Going Green Tips

Nancy Armstrong

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The typical US office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copier paper every year- and less than half of that gets recycled.  So think twice before hitting print- use scrap paper for notes and recycle what you don't use.  If will save tree and water and money.

What's better? Turning your car on and off or idling for few minutes?  According to the no profit group Environmental Defense, idling for more than 10 sec costs you more fuel than turning your car off and on.  Slowing down on the highway will save you fuel and money.  50 percent of engine power is used to overcome air resistance meaning the faster you go, the more fuel you consume.  And accelerating smoothly is one of the biggest ways to save fuel.

Every year, 2 1/2 billion holiday cards are sold and sent n the United States.  Buy cards from recycled paper and avoid the shiny "can't be recycled" kind.  And recycle what you receive when the season is over

Christmas trees are a topic of much debate environmentally.  Fake trees are reusable, but are made from petroleum based products.   Cutting down trees gives the natural benefit of live trees, but depletes them.  The best solution is a live potted tree that ca be replanted.
 

What's better for the planet, voicemail or answering machines? The answer by far is voicemail.  Answering machines use more energy every day - and when they stop working- they become hazardous waste in landfills.  If all the answering machines in the US were eliminated, the decrease in energy use would be like taking 250,000 cars off the highway for a year.  

 You produce four and a half pounds of garbage every day.  That means during an average lifespan, we will all leave a ninety-thousand pound legacy of garbage on earth for our children and grandchildren to deal with, unless we consciously try to cut back waste and recycle.