place as the most wasteful people on the planet. Let’s do something about our over-consumption. If there is one thing we excel at as a people, it is innovation and “thinking outside the box.” So let’s do it. We are a people that prizes individual freedom over everything else, so as individuals, one American at a time, let’s find ways to curb our over-indulgence. Even if the price of oil has tripled and the cost of food is going through the roof, we still live better than 80% of the people on earth. So let’s stop bellyaching and roll up our sleeves. Here are a few suggestions for what each one of us can do right now to “right-size” ourselves as consumers and to preserve the precious natural resources of the planet we share with all other living things.
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Useful Energy Links
- Energy Savers: Energy Savers Guide: Tips on Saving Money and Energy at Home
Really useful tips from on making your home more energy efficient. - Home Energy Saver
Home Energy Saver. Calculate your energy output and find ways to save - Energystar.gov.
discover just how efficient your appliances are - 1 Bag at a Time : Reusable Bags .The Problem& Solution
Five SimpleThings You Can Do
1. Recycle
The United States is number one among countries in the world in per capita trash production. Every American generates a staggering 1600 pounds of trash annually—that’s over half a ton per person. And all that trash has to be disposed of which takes even more energy and costs lots of money. Most American communities of any size have recycling programs for glass, paper and plastics. If your town doesn’t, or you have no municipal trash collection, find a recycling center near you and periodically take your glass, paper, and plastic to it. In some states, you can redeem glass bottles and aluminum cans for cash.
Petroleum is used in the production of plastic and by recycling you will be helping to lower American dependence on imported oil. That’s why it’s important to recycle plastic bottles and bags. Did you know that the petroleum in 14 grocery store plastic bags could make enough gasoline to drive a car for one mile? The average supermarket uses 25,000 plastic bags each day. Buy and use your own fabric bags for groceries and other sudries. Many supermarkets sell them and more and more people are catching on to this quite painless way to help save the planet.
Here’s another interesting fact. Americans consume 2.5 million bottles of water( mostly in plastic bottles) every hour. Only 10% of those bottles get recycled. Recent studies show that chemicals leaching into the water from the plastic bottles can be toxic. In addition, the petroleum used in the manufacture of those bottles could power many cars for many miles. Consider using tap water instead of bottled water at home. If you don’t like the taste you can filter it either by installing a water filter or using a portable charcoal filter such as the Brita filters, which not only filter out chlorine and heavy metals, but a variety of other impurities as well. A pitcher like the one pictured above is not costly and as you see, it and the filters can be ordered from Amazon.com right here and now at the click of a mouse.
2. Use Cloth Instead of Paper
Wash it and reuse it instead of throwing it away. It’s more energy efficient to use cloth napkins, tablecloths, dishtowels, hand towels, and even diapers. It’s cheaper too, even if you take into consideration the cost of laundry. A weekly diaper service costs less than disposable diapers and some say it’s better for baby too. Consider using cloth, at least sometimes, to save energy and money. Unless you are going on a picnic, stay away from plastic cutlery and dinnerware as well. These are far more wasteful and expensive than washable metal and china.
3. Conserve Electricity
Every light bulb in your house, except for reading lights, should be one of the new energy saving florescent bulbs. These use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. You will save approximately $30 per year in electricity costs for each bulb you replace.
Your refrigerator is an energy hog. It probably accounts for up to 15% of your electric bill if it is 10 or more years old. If you can, replace it with a new, energy star model. If this is not an option, consider lowering the temperature one or two degrees. It’s surprising how much energy this will save, especially if you open and close the refrigerator door frequently. When buying a new fridge, you can save energy and money by opting not to install an automatic ice maker and the fancy “in the door” ice water and ice making options. And here’s a really easy one. Remember to turn out the lights when you leave a roomJ
Saavy Hubbers Speak
- How to Use Less Electricity
- How To Recycle Plastic
Everything you need to know - How to Sidestep the Trash Tidal Wave
A must-read ! - Make Your Own-Cloth Napkins
step by step directions
4. Heating and Cooling
In winter, turn your thermostat down just two degrees during the day and program your thermostat to go down to 55 degrees Fahrenheit at night. You’ll be surprised at the money you save. Turn your hot water heater down two degrees too. If you have central air conditioning, follow the same procedure in summer. Turn the thermostat up two degrees. It won’t be quite as cool, but you’ll be reasonably comfortable and use less energy. Make sure ductwork is clean and change filters regularly for optimum performance. Have both heating and cooling systems professionally serviced annually to keep them running at peak efficiency.
5. Driving Your Car
You probably already know a lot about this one, given that the price of gasoline has doubled in the past year, but just in case, here are some things you can do to conserve fuel and stretch your gas dollar (and no, I’m not going to suggest that you trade in your SUV for a Hybrid because I know you’ve already thought of that) But do you know that driving 55mph instead of 65mph will save fuel? It can make quite a difference on a daily commute. Try it. Also, don’t carry a bunch of stuff around in your trunk if you don’t have to. The heavier the load, the greater the gas consumption. Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Low tire pressure means more gas. Consider carpooling. Whether you have a daily 50 mile commute to your job, or a weekly drop off and pick up at your daughter’s ballet class, consider teaming up with others going where you are and sharing the ride. Doing this can seriously lower your gasoinel costs-- not to mention wear and tear on your vehicle. It goes without saying that if public transportation is available, leaving your car at home and taking the bus or train will almost invariably save you money, and is easier on the environment. It is unfortunate that the United States has lagged so far behind the rest of the developed world in providing good cheap public transportation for its citizens. Perhaps this will change in the future, but for the moment we Americans are, for the most part, stuck with driving our cars to get wherever we need to go.
So that’s it. I leave the major changes like solar panels, wind farms and hydrogen powered cars to the big boys in the think tanks and corporations. I know they are working on it and they’ll come up with something. But right now, if every American made just one of the small changes suggested in this article—we could make a big difference for ourselves and for the rest of the world. There are over three hundred million of us after all. Let’s stop complaining and get down to business. Let’s stop being wasteful consumers and go back to being the smart, individualistic, practical nation we once were.
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Good article! I have finally started using my new cloth grocery bags.
I think more people are starting to change their ways, but we need lots of reminders.
You may want to see my "trash" hub;
Very good and timely. There is no question that our lifestyle is not sustainable. It seems to me that as a nation we have our priorities all screwed up. We work long hours to buy more material goods. Then we stuff them in the closet and fail to use them. We are obsessed with getting things. We would all be better off if we simplified our lives. And we would ensure the future of our planet for generations to come.
Good information. We need more people raising their voices until everyone starts to listen.
Great hub Robie! We all need to do our part.
regards Zsuzsy
Great advice Robie2.
Another positive thing you can do is to buy food that is produced locally wherever possible - but the globalisation of the food industry makes this a bit difficult sometimes.
I guess that practices like oranges and grapes from America being shipped to Australia will die out as transport costs soar.
Or that people will just vote with their wallets and decide not to support environmentally wasteful practices like this.
Hi everyone and thanks for all these wonderful comments--where to start-- yes I hate plastic too:-) Rochelle, thanks for the link--I'll go have a look and John, you are so right, we have gotten out of whack as a societyZsuzsy<waves> thanks for commenting. It is always sooooo good to have you drop by. Eric I agree-- I too am a great fan of local and sustainable--I buy from local farmers very often and it's funny, I notice that as the prices at the upermarket go up due to transportation costs, the price difference between locally produced produce and the supermarket stuff is shrinking..... very interesting.
Great hub. We are doing most of the above. We put out more recyclable trash (two tubs--one for paper and one for plastic, glass, metal, etc.) than non-recylcable trash (1/2 garbage can) each week. We feed most of the food wast to our worm farm.
That price-shrinking difference is a good thing. Fresh is alway best-- and no trash wrapping is another plus. We usually have a good sized garden, but I always want to see what the other local people are growing.
Fantastic post! I didn't know about the 14 plastic bags making enough gas to go a mile.
Hi Ralph--impressive recycling job you are doing--worm farm???? Now I'm really impressed:-) and Rochelle, I agree that the price shrinking is a good thing and I think there will be more of it as transportation costs continue to rise. I also buy fresh eggs from a local farm and they are wonderful, however close to double what I would pay in the supermarket:( and Jim-- thanks for your comment. i got that 14 plastic bags and driving one mile statistic from a wonderful website that I linked to in the linx section of this hub, but just in case here it is again--go have a look.
Great hub. I agree with all the way. As a supplier in the building product industry, I've seen current building codes adopting many energy-saving practices and products. They do drive up the cost of a new home, but the long-term effects are beneficial.
Great tips and excellent hub. I have always used florescent lights, which saves lots of money on utility bills and helps conserve energy. Also, during the day if I am home I open all the curtains and turn off every single light in the house because the light from outside is bright enough lighting, plus you get a beautiful view by doing this :).
Thanks for reading Rob and Sweetiepie--glad to hear builders are getting on the bandwagon, Rob and I like sunlight too Sweetie-Pie:-)
Well, I'm not a 'fellow American', and I'd have to say that most Western Europeans are already quite environmentally aware and are doing many of these things as routine. However, in the Middle East, where I live now, the waste is even more extreme than in the US. Petrol here is cheaper than water and is not respected. People aspire to stupidly big cars with 5.5 litre engines, and buildings are chilled ridiculously cold, with typically a 20 Celsius degree differential outside to inside.
Another I'd add to your list is - eat less! Here it is quite horrible to see the quantities of food eaten by expats from US & Europe and the oil rich locals, and compare it with the diet of the immigrant workforces. Some of us are literally eating our fellow humans into starvation.
A great hub as usual Robie. Although aimed at Europeans, this advice is also very relevant to Europeans, even if we're somewhat more practised at you with some recycling!
The fridge tip was very useful thanks.
Great hub robie2! I started using the cloth bags for grocery shopping and now I can't imagine using anything else. They are easier to carry and I get a nickel off for each one I use. It's encouraging to see people taking this into their own hands instead of waiting for our boneheaded government. George went hat in hand to the Saudis again---ugh. So painful to watch. When will we get a comprehensive energy policy instead? Thanks for all the excellent reminders!
Hi paraglider--interesting to get your perspective from the Middle East--funny how wastefulness seems to become a status symbol all over the world, isn't it? Agree with you about the food and am going to do a whole hub on jsut tha one of these days. Food wastefulness in America is staggering.
I went to my local fabric store and bought some simple linen cloths - about 2-3 feet square. With these I sewed my own shopping bags, which I bring with me to the store. They cost about $5.00 to make and perhaps an hour of time, and I have used them for just about 10 years.
They are tattered a bit, worn from use, but I've mended them and plan to finally return them to the Earth - linen is very biodegradeable! I will buy ten more squares and make new bags this summer. The old bags will compost nicely and help my fledgling garden grow.
Peter-- good to see you and thanks for the comment. Yes, Americans and Western Europeans certainly live on the top shelf together, though Europe is just a bit less wasteful and more socially enlightened in many ways(medical care, vacations, government ssponsored child care etc.) Glad you liked the fridge tip:-)
pg and chef Jeff--whew the comments are coming so fast I'm getting out of sync--but never mind. pg--I'm a cloth bag girl now too and love it--onlhy problem is when I take them in the house, unload them and then forget to put them back in my car for next time:-) And Chef Jeff--I'm very impressed--you get the recycler's gold medal for your linen bags and you've been doing it longer than I have so extra kudos to you. Making your own is a great idea. Thanks
Thank you for this! Thankfully I was raised with a lot of this awareness from a small child, but sometimes it makes me sick seeing how much people waste on a daily basis. I lived in UT for a short time as a college student where recycling was pretty much unheard of and people threw all kinds of plastic away. Thankfully it sounds like most of the country is starting to turn around in that regard. I just wish people would realize what they can do on their own at home.
I too am doing my bit to reduce my carbon footprint..which as you mentioned is not just good for environment but can be cheaper too..what more reasons do people need to be resourceful..
Great hub!
Hi MyAdvice,CS, and freelegit--thanks for stopping by--better to light a candle than to curse the darness eh? One by one, all over the owrld, we can do a lot.
Thank you for the reminders, and for bringing up a few things I wasn't aware of!
and thank you,Amy jane for reading and commenting:-)
Nice to make your aquaintance robie2. I'm a communication tower climber and while I enjoyed your article I was drawn to the last section about driving your car. I'm what you could say enslaved by the oil companies. In my line of work I travel on the road in my personal truck for my company around the greater part of the west coast clear to canada even and all the way to Texas. I live in Ca. so naturally you can imagine what my deisel expenses are for a 4x4 crew cab 3500 silverado. It's only a year old and has over 107k miles on it already. (This is ok though, it's a deisel and I never keep a truck for more then 2 years) I drive my vehicles pretty hard going up dirt roads towards remote desitnations hours up a mountain side towards a communication tower. Other times the towers we work on are not even accessible by 4x4 vehicles and require helicopter trips. (think of us next time you drive by and notice a communication tower on some mountain)
Obviously I put in some huge road time I rack up double time on the clock for my deployment hours, I get paid per dium and my mileage reinbursed as well. Naturally the cost is taken care of but I spend over $1,000 a week on some occasions all in the name of communications. My truck is a neccessity for the work I do and the equipment / loads I must carry. Sometimes my 1 ton has been overloaded as well if you can imagine that. I had no choice, just a lotta steel and hardware, transmission line and 2-3 other linemen that all pile in with me with their personal effects as well. My truck is pretty important for the line of work and I bet you can imagine the costs.
Yes, it pisses me off that deisel is on average $4.79 per gallon and ever increaseing towards the 5 dollar mark. I can remember back in the day myself when I used to bitch about smokes when they put a tax on my marlboro's and they became a buck twenty five.... $1.25! I would scream. Time to quit!!! I say this now with total conviction.
I can't wait to quit driving!
good morning,PLM--nice to meet you too:-) That's quite a story you have--makes ordinary commuter costs look puny. You are indeed enslaved--by deisel no less. Hats off to you and your workmates. In your line of work you can't exactly work from home or drive less--Thanks for adding your comment and I hope one day soon you will be able to quit driving:-)
A great hub as always, Robie! Like you, I'd been using cloth bags for grocery shopping and then forgetting to return them to the car. So now, as soon as they're empty, I hang them on the front door knob as a "gentle reminder". However, if you do find yourself at a store without your bags, ask...insist!...that your items be sacked in ye olde brown paper bags. Yes, this means a tree died to make them, but trees are a renewable source, oil is not.
What a good idea, Jamagenee, hang them on the front door--yeah I do get paper over plastic,-- it's not only renewable, it's biodegradable and won't c clog up the landfills and the oceans for thousands of years. Glad you stopped by.
btw, hanging laundry outside on a clothesline or lacking a yard, inside on racks and rods is another energy saver, to the tune of 2.5 kilowatts PER LOAD. Jennifer has a great hub about this:
Yes it is, and thanks for reminding me,Jamagenee--think I'll go back in for a little edit and add that info. I love the smell of sun dried sheets anyway:=)
Lynn and I recently took a 3 day trip 200 miles to the east coast of Florida and kept our speed at 55. We enjoyed the drive, had better control of the car, DID NOT fall asleep, and saved on gas by nearly 1/3. It can be fun to think of ways to re-use and re arrange our life. While I'm not committed to riding a bike everywhere yet, we can drive and live smarter.
Great suggestions and a wonderful way to start making sensible changes!!
Hi Marisue--thanks for reading--yep--it doesn't take much effort to really make a difference--and what amazes me is that it really isn't a hardship at all. I'm not a bike rider either--but I do walk downtown instead of driving these days and feel better for it in addition to conserving gas:-)
Actually, plastic would be capable of turning back into oil if we were smart and created deep-wells for recycling plastic. It would take time, of course, and since oil took a long time to form as well, I guess it would be like replenishing that which we took.
Of course, it would also take long-term commitment, and that is something we Americans seem to lack. Also, there would be no immediate profit from it, so I guess that rules out that it will ever get done.
But just the same, with time and the pressure of the earth above it, plastics would eventually turn back into a kind of oil.
good steps that people can take to make a difference; the first step is to realize that we do have an effect on our ecosystem.
Chef Jeff--interesting point--never crossed my mind. I bet with enough pressure plastic could become oil again and when it becomes cost effective, we just might do it.
Bob, you are so right--the first thing we need to do is realize that we do have a problem, and that even small changes can make a difference
Thanks to both of you for such good comments.
Robie, I like your writing style about living green in America, which is the greatest energy consumer per person on this planet. You addressed exact action plan on five main topics. That is really not to much to understand, to remember and to deeply comprehend for an average Joe, as me. Saving energy and material could really save us so much money, other material resources and our environment, as well.
Right you are, Solarshingles. In the long run doing the right thing will also save us money. Living Green is really very practical--and renewable energy from the sun is something we should have already been working on for decades. The upside of the price of oil is that we are doing it now. Thanks for your comment.
Robie,
Wow, by reading your Hub I have realized there is so many more ways I could be living green! I really enjoy my air conditioning in the summer, so I am not too good at practicing the ideas of how to save energy. I have been much better as now I do recycle. I too saw how much waste we have by plastic bottles and do in fact have a water filter system in place. I promise I will try and do better on my quest to save the planet! We really all do need to work together don't we?
Hi doghouse and thanks for such a good comment. Yup, seems to me if we all do just a little something it can make a big difference and BTW it is 97 degrees here today and I have my air conditioning going full blast. I'm not into being a nut about this--just thinking. Great that you have a water filter system--the plastic bottle situation is just shocking and so easy to remedy.
Turning the heat way down at night is a very good way to help out, and it actually is very comfortable sleeping weather that way as well!
Hi 02SmithA, and thanks for commenting. Yes, there are so many small ways to save energy that really don't hurt but can make a big difference....turning down the heat at night is a good one.
great hub heres my advice give people more tips on how to save energy
i´m going to try and get my family more invovled in helping the enviorment
Thanks Minnie-- I might well add more tips to this hub--there are so many things we can do and they all help. Thanks for your comments
Great article! We are trying to implement many of these, but are doing it gradually so it more easily becomes a complete lifestyle change. My next change is to go to cloth grocery bags. Hard since there are so many of us and I would need a lot of bags. But I'm going to do it one bag at a time till I have enough.
Gradually is the best way I think, RGraf--good luck to you. Every little bit helps and we are all in this together:-) Thanks for reading and commenting.
Great article! Thanks for helping Americans be more environmentally friendly! I have written a similar article at: http://hubpages.com/hub/Easy-Ways-to-Save--and-Go-
Wow Robie! 11 months ago! And I thought you were a recent greenie! (LOL). Great article and timeless. We all need to live green in America and think about ways to save energy.
Hi Steph-- nah I was green before green was cool-- back in the day when JimmyCarter had solar panels on the White House LOL Thanks for stopping by.
cool hub!!!
Excellent Hub. Makes you think that people who pollute more and contribute more to the destruction of natural resources, which are often less aware of this. Thanks.
and thank you for taking the time to read and comment--happy to meet you. Following you now and looking forward to reading your hubs
Great hub! Definitely working on greening up myself, my farm and my publishing company. Excellent tips too-- keep up the good work! :)
Thanks Earl-- good to see you:-)
Robie, this is one of those truly "evergreen" Hubs. Written two years ago, it is as valuable today as it was then. So, I linked to it from my Hub on using rutabagas creatively. Who needs Mr. Pototo Head plastic body parts when we can use rutabagas and veggies instead? :)
hehheh, an evergreen hub on green living eh? So glad you liked it ST and thanks for the backlink-- much appreciated-- I'm going over to read your rutabaga hub immediately...... I love you recipes and hope you have included one there. Always good to see you and thanks for stopping by.
Great tips. An awesome hub.
Glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment
Your article still holds true years after you first wrote it. This would really help the world while its trying to get green energy sources.
sadly we are still the most wasteful people in the world, although the good news is we are better than we were-- thanks xmobile for your kind words and for stopping by
Trust me, this is not a problem only being faced by Americans...you gotta come and see the developing countries. We need to spread this awareness on a global scale. Great page though. I like the way you have given statistical proofs. This makes the points much more convincing then just simply stating them. You may like my page on cutting on electricity bills through green means. http://www.squidoo.com/green-guide-saving-on-energ
True Sayeen-- this is not just an American problem....but we do pollute so much more that if we don't clean up our act, it doesn't matter who else does. We really take more than our share. But it is indeed a global problem and I am on my way over to read your squidoo lens right now. Thanks for dropping by and commenting. Much appreciated.
Patty Inglish, MS Level 7 Commenter 3 years ago
Thanks for the reminders. I HATE PLASTIC!!!! Great review of what we can do daily.