Going green and other help

Going green and other help

• zanna 16 years ago
  Saving our planet should be everyones concern. Please share tips on how to do little changes in our daily lifes to reach this goal.
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• zanna 16 years ago said:
  An enormous amount of water is lost through seemingly minor drips around the house. A leaky faucet can lose up to 20 gallons of water a day, while a leaky toilet can flush an extra 200 gallons every day! What's worse, the toilet could be leaking and you might not even know it! To test for a leak, put five to ten drops of food coloring in the tank. If ten minutes later there's coloring in the bowl, you've got a problem.
  
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• zanna 16 years ago said:
  Eat one more vegetarian meal a week.
  
  It takes a lot of water to grow the grain to feed the cow that ultimately produces a hamburger. Replacing just four ounces of beef in your diet a week with a vegetarian option can save more than 3,000 gallons of water.
  Your One-Year Effect: 171,704 gallons of water saved.
  The Effect If Everyone in the U.S. Did It for One Year: More than twice the volume of water in the Chesapeake Bay.
  
  Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth.
  
  Brushing your teeth seems like a quick job, but before you know it, four gallons of water may have slipped down the sink. Your One-Year Effect: 2,880 gallons of water saved. The Effect If Everyone in the U.S. Did It for One Year: More than four times the Mississippi River’s annual flow of water.
  
  Bring your water with you.
  
  Buying a daily bottle of water may quench your thirst, but it parches the planet. Each one-liter plastic bottle takes seven liters of water to produce. Refilling your own bottle directs the water where it’s needed — into your body. Your One-Year Effect: 577 gallons of water saved. The Effect If Everyone in the U.S. Did It for One Year: Equal to the amount of water that would cover Washington, D.C., by 52 feet.
  
  
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• kasper2719 16 years ago said:
  Try growing herbs for your kitchen. If you grow the herbs that you use most, you will not only save money in the long run, but you will have fresh herbs, and you will cut down on virgin plastic and glass that is used to make containers to put spices in.
  
  Fresh herbs not only taste better, but you use less in a recipe, and they generally smell good.
  
  The only caution is if you have pets and want to keep your new herb garden in the house. Please use caution as some herbs are toxic to pets, check with your vet or online to see what herbs should be kept away from pets.
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• zanna 16 years ago said:
  CFLs light bulbs do save you money . But when buying them,I have found I like the instant on and bright white .You wouldnt think a few second delay is a big deal...but like in the bathroom and kitchen I notice the diffence. The softer white is fine in some areas of house .But I got the bright white for main rooms cause the soft ones gives a muddy look I think.
  
  *******************************************************FACTS*****
  eCFLs pack many eco benefits, including the facts that they last for several years, don't introduce heat into their surroundings and use about 75% less electricity, meaning their slightly higher cost is offset in months. There are also many new and improved colors, shapes and sizes, including dimmable models, candelabra, post, flood and globe sizes and even anti-bug versions.
  
  CFL bulbs contain up to 5 milligrams of mercury, which is quite a small amount. Compare that to older home thermostats and mercury fever thermometers, which contain from 500 to 3,000 milligrams.
  Exposure to the mercury in a broken CFL is unlikely to cause any harm. It's unlikely all the bulb's mercury will vaporize into the air; even if that happens, the concentration would still likely be lower than OSHA safe standards for typical room environments.
  
  New CFL bulbs are now available with reduced mercury content. For example, leading manufacturer Philips offers its Alto brand of CFL with 70% less mercury. An added benefit is that Alto bulbs last even longer than standard CFLs.
  If a CFL does break, ventilate the room as much as possible, as rapidly as possible. Open windows and turn on fans. Do not handle the fragments with your bare hands or a vacuum cleaner, but attend to the mess immediately.
  
  The EPA recommends picking up all the bulb fragments with paper towels (if you have disposable gloves, they certainly wouldn't hurt). Wipe the affected area clean, then place the fragments, towels and gloves in a sealed plastic bag. Take it to your local Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site.
  
  In several states, tossing CFLs in the trash is against the law.
  Most communities have a provision for collecting hazardous waste. Contact your local town hall, waste management or public works departments.
  
  Got infro from an article at: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/eco-friendly/cfl-mercury-safety-460124
  
  
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