CNN Offers Tips

CNN's "This Old House" offers 22 little ways to go green.



My favorite tip:

13. Use the dishwasher. Doing a full load in your machine is far more efficient than washing the same number of dishes by hand. This is especially true if you have an Energy Star dishwasher, which requires an average of 4 gallons of water per load, compared with the 24 gallons it takes to do them in the sink. Using one will save you 5,000 gallons of water, $40 in utility costs, and 230 hours of your time each year.

Green Your Apartment - Waste

And finally, how to reduce your waste at a time when apartments are their least eco-friendly:
Move-out time.



The City of Davis, CA hosts a Move-Out Day Aug. 30-Sept. 1. The key advice here is DONATE, don't trash. Goodwill, food banks, even Savers or ARC will take your old stuff (sometimes they will even come pick it up).

This might also be a time to promote regular Goodwill trips and weed-throughs ahead of the very stressful time that is moving day. Give away what you can now! Then you aren't stuck with a "trash or take" ultimatum on your big day.

Green Your Apartment - Water

This is the second in a series of how to green your apartment - this entry recommends greening through water conservation, with the help of top tips from Brian's Blog at Signature Community:



1. It is always important to report leaks to property managers ASAP, but it is especially important to report toilet leaks - these are the most seriously wasteful.

2. "The toilet is not a trash can. There is no need to flush your tissues down the toilet. You are only wasting water." (Not only that - you are potentially causing clogs AND creating a nightmare for the wastewater treatment facility down the line.. believe me, I've seen the process used to remove "rags" from waste water, and it is the most involved, energy-intensive process of the whole plant)

3. Aim for five to ten minute showers.

Green Your Apartment - Energy

This begins a series of how to green your apartment. Begin by ramping up your apartment's energy efficiency with these top tips from Health Goods:



1. Set your thermostat. If you are healthy, set it between 65-68 (F) during the day and 60 when you go to bed. (Additionally, set the thermostat to 60 when you leave the house for an extended period of time).
2. Thaw frozen foods in the fridge instead of the counter. The frozen foods will help cool the fridge as they defrost; your fridge will use less energy cooling itself.
3. Unplug TVs, VCRs and DVD players. Even when not in use, they draw PHANTOM POWER (dun dun dunnnn) and ratchet up your energy use.

Green Your Apartment

So winter is just around the corner, and most "Green Winter" resources are for homeowners who need to seal their basements up. But what if you want to green up your apartment?


1. Consider composting.
(from Low Impact Living's Green Apartments)
2. Buy bulk food to cut down on packaging.
(from Humboldt State University's "12 Ways to Green Up Your Apartment")
3. Bake, dry hair, cook, and iron in the early morning or late at night when you need the extra heat produced from these activities the most.
(from Apartment Living Think Green)
4. Use your dishwasher, but use it efficiently. It is actually greener than hand washing - it uses 35-37% less energy.
(from Apartment Therapy)
5. Donate your clothes hangers to your local dry cleaner to re-use.
(from Jeff Swett's Ezine Article Tips for Going Green in Your Apartment)
6. Collect grease, even olive oil, and dispose of it in the trash - not in the sink.
(from CHOW's Counter Measures: Ten Ways to Green Your Kitchen)
7. Buy your apartment cat a piece of tree.
(okay, this one from Apartment Therapy is silly)
8. Rent a steam cleaner to remove toxins tracked in from the bottoms of your shoes.
(from LA Green Living)
9. Open your windows to ventilate the toxins out.
(from GreenHomeGuide)
10. Get houseplants! They suck up carbon and filter dust and dirt. Amazing.
(from Cookiemag's Urban Green)