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Why Go Green: 8 Ways to Make the Case
by Trey Granger Published on July 13th, 2009
This story is part of Earth911’s “Green Eight” series, where we showcase eight ways to green your life in various areas.
We’ve all been there. A co-worker or family member throws that plastic bottle in the trash. Your response: “Hey, that’s recyclable!” In return, you get a blank stare followed by “So…Why does it matter?” While thousands of reasons flood your brain, how do you translate those into a simple, easy statement that sums it all up?
Don’t worry. We are here to sort through all the mumbo-jumbo with some stock replies that lay out easy answers to that complex question. From reduce to reuse, with a little recycle mixed in, our eight green activities are easy to translate to even the toughest of crowds.
Bored? Head outside for a bike ride or a round of tennis. You'll work up a sweet and get back to nature. Photo: Phillyburbs.com
1. Take It Outside
Why Apply: In general, outdoor activities use less energy while offering a more natural experience, and often times, cleaner air. For all our outdoor worries, we spend up to 90 percent of our lives indoors, where pollution levels are often higher than they are outdoors, based on volatile organic compounds released by paint and cleaning supplies.
How to Do It: Take a hike! We’re not trying to throw you out but, Gorptravel.com is a great place to find info on national parks, hiking trails and forests.
2. Power from the People
Why Apply: Energy use is a huge deal, but why? All energy sources, including fossil fuels, coal and natural gas, give us the ability to run our cars and power our homes. However, energy use is not without its consequences. The harvesting, production and use of these energy sources leads to byproducts and in some cases, greenhouse gases. It’s easy to know what your impact is and more important, how to effect it. There are carbon calculators, energy audits and even programs that weigh your recycling.
How to Do It: Monitor energy usage on your utility bill and set a target for the following month. You can find high energy-draining devices using a Kill-a-Watt and save heating/cooling energy with a programmable thermostat. Check your next bill for a progress update and keep reducing until you hit the target.
3. Upgrade Your Plastic Recycling
Why Apply: You may already recycle plastic bottles in your curbside program and bags at your grocery store, and this represents a good majority of the plastic we use. But as a whole, we recycle less than 7 percent of plastic, and often times this plastic is landfilled because we don’t know where else to take it.
How to Do It:
- Take bottle caps to your local Aveda store
- Mail used gift cards, hotel key cards and other plastic cards to Earthworks
- Ask your local shipping store if it reuses packing peanuts and Styrofoam blocks
- Your local Whole Foods may accept Brita filters for recycling
- If you have biodegradable plastic, it can be commercially composted
Add some green to your backyard and create a healthy output of resources for your garden. Photo: Rhodo.co.nz
4. Let Organics Nourish Your Yard
Why Apply: A healthy garden is beneficial to the environment. But part of every garden is yard waste, such as leaves, weeds and tree trimmings. This organic material can be combined with food waste in a composting bin, which converts it into nutrient-rich fertilizer to use in the garden. In laymen terms, your garbage from yesterday could be your free soil of tomorrow.
How to Do It: Start a compost pile. If that step is down the line a little, you can do other things today to help get you in the swing of things. The next time you mow the lawn, let grass clippings decompose instead of collecting them. This is known as grasscycling and provides nutrients to the remaining grass while reducing the water requirements for your lawn.
5. Give Your Car Some DIY Love
Why Apply: Many times we associate gas mileage with how eco-friendly our car is, and that’s understandable. But just because a car is capable of 30 mpg doesn’t mean you’ll automatically achieve it. In addition to smart driving, there are several do-it-yourself jobs that can improve your car’s performance and save you money. For example, under-inflated tires can significantly reduce your gas mileage and reduce the life of your tires.
How to Do It: DIY activities for your car maintenance range from monitoring/re-filling your car fluids to testing your air conditioning system. If you’re not much of a car person, make sure you stay on track for schedule maintenance with your dealership or mechanic.
6. Make Your Paperless Documents Shine
Why Apply: The idea of going paperless makes sense, especially since it accounts for about a third of our total waste. Beyond the waste factor, non-printed items can easily be jazzed up to make a better impact on the viewer. Save trees and get creative, it’s a win-win.
How to Do It: Take advantage of features offered in email programs and word processing documents. You can often import templates and choose non-traditional fonts that will stand out on a computer screen. Play with color and photos and let your imagination be your guide.
Utilize social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about your eco-activities. Photo: Foxnomad.com
7. Speak Up
Why Apply: How many times have you heard one person can’t make a difference? Regardless of how you feel about the statement, one person is not what it use to be. With the Internet, most people have a much larger reach then they did 10 years ago.
No matter how you decide to be green, you have an opportunity to educate others in the process. In today’s age of blog posts, Facebook updates and hourly Tweets, there are plenty of outlets to green by example.
How to Do It: After you’ve finished making your own household cleaners, tell others your secret recipe and steps to avoid. You can even brew extra and offer it to friends to get them started.
8. Small Things Add Up
Why to Apply: Think those things you do every day are not making a big difference? Believe it or not, you can always make your green activities even greener. Carpooling takes one car off the road, but a pair of carpoolers taking public transportation once a week takes two cars off the road. It really starts to add up.
How to Do It: Let’s take a step further. You’ve already cut your shower time to reduce water use. Now, put a bucket underneath the faucet to capture water before you’ve reached the desired temperature. You can use this clean water for plants, washing your car or even flushing the toilet while using less water. It’s tweeking your everyday effort to make it even bigger.
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ENERGY SOURCES
Nonrenewable
Energy sources are of two types: nonrenewable and renewable. Energy sources are considered nonrenewable if they cannot be replenished (made again) in a short period of time. On the other hand, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind can be replenished naturally in a short period of time.
Nonrenewable Basics
The four nonrenewable energy sources used most often are:
Nonrenewable energy sources come out of the ground as liquids, gases, and solids. Crude oil (petroleum) is the only commercial nonrenewable fuel that is naturally in liquid form. Natural gas and propane are normally gases, and coal is a solid.
Fossil Fuels Are Nonrenewable, but Not All Nonrenewable Energy Sources Are Fossil Fuels
Coal, petroleum, natural gas, and propane are all considered fossil fuels because they were formed from the buried remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
Uranium ore, a solid, is mined and converted to a fuel used at nuclear power plants. Uranium is not a fossil fuel, but is a nonrenewable fuel.
Electricity
The energy sources we use to make electricity can be renewable or non-renewable, but electricity itself is neither renewable nor non-renewable.
Electricity Basics
Electricity Is a Secondary Energy Source
Compact fluorescent light bulbs use a fraction of the electricity as incandescent light bulbs to produce the same amount of illumination.
Electricity is the flow of electrical power or charge. It is both a basic part of nature and one of our most widely used forms of energy.
Electricity is actually a secondary energy source, also referred to as an energy carrier. That means that we get electricity from the conversion of other sources of energy, such as coal, nuclear, or solar energy. These are called primary sources. The energy sources we use to make electricity can be renewable or non-renewable, but electricity itself is neither renewable or nonrenewable.
Electricity Use Has Dramatically Changed Our Daily Lives
Before electricity became available over 100 years ago, houses were lit with kerosene lamps, food was cooled in iceboxes, and rooms were warmed by wood-burning or coal-burning stoves.
Many scientists and inventors have worked to decipher the principles of electricity since the 1600s. Some notable accomplishments were made by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla.
Benjamin Franklin demonstrated that lightning is electricity. Thomas Edison invented the first long-lasting incandescent light bulb.
Prior to 1879, direct current (DC) electricity had been used in arc lights for outdoor lighting. In the late 1800s, Nikola Tesla pioneered the generation, transmission, and use of alternating current (AC) electricity, which can be transmitted over much greater distances than direct current. Tesla's inventions used electricity to bring indoor lighting to our homes and to power industrial machines.
Despite its great importance in our daily lives, few of us probably stop to think what life would be like without electricity. Like air and water, we tend to take electricity for granted. But we use electricity to do many jobs for us every day — from lighting, heating, and cooling our homes to powering our televisions and computers.
Renewable
Renewable energy sources including biomass, hydropower, geothermal, wind, and solar provide 7% of the energy used in the United States. Most renewable energy goes to producing electricity.
Renewable Basics
What Is Renewable Energy?
Renewable energy sources can be replenished in a short period of time. The five renewable sources used most often are:
What Role Does Renewable Energy Play in the United States?
The use of renewable energy is not new. More than 150 years ago, wood, which is one form of biomass, supplied up to 90% of our energy needs. As the use of coal, petroleum, and natural gas expanded, the United States became less reliant on wood as an energy source. Today, we are looking again at renewable sources to find new ways to use them to help meet our energy needs.
In 2008, consumption of renewable sources in the United States totaled 7.3 quadrillion Btu — 1 quadrillion is the number 1 followed by 15 zeros — or about 7% of all energy used nationally.
The Role of Renewable Energy Consumption in the Nation's Energy Supply, 2008
Click to enlarge »
Over half of renewable energy goes to producing electricity. About 9% of U.S. electricity was generated from renewable sources in 2008. The next largest use of renewable energy is the production of heat and steam for industrial purposes. Renewable fuels, such as ethanol, are also used for transportation and to provide heat for homes and businesses.
Renewable energy plays an important role in the supply of energy. When renewable energy sources are used, the demand for fossil fuels is reduced. Unlike fossil fuels, non-biomass renewable sources of energy (hydropower, geothermal, wind, and solar) do not directly emit greenhouse gases.
Why Don’t We Use More Renewable Energy?
In the past, renewable energy has generally been more expensive to produce and use than fossil fuels. Renewable resources are often located in remote areas, and it is expensive to build power lines to the cities where the electricity they produce is needed. The use of renewable sources is also limited by the fact that they are not always available — cloudy days reduce solar power; calm days reduce wind power; and droughts reduce the water available for hydropower.
The production and use of renewable fuels has grown more quickly in recent years as a result of higher prices for oil and natural gas, and a number of State and Federal Government incentives, including the Energy Policy Acts of 2002 and 2005. The use of renewable fuels is expected to continue to grow over the next 30 years, although we will still rely on non-renewable fuels to meet most of our energy needs.
How Do We Measure Renewable Energy?
Each of the energy sources we use is measured, purchased, and sold in a different form. Many units of measurement are used to measure the energy we use. Learn more about converting energy units in the Units and Calculators section.
Hydrogen
Like electricity, hydrogen is a secondary source of energy. It stores and carries energy produced from other resources (fossil fuels, water, and biomass).
Hydrogen Basics
What Is Hydrogen?
Hydrogen is the simplest element. Each atom of hydrogen has only one proton. It is also the most plentiful gas in the universe. Stars like the sun are made primarily of hydrogen.
The sun is basically a giant ball of hydrogen and helium gases. In the sun's core, hydrogen atoms combine to form helium atoms. This process — called fusion — gives off radiant energy.
This radiant energy sustains life on Earth. It gives us light and makes plants grow. It makes the wind blow and rain fall. It is stored as chemical energy in fossil fuels. Most of the energy we use today originally came from the sun's radiant energy.
Hydrogen gas is so much lighter than air that it rises fast and is quickly ejected from the atmosphere. This is why hydrogen as a gas (H2) is not found by itself on Earth. It is found only in compound form with other elements. Hydrogen combined with oxygen, is water (H2O). Hydrogen combined with carbon forms different compounds, including methane (CH4), coal, and petroleum. Hydrogen is also found in all growing things — for example, biomass. It is also an abundant element in the Earth's crust.
Hydrogen has the highest energy content of any common fuel by weight (about three times more than gasoline), but the lowest energy content by volume (about four times less than gasoline).
Hydrogen Is an Energy Carrier
Energy carriers move energy in a useable form from one place to another. Electricity is the most well-known energy carrier. We use electricity to move the energy in coal, uranium, and other energy sources from power plants to homes and businesses. We also use electricity to move the energy in flowing water from hydropower dams to consumers. For many energy needs, it is much easier to use electricity than the energy sources themselves.
Like electricity, hydrogen is an energy carrier and must be produced from another substance. Hydrogen is not currently widely used, but it has potential as an energy carrier in the future. Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of resources (water, fossil fuels, or biomass) and is a byproduct of other chemical processes.
Because hydrogen doesn't exist on Earth as a gas, it must be separated from other elements. Hydrogen atoms can be separated from water, biomass, or natural gas molecules. The two most common methods for producing hydrogen are steam reforming and electrolysis (water splitting). Scientists have discovered that even some algae and bacteria give off hydrogen.
Steam Reforming Is a Widely-Used Method of Hydrogen Production
Steam reforming is currently the least expensive method of producing hydrogen and accounts for about 95% of the hydrogen produced in the United States. This method is used in industries to separate hydrogen atoms from carbon atoms in methane (CH4). But the steam reforming process results in greenhouse gas emissions that are linked with global warming.1
Electrolysis Creates No Emissions but Is Costly
Electrolysis is a process that splits hydrogen from water. It results in no emissions, but it is currently an expensive process. New technologies are currently being developed.
Hydrogen can be produced at large central facilities or at small plants for local use.
How Much Hydrogen Is Produced in the United States?
About 9 million metric tons of hydrogen are produced in the United States annually, enough to power 20-30 million cars or 5-8 million homes. Most of this hydrogen is produced in three States: California, Louisiana, and Texas.
Most Hydrogen Is Used in Refining, Treating Metals, and Processing Foods
Nearly all of hydrogen consumed in the United States is used by industry for refining, treating metals, and processing foods.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the primary user of hydrogen as an energy fuel; it has used hydrogen for years in the space program. Liquid hydrogen fuel lifts NASA's space shuttles into orbit. Hydrogen batteries, called fuel cells, power the shuttle’s electrical systems. The only by-product is pure water, which the crew uses as drinking water.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells Produce Electricity
Hydrogen fuel cells (batteries) make electricity. They are very efficient, but expensive to build. Small fuel cells can power electric cars. Large fuel cells can provide electricity in remote places with no power lines.
Because of the high cost to build fuel cells, large hydrogen power plants won't be built for a while. However, fuel cells are being used in some places as a source of emergency power, from hospitals to wilderness locations.
Portable fuel cells are being sold to provide longer power for laptop computers, cell phones, and military applications.
Hydrogen Use in Vehicles
Today, there are an estimated 200 to 300 hydrogen-fueled vehicles in the United States. Most of these vehicles are buses and automobiles powered by electric motors. They store hydrogen gas or liquid on board and convert the hydrogen into electricity for the motor using a fuel cell. Only a few of these vehicles burn the hydrogen directly (producing almost no pollution).
The present cost of fuel cell vehicles greatly exceeds that of conventional vehicles in large part due to the expense of producing fuel cells.
Hydrogen vehicles are starting to move from the laboratory to the road. The U.S. Postal Service, a package delivery company, a few park rangers, and a few private utility companies are also using hydrogen vehicles.
The Refueling Challenge
Currently, there are 58 hydrogen refueling stations in the United States, about half of which are located in California. There are so-called “chicken and egg” questions that hydrogen developers are working hard to solve, including: who will buy hydrogen cars if there are no refueling stations? And who will pay to build a refueling station if there are no cars and customers?
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Tips for Improving Air Quality
Tips for Improving Air Quality
Stay away from smoke.
Give up smoking, discourage smoking in your home, ask smokers to smoke outdoors or ventilate rooms in which smoking is taking place.
Support measures to strengthen air quality control in your community.
Encourage car pooling, mass transit, and cleaner manufacturing processes.
Plant a tree.
Protecting and planting trees will help create natural air filters in our cities and neighborhoods.
Drive a fuel efficient vehicle, walk or bicycle.
Your Child's Health
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, children, far more than adults, have an increased susceptibility to the environmental hazards that wreak havoc on human health. The National Academy of Sciences has also concluded that children need far greater protection from many environmental threats than adults. More than 70,000 new chemical compounds have been introduced in our environment over the past forty years; whether these compounds correlate or not, childhood cancers are up 15% since 1973.
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FOR HEALTH'S SAKE!!!
Heathy living, naturally and locally...
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Use natural soaps and cleaning products. |
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Reduce the amount of animal products you eat.. |
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Start composting your kitchen and yard waste. |
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Buy locally grown and/or organic produce. |
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Grow only native plants and don't use pesticides, fertilizers, or chemicals. |
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Support a local science institution, such as a zoo, aquarium, botanical garden or nature center. |
An organic garden can supply you year after year with fresh and healthy organic food for a fraction of the price you would pay in a grocery store. While establishing an organic garden does take time and patience, there are ways to plan your green garden so that it practically takes care of itself.
Composting is the decomposition of plant remains and other once-living materials to make an earthy, dark, crumbly substance that is excellent for adding to houseplants or enriching garden soil. It is the way to recycle your yard and kitchen wastes, and is a critical step in reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent to landfills for disposal.
Most produce in the US is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed on supermarket shelves, and is shipped for an average of 1500 miles before being sold. And this is when taking into account only US grown products! Those distances are substantially longer when we take into consideration produce imported from Mexico, Asia, Canada, South America, and other places. We can help now by buying locally grown food whenever possible. By doing so you'll be helping preserve the environment, and you'll be strengthening your community by investing your food dollar close to home.
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SAVE YOUR ENERGY!
Simple ways to save energy...
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Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). |
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Walk, bike, or use public transportation instead of driving. |
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Put on a sweater instead of turning up the heat. |
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Shut off lights, computers, and other electronic equipment when you're not using them. |
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Use a fan instead of air conditioning. |
The typical U.S. family spends about $1,900 a year on home utility bills? Unfortunately, a large portion of that energy is wasted. And each year, electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. And as for the road, transportation accounts for 67% of all U.S. oil consumption. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to save energy and money at home and in your car. Start making small changes today (see sidebar). To cut your energy use up to 25%, see the Long-Term Savings Tips throughout this booklet.
The key to achieving these savings in your home is a whole-house energy efficiency plan. To take a whole-house approach, view your home as an energy system with interdependent parts. For example, your heating system is not just a furnace—it’s a heat-delivery system that starts at the furnace and delivers heat throughout your home using a network of ducts. Even a top-of-the-line, energy-efficient furnace will waste a lot of fuel if the ducts, walls, attic, windows, and doors are not properly sealed and insulated. Taking a whole-house approach to saving energy ensures that dollars you invest to save energy are spent wisely.
Energy-efficient improvements not only make your home more comfortable, they can yield long-term financial rewards. Reduced utility bills more than make up for the higher price of energy-efficient appliances and improvements over their lifetimes. In addition, your home could bring in a higher price when you sell.
Save Energy and Money Today
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From the thrift store to the produce stand, our shopping tips will help you keep your green.
