Upper Green Side

Energy

We all need electricity to light up our homes, to run our household appliances and entertainment devices many of the other conveniences of modern life. But there are meaningful changes we can make to reduce our personal demand for electricity.

• Light your home with compact fluorescent lights rather than incandescent bulbs. Home Depot on 58th and Third Avenue sells 6 of the 60 watt equivalent bulbs for $10. Ask your local hardware store too.
• Unplug small appliances and turn powerstrips off when not in use
• Buy a universal solar charger to power MP3 players, cell phones, PDAs, laptops and cameras
• Sign up for Con Edison’s Green Power program which is green-e certified to encourage development of renewable energy sources like wind, solar and hydropower.
• When cooling your apartment, close your curtains to reduce the heat from sunlight, use fans, especially ceiling fans to circulate the air and for air conditioners remember to use a timer, clean the filter out and leave it on the energy saver setting.
• When heating your apartment, insulate around your windows with plastic wrap to (Whatever you do, don’t use electric heaters - Call the super of the building and complain that your apartment is not warm enough and if it is not fixed call 311 to report your building does not have heat.)
• Green your laundry, use lower temperatures like cold and warm, particularly for mixed colors that might fade in hot water.

These simple actions can help reduce your energy consumption considerably, which in turn reduces the amount of greenhouse gases you are responsible for producing. You may also want to consider buying carbon credits to offset the emissions from what is left over after you reduce as much as possible.