Little things do some good : Save Energy!
June 28th, 2007 | by Ridhima Suri |My good friend makes conscious efforts to throw recyclable garbage in a proper way. Her inspiration dates back to the science lessons at school. She was eight years old then.
As soon as we moved into our apartment, we went to Walmart to buy lots of white light bulbs. In India, there was an advertisement for Bajaj Bulbs, where a determined man says….”Pure ghar ke badal dalooooooonga!!!!(I will change all the bulbs in my house)” I think we both followed his sentiment….:) I personally like white lights because I think they are soothing and they are bill-happy too! In India, I remember, my Papa insisted on having the entire house tube -lit.
The other day, I went as a Judge for a Science Fair. Overall the experience was really good and I admired how these young kids talked about Global Warming, Conserving Energy, Using alternate energy sources, New Orleans tragedy..
Today, I went to the library, and picked up a leaflet which read the following :
“City of Mountain View conserves Energy
The Library has done the following in both staff and public areas:
Turned off some of the lights
Turned off some of the equipment
Adjusted the temperature
We appreciate your understanding that there may be inconvenience & occasional discomfort.”
Yesterday, I read an article which suggested that it was good to eat locally grown produce. Imported food forms 13% of the annual diet in America. An American consumes nearly 250 pounds of imported food, including ready-to-eat products and processed food. I would not go into the area of discussing food safety regulations. But, the point in the article was clear. Eat local. Eat fresh. Save millions spent on importing food which in a way, contributes to pollution & transportation costs.
These are some of the petite observations that are beginning to show me some light. I do not want to become a freak, but I guess I am willing to be little careful..:) Following is a list of how you can join me too. Let us start with saving electricity at home.
1. Replace your yellow bulbs with white ones!!
Compact fluorescent light bulbs have a soothing white light. They put out as much light as regular incandescent bulbs. They use upto 75% less electricity and last almost 10 times longer than regular bulbs. Since we replaced all the bulbs in our apartment, there are no takers for the brand new original bulbs..:D
2. Do not forget to turn off outdoor lights as well!!
It is a good idea to install photoelectric controls or timers to make sure that outdoor lighting is turned off during the day. I have noticed such timers near the laundry area and extra storage space which automatically turn the lights off after a certain period. Use of sound controls in restrooms is fairly common. While at home, just be in a habit to turn off the lights when not in the room..:D
3. Know your A/C
I read that for central units, a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 14 is excellent. At least 25 percent on cooling bills can be saved by replacing a unit with a SEER rating of 10 or less with a unit rated 13 or more. A window A/C which has a SEER of 11 or more is considered energy-friendly!!
4. In the Kitchen
Cook food with lids on. Learn to ‘Steam Cook’. Allow food to cool off before storing in the refrigerator. Look out for energy saving features like ‘power- saver mode’ in your refrigerator and dishwasher. Microwave ovens draw less than 50% energy as compared to the conventional ovens and are help heat food quick-time!! Set your refrigerator temperature at under 40 F and freezer at under 5 F.
Just generally…
Unplug all the chargers, like the cellphone charger, Ipod Charger, Camera charger etc. after using. Turn off appliances that no one is using like T.V., play stations, DVD players, hair styling devices, etc. Walk short distances..it is not only good for health, but can also lower your fuel bills! Plant greens…go green!! Use paper..there are lots of simple ways to go about it..:D
I am not very careful…but I do want to try. Looks like everybody is doing something…you can too!
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