[Continued from HERE.]
6. I’ve done it … my laundry, that is, by hand, rubbing one bit against the other, working my way around the whooooole thing … a t-shirt that seems not-so-big-becoming the size of an iceberg and equally as hard to manipulate. I have even had to jump out of the river in which I was washing my laundry because a crocodile came around and was on the prowl. Clean clothes suddenly don’t seem so important in the face of a crocodile. This alone is a good argument for washing machines.
The thing is, since there’s always a thing, BUY SMART!!! Did you know that while front loading washing machines may be slightly more expensive than top loading washing machines, they use 30 – 60 % less water, 50 – 70 % less energy and get your clothes cleaner. You can do the math on THOSE figures for your household. How many loads of wash do you do per week? How much water and power would you save by a more efficient machine? I am in no way saying (especially in our scarily ‘disposable’ society) to throw away a perfectly good machine. I AM saying, the next time it needs replacing, consider these factors before you buy. Here’s a website with a really good comparison of the two types of machine. Once you decide which type you prefer, find one that is the most efficient (TIP: look for the MEF rating which considers tub size, energy use and the amount of water left in clothes after finishing the cycle.)
It’s time we in America start looking just a bit past the very moment we are in in our consumerism. We are great at saving our money for a big holiday, sometimes saving our money so long we are dead before we can enjoy it. Now it is time to extend our ability to think in the long-term to our consumer habits. Even if something costs a bit more today, does it save you more money in the long run either because it is good quality and will last longer or because it is more eco-friendly/energy efficient/efficient in general?
7. Don’t get so heated … wash your clothes in cold water for ‘regular’ levels of dirty. They get just as clean and often prolong the lifespan of your clothes.
8. Insolate, insolate insolate… your pipes that carry hot water (including to appliances) and your house even if you live in a hot place (keep the cool in, the hot out and stop depending on you’re a/c.) In so doing, you may be eligible for a tax rebate for this kind of improvement on your home. There are even innovative new businesses with funky fresh new ideas for insolation like, for instance, using old blue jeans. Wow! Energy efficient and style-y at the same time. Imagine!
9. Cool air is heavy, travels down. So when buying a new refrigerator consider this: those with side-by-side doors use on average 10% more energy than those with the freezer in the top of the unit. Water/ice dispensers cause a unit to be more expensive as well as using 10 – 20 % more energy. Also, did you know your local utilities department may offer you a rebate for buying a more energy efficient appliance? Check it out! There can also be tax rebates. And if your old refrigerator was sucking too much power from you, PLEASE don’t resell it. You may think that because it is someone else’s problem and you can make a few bucks on it, why not? Pull your heads out of the sand, sisters and brothers, because you KNOW better than that now. We are all completely interconnected in the benefit and impact of our energy use… and don’t you forget it!
10. Less is more… not just in the finer points of style and esthetics, but in the art of making everything from tea to pasta to pumpkin pie from scratch. When boiling water, ONLY boil what you need. Cut the things being cooked into smaller pieces so they cook faster (did you know mashed potatoes are just as nice if you boil small pieces of potatoes rather than whole potatos or just halving them? True story, that. I promise! AND they are easier to mash!)
There are a gagillion more little things you can do to cut your energy bills, become
less of a slave to consumerism and contribute to the world wide effort to slow down and eventually halt global warming. When even governments and big businesses are admitting there is an environmental problem AND taking action, you know the situation must be fairly dire. As usual, many countries around the world have been much quicker to respond, but America may finally be joining ranks, for once, with the rest of the planet. Welcome to our wake-up!
So here is a chance to ask not what the world can do for you, ask what you can do for your world.
