Wikis related to Resource-Conservation

Go Green And Save Green: Expert's Guide   These days there's a lot of talk about "going green."  Some things are easy to do and don't cost anything.  Other things are easy to do....if you're filthy rich.   In this guide, you’ll find out how to spend an arm and a leg...err.....about $55,000 on sustainable improvements which will save you about $18,000 over 5 years (and should recoup the full cost over the lifespan of each improvement).      Now if only we were all rolling in money!     Do this… Conserves this… Costs… Saves... Saves in 5 years… ROI over 5...

Junk Your Junk Mail! (and help save some of the 100 million trees chopped down annually to produce junk mail in the US)   Register your name with the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service. After you do this, DMA will add you to the "Do Not Mail" database.   If you do business with a company via mail services, they will put you on their contact list. The first time you make a transaction with such a company (such as placing an order), ask to be put you on their "in-house suppress" or "do not promote" lists. Tell them not to "rent" or share your name with other...

A daily bath uses 16,425 liters (4,339 gallons) more water over a year than a daily shower.  All that extra water also adds up to extra energy usage to heat your shower or bath.   In the United States, people use an average of 2.5 gallons of fresh water for every minute they shower.   Some showers flow at the rate of 80 gallons per minute (gpm), due to manipulation of low-flow showerheads and the rise in popularity of multi-head shower systems.  Federal standards require showerheads to provide 2.5 gallons per minute or less water, but this only applies to single-head units.  The...

Go Green And Save Green: Beginner's Guide   In this guide, you’ll find out how to spend less than $1,200 to save over $8,000 over the course of 5 years.  Here are suggestions of free and low cost things you can do to help you go green and save green.   Do this… Conserves this… Costs… Saves... Saves in 5 years… ROI over 5 years   Love your car, love the planet Keep up with car maintenance     Gas Variable ($130 per 15,000 miles of driving with one air filter change, oil changes, and filling tires) Clean air filters can improve your mileage by...

The inevitable question is "paper or plastic?" The plastic bag people say they’re saving trees by not using paper bags. The paper bag people say they’re keeping plastic bags from getting into the ocean and harming the fish. How can you get around this predicament?   Consider not getting a bag at all if you are buying something small or easy to carry. Really now ... do you need a bag to carry your sandwich to work?  No, probably not.   Use canvas/cloth bags. They are reusable and much prettier than either plastic or paper.    Check out biodegradable bags. We often buy plastic bags for...

What is xeriscaping?   Xeriscaping refers to landscaping in ways that do not require supplemental irrigation. It is promoted in areas that do not have easily accessible supplies of fresh water, and is catching on in other areas as climate patterns shift.  The word xeriscaping was coined by combining xeros (Greek for "dry") with landscape.   Plants whose natural requirements are appropriate to the local climate are emphasized, and care is taken to avoid losing water to evaporation and run-off. XeriscapeTM and the xeriscape logo are registered trademarks of Denver Water, the water...

Having your period isn’t exactly environmentally friendly.  Most feminine products are bleached with chlorine, and many involve plastic applicators or linings, which means they will not easily decompose.  Not to mention all that packaging, and the energy used in manufacturing!  Consider the following stats:   Each year, over 12 BILLION tampons and pads are USED ONCE and then tossed. Between 1998-1999, over 170,000 tampon applicators were collected along U.S. coastal areas. In North America, there are 85 million women of menstruating age. An average woman throws away 250 to 300 pounds...

Don’t leave the tap running while you brush your teeth (or shave, wash your face, etc). Turning off the water during teeth-brushing can save up to two gallons of water every time you brush.   Fix leaks – this can save up to 10 gallons of water a day from one faucet. Fixing a leaky toilet can save about 200 gallons of water daily.   Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators. This can save both hot and cold water (aerators can save up to 40%).   Take showers instead of baths. A bath typically requires 70 gallons of water, while a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons.   When...

Go Green And Save Green: Intermediate's Guide   In this guide, you’ll find out how to spend about $1,200 to save over $7,000 in 5 years.  Here are suggestions of medium-cost things you can do to help you go green and save green.               Do this… Conserves this… Costs… Saves... Saves in 5 years… ROI over 5 years   It's not fat, it's insulation Check for air gaps and fix leaky spots with weather stripping and caulking.      Energy $250 average for a home energy rating. Caulking costs less than $1 per window, and weather stripping is...

10+ Ways to Be Greener and Happier at Work Enjoying an eco-lifestyle means living greener in all areas of your life. You may be taking environmentally friendly steps at home, but are you also doing it at work? People spend almost 90% of their lives indoors, and for those people who work inside that equates to about 40 or more hours at your desk, office or cubicle.   Whether you're a student interning at a major corporation, a marketing associate making phone calls all day or an office assistant handling paperwork, you're going to spend a majority of your time in one place all day. So...

How to Make a Rain Barrel Get a barrel and clean it. A good size barrel is a 55-gallon one. Look for one that is food-grade (that way you will ensure that it is not made with harsh chemicals). Clean the barrel with a mixture of 5 gallons of water and 1/8 cup of bleach. Install a hose spigot. To install a 3/4" hose spigot, drill a 15/16" hole for the spigot threading a few inches from the bottom of the barrel. The hose spigot will allow you to connect a garden hose to your rain barrel and water your garden easily. Move your barrel to its new home. Position your barrel under the...

Basic tenents of sustainable design, as outlined in Sustainable Exhibit Design: Guidelines for designers for small scale interactive and traveling exhibits "In the simplest terms sustainable design should adhere to two main principles: 1. Minimising resource consumption 2. Reducing pollution.   Minimising resource consumption "Resources or raw materials can be classified as ‘renewable’ and ‘non- renewable’. Increasing the use of renewable resources over non- renewable ones is imperative. But even more important is the reduction in consumption as a whole. The mantra ‘reduce,...

  What is Pioneer Day? It is one full day (24hours) with no electricity use in the house.  These have also been referred to as "Unplug Days". Typically, adopters of Pioneer Day take part once a week (see below for adaptations).   Check out the How To Save Energy Around The House wiki for other day to day ideas.   Energy Savings Electricity According to the DOE, the average US household consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year (according to 2001 data).  That works out to about 30 kWh per day per household.    If you adopt Pioneer Day one day a week, you can cut your energy consumption...

What is an Aerator?     Aerators are small devices that mix air with a flow of water and are used to oxygenate water, smooth the flow, reduce splashing, and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, reduce total water flow while maintaining pressure.   How do I know if I need one?   For your faucet:   If an aerator is already installed on your faucet, it will have its rated flow imprinted on the side. This should read 2.75 gpm (gallons per minute) or lower. On Huddler, there are aerators that reduce flow all the way to .5 GPM.   Replace the current aerator if it's over 2.75gpm. If no aerator is installed, check...

What is greywater? The average family of four uses 400 gallons of water every day.  Of those 400, 280 gallons are used indoors.  Some of this water is considered blackwater, heavily polluted with biological contaminants (think toilet flushing).  Then there’s the water you use for various types of washing – clothes washing, dish washing, hand washing, and body washing.  What is that considered?   According to some definitions, greywater is all the water used in a home except by toilets. This definition makes sense in buildings that use composting toilets.   Most definitions of greywater,...

Toilets account for almost 30% of residential indoor water use in the United States.   Toilets are also a major source of wasted water due to leaks and inefficiency. In a home that was built prior to 1993 it is most likely that the toilet uses 3.5 gallons or more for every single flush (in Dekalb County alone, approx. 165,000 homes were built prior to 1993 – there are approx. 1 Mio. Homes in the Greater Atlanta area that still have old, inefficient toilets in use). Experts say that the minimum needed to meet the basic human needs of drinking, cooking and hygiene is five gallons of clean...