How to: Get a Little Greener

By Travis Hill

Feel bad yet? This edition of Drift is full of enviro-superstars, and here you sit in your living room, 14 lights on throughout the house, TV on, microwave zapping some box-o-dinner you bought from Winn-Dixie. Hey, we understand – we feel bad too.

The dirty little secret of this “green” movement is that it takes work. You really have to change the way you think and act to make a difference – and for most of us, that’s just not easy. We’re busy. We’re tired. And sadly, while our hearts are in the right place, our actions just aren’t.

Everyone is not a tree-hugging fanatic. Some folks don’t want a compost pile in their backyard. And yes, it might be easier on the water supply to have a low-flow shower head … but hot, high-pressure showers freakin’ rule.

But there is good news: Making a difference isn’t as hard as you think. And every little bit really does help. What follows is a list of simple things that, over time, will add up.

Watch for vampires
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, as much as 20 percent of a typical American homeowner’s electric bill comes from appliances/chargers left plugged in that continue to slowly suck energy. The JEA calls these devices “vampires.”

Vampires are anything you leave plugged in that requires electricity: chargers for your cell phone and iPod; the energy brick for your laptop; power cables for your desktop; stereo equipment; TVs; small kitchen appliances like coffee makers; and electric razors and toothbrushes.

The simplest way to kill any possible vampire is to just unplug the stuff you aren’t using (and it doesn’t hurt to turn off the lights in rooms you aren’t in). For the lazy person, you could always just put all the things you need to plug in on a power strip, and then turn the power strip off whenever you don’t need them.

Double Ds – Donate and Drop off
Electronics move fast. You buy a nasty new computer … and two years later it sucks. Same thing with stereos, iPods and cell phones. Since we’re all in the constant search of an upgrade, we are constantly left with electronics we don’t want. They work, but our new ones are so much better.

Hey – don’t just throw away the old stuff. If it still works, be a good person and drop that stuff off at the nearest Goodwill, Salvation Army or thrift store. You’ll be shocked at how convenient it is, and how good it feels to know someone else who can’t afford constant upgrades will be benefitting from your generosity.

You also may have stuff like tires, batteries, oil, fluorescent bulbs and tubes and old bottles of household cleaners with toxic chemicals. Do NOT throw that stuff away. Yes, it’s annoying to take all that stuff to the Tillman Ridge Landfill. But sometimes you have to bite the bullet – we recommend announcing to your friends that you are making a run over there and have them give you their hazardous stuff too. That way, at least you’re going out of your way to make a huge deposit over there.

The Tillman Ridge Landfill is located at 3005 Allen Nease Road in Elkton, call 827-6980 for more info.

In the hizzy
There are tons of little things you can do around your house that will save energy (which means lower bills for you) and reduce your strain on the environment. Here are five no-brainers:

• Use only cold water for your laundry
• Change the air filter on your air conditioning every month
• Replace your regular light bulbs with the new energy saving ones
• Use cleaners with no ridiculous, toxic chemicals
• Fix your dripping faucets

Beyond that, there are few more things you can do around your house that take some more effort, but have big benefits.

Some folks recommend you put an extra layer of caulk around windows, doors, pipes and anywhere else that air could leak out. Another biggie is to make sure the air ducts from your air conditioning are sealed. Also, make sure the vents are going to the right place.

“Double check all that stuff,” said Peter Kaltenekker, co-owner of the Green Home Store. “I know a lot of people who were shocked to find their air conditioning was just blowing into their attics.”

Don’t be a dumbass
Be smart – recycle. Just make it a part of your usual routine. Even if you don’t have the weekly bins where you live, every grocery store has huge ones where you can throw all your plastics, metals and glass. Grocery stores also have bins where you can throw all the plastic bags you carry your groceries home in.

Newspaper and cardboard can all be recycled, too. Again, if you can’t do it weekly, just save that stuff into piles and then make a run once a month to recycle it all.

There are even littler things you can do. Instead of using a plastic water bottle once and then recycling it, why don’t you fill that bad boy up a few more times?

Even if that’s all you do to help this year, remember – it’s better than doing nothing.