Minimize Your Commute

Even though gas is getting cheaper, commuting still wastes time. I would be pleased if I never had to fill up, change oil, wait for red lights, and navigate traffic again. And let's face it - cars are pretty much just bad for the environment no matter how fuel efficient they are.

The good news for anyone relocating is that you can choose where to live based on your commute - and you can use the Optimal Home Location tool to help you figure out where would be best. The tool takes the addresses of your 6 most frequently visited locations (work, school, grocery store) and maps your ideal home location for minimal commute time.

The tool will tell you property tax, median condo and home values, median age, and percentage of homes with kids.

Hazardous Waste

Image from thebeautybrains.com.

I got really annoyed this morning seeing a discarded bottle of antifreeze in a parking ramp. I'm not going to bust out the crying Indian line - even though I have more American Indian in my blood than Iron Eyes Cody (for the record, a Sicilian) - but antifreeze is super nasty stuff. It used to smell sweeter, and kids would drink it and die. It is toxic, making it hazardous waste.

Many household items are hazardous waste, and it is an important part of being a "green" consumer to understand what is hazardous and what is non-hazardous. The EPA started setting down rules in 1974 in the RCRA legislation (depending on what level of government you work in, you might pronounce that "rick-ra" or "wreck-ra") - the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act - defining what is hazardous waste requiring special handling and disposal. It's sort of surprising how many common items are hazardous:

- batteries
- automotive fluids, including oil and antifreeze
- bleach
- paint
- dran-o

There is a rhyme or reason to this: anything flammable, corrosive, or toxic/carcinogenic is hazardous. Governments split it up into "listed" or "characteristic" hazardous waste, but "listed" wastes are mostly things that industries will have to worry about - solvents, etc.

Apart from being a Grammy-winning hit song by Britney Spears, a "toxic" label is one clue that a product is hazardous. If it can poison you, you don't want your garbage person dealing with it. Take it to your local county household hazardous waste disposal site.

If a product is corrosive or flammable (like paint or oil), it is also considered hazardous. Again. Don't throw it in the trash. Take it to your local county household hazardous waste disposal site.

Find out more from the EPA about how to avoid harmful substances.

What goes up must come down...

image from Sacramento State

Energy rates are going up in California, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, and elsewhere.

Either your paycheck must go up, or your energy use must go down.

So barring any year-end bonuses, I wanted to post an excerpt of strategies from Xcel Energy to help bring home energy costs down without spending any money to upgrade equipment.

1. Heating and cooling uses 45% of the typical house's energy.
Reduce indoor thermostat temperature from 72 to 68 degrees during the heating season to save 5 percent on heating costs.

2. Household appliances, such as ranges, ovens, and microwave ovens, account for 15% of the typical home's energy use.
Use lids to trap steam and help food cook faster.

3. A water heater uses 11% of the typical home's energy use.
Take a short shower. Every minute you cut from your shower time saves three gallons of water and the energy used
to heat the water. You’ll save hundreds of gallons of water a year taking showers over baths, and you’ll save the energy to heat all that wasted water.

4. A clothes washer and dryer uses 10% of typical household energy.
Dry loads back to back. Since your dryer retains heat, dry several loads in a row. You can reduce the heat level on the last load or two. Dry your lightweight items together, using a lower heat setting for less time.

5. Lighting uses 7% of a home's energy.
Turn off lights when unneeded. Every time you turn off lights when they’re not needed, you’re saving energy and money. Keeping one 75-watt bulb off for one hour per day saves $2.15 per year.

6. Your refrigerator uses 6% of your home's energy.
Cover your food. Covered foods reduce power consumption by limiting moisture evaporation into the air. Moist
air takes more energy to cool than dry air, forcing the compressor to work harder. Plus, your refrigerator will smell better.

7. Your dishwasher uses 2% of your home's energy.
Scrape your dishes. Scrape your dishes instead of rinsing to save water and the energy needed to heat the water.

8. A computer & monitor uses 2% of household energy, as do TVs, VCRs, & DVD players.
Unplug when not in use.

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.