How hard is it to change a light bulb? Pollution prevention is a lot simpler than most people think. Common sense solutions, one household at a time, are quick, easy and give immediate results. For instance, a fluorescent bulb six-pack costs less than $20. Replacing half a dozen incandescent light bulbs only takes a few minutes and can save $180 or more in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulbs.
Fluorescent bulbs last up to ten times longer that incandescents, use 75% less energy and give off 75% less heat. Consumers who make the switch will not only see an immediate reduction in their electric bill, they'll also save on summer cooling costs because of the reduced heat load.
It gets better. If every household in the U.S. replaced six incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, we would save over three and a half billion dollars in energy costs annually. That's enough energy to light 18 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions from the equivalent of nearly five million cars.
American consumers throw away about 4.6 pounds of "trash" per person every day. That adds up to 230 million tons of daily solid waste. We must either burn or find landfills to bury more than 75 percent, less than one-quarter of our waste is recycled.
Each person can make a big dent in these staggering numbers if they embrace the mantra "reduce, reuse and recycle" one small step at a time.
Consumers can reduce their trash output and save money at the same time by buying in bulk, avoiding overly packaged items and minimizing their purchases of single use throwaways. What if more people reached for a washcloth or sponge instead of tearing off a strip of paper towels?
Consumers save money and resources when they use their own bags at the grocery store. Most supermarkets, in an effort to reduce their operating costs, take money off the final tab when customers bring their own bags.
If something can be reused, don't throw it away. Sometimes an item can be made serviceable again. A minor repair can save both time and money. And if people have perfectly good items they neither need nor want, other people can put them to good use.
The Freecycle Network is a worldwide organization made up of thousands of local chapters that promotes reuse of "good stuff" to keep it out of landfills. Their mission is "...to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."
It works. It's the ultimate recycle. People list their unwanted furniture, computers, bicycles, etc. online and, usually within minutes, people who want these items respond. Arrangements are made for pickup (via email and phone) and unwanted items find new homes instead of ending up in a landfill.
Wasting water lets money (and a precious resource) run down the drain. Simple sensible solutions like only running the washing machine or dishwasher with a full load can easily save money, energy and resource.
The American suburban lawn takes a lot of heat as a water waster. Dr. Doug Welsh in his July, 2005 paper "Lawns Don't Waste Water, People Do!" says "The lawn has a tremendous mitigating effect on the environment, reducing heat loads, noise, and water and air pollution.
A lawn is second only to a virgin forest in the ability to harvest water and recharge groundwater resources."
Lawns get their poor reputation when people abuse irrigation resources. Proper irrigation methods, planting lower water demanding adapted turf grasses, cutting higher to shade roots, and decreased fertilization are all simple low cost methods that will save precious water and yield a better lawn that's easier and cheaper to maintain.
Small things do make a difference. How hard is it to change a light bulb, to run your washer only when full or give "good stuff" away and save it from premature burial in a landfill? The simplest solutions are often best. They are inexpensive, measurable and bring immediate benefits - one step at a time.
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"Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs : ENERGY STAR." 8 Mar 2009 <http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls>.
"What's In Our Trash | Consumer's Handbook for Reducing Solid Waste | Wastes | US EPA." 7 Mar 2009 <http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/wycd/catbook/what.htm>.
Welsh, Dr. Doug. "Lawns Don't Waste Water, People Do!." 6 Jul 2005. 8 Mar 2009 <http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/drought/drought2.html>.