healthyliving healthyplanet Top Ten Ways to Save Money
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and the Environment by Harriet Shugarman
s the price of gas soars to $4 a gallon and beyond, and the price of conventional energy to heat, cool and light our homes continues to rise, here are ten easy ways to save some cash, energy and our environ- ment at the same time.
Kill the energy vampires. According to the website RepowerAtHome.
com, the typical household spends ten percent of its electrical bill on things plugged in but not turned on. Simply unplug and save.
Use power strips. Put electronics like your computer, printer and fax ma- chine all on the same power strip. Make it simple – turn the energy off and save big.
Program your life. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can save ten percent a year on heating and cooling just by setting your thermostat back 10-15 degrees for eight hours a day. Let a programmable thermostat do this for you.
Buy ‘green’ and save ‘green’. Check in with your power provider and see if they have a ‘green’ power option. If so, you get to choose to support renewable energy like solar, wind or geothermal, instead of polluting fuels like coal or oil; you win and so does the air we breath!
Put the energy detectives to work. Empower the kids in your life and
motivate them to help you reduce your energy bills at home by unplugging, turning off the lights, changing light bulbs, etc. When you see a reduction on your energy bill, pass some of the savings on to your kids. For more ideas, visit
GreenAllowance.com.
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Change a light bulb, save the world (and up to $50!). Compact fluores- cent light (CFL) bulbs use 75 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs and last up to ten times longer. For every bulb you swap, you will cut as much as 1,000 pounds of green- house gas emissions each year and save up to $50 on your energy bill over the lifetime of the bulb.
Earn a star. When it comes time to replace appliances, choose Energy Star products, a designation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that helps you choose more energy efficient products, save money and use less energy.
Check with Energy
Star.gov as you may be eligible for state or federal rebates.
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Be informed. As an informed con- sumer, use your purchasing power to support companies and products that are trying to be more environmentally responsible.
For help, visit
ClimateCounts.org and find out which companies are trying harder.
Give yourself the Gift of Reiki A gift of Healing,
Jennifer Albin, Reiki Master, 845-270-1021 For more info visit
www.GaiaWisdomHealing.com
Transformation and Clarity Schedule your session today! Gaia Wisdom Healing
natural awakenings June 2011 35 10
Bulk up and lose. Buy food, cleaning supplies and other products in bulk and save. Not only will you be reducing packaging, but you are also helping to conserve re- sources and reduce landfill waste. Play games. Join
DoSomething.org and the EPA and play Emission, a Facebook game where players advance by taking action offline to save energy and help the environment.
Harriet Shugarman is the executive di- rector of
ClimateMama.com. For more info, contact
info@climatemama.com.
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