Illustrations by Annette Cable Check your car Use less hot water Unplug unused electronics Purchase rechargeable batteries Use fluorescent light bulbs Adjust your thermostat Recycle old electronics Insulate the water heater Avoid excess packaging Turn down plastic cutlery General Information Resource Guide www.partnershipforagreencity.org
It seems convenient to think about how each of us can help the environment this time every year. We can still smell dirt on our hands from planting that tree on Earth Day (April 22), and, consequently, believe we’ve done our part. “It’s like studying black history during black history month,” says David Wicks, coordinator for Jefferson County Public Schools’ Center for Environmental Education Curriculum and Assessment. But it’s usually only a matter of time before we revert to our gas-guzzling, energy-wasting, carbon dioxide-emitting ways. Each year, the typical Louisville household is responsible for nearly 60,000 pounds in carbon dioxide emissions. And that’s just considering emissions generated from driving automobiles and using electricity and natural gas. To reduce that figure, here are some tips you can put into practice year-round.
The best thing for the environment would be if Louisvillians biked or took the TARC to their destinations. Not only would that reduce air pollution, but also think about all the money you’d save by not needing to purchase $3-a-gallon gasoline. If driving is your only option, though, at least realize cars with properly inflated tires get better gas mileage by about 3 percent. That means a couple things. First, you won’t need to fill up your car’s tank as frequently. Second, with each gallon of gas saved you’ll eliminate about 20 pounds in carbon dioxide emissions. Also, replace your car’s air filter when needed. By doing this, you can save more than $100 and hundreds of pounds in carbon dioxide emissions annually. When it comes to the automobile, there’s also the myth that turning off and then restarting your engine uses more gas and creates more VOCs (volatile organic compounds) than idling for five minutes. Truth is, that’s only the case if you’re idling for 10 seconds. So shut off the van while waiting to pick up your daughter from soccer practice. Some other simple tips: Don’t drive with the “check engine” light on, and try slow, gradual starts. Not only will these recommendations reduce emissions, they’ll also help your car perform better.
It takes a lot of energy to heat water to the scalding temperature you enjoy in the shower. To help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 300 pounds yearly, install a low-flow showerhead. Also, use warm or cold water when washing clothes. Another good practice is to only run the dishwasher or washing machine when cleaning full loads. And while we’re on the topic of doing laundry, consider hanging a clothesline in the backyard in the spring and summer. Using one six months out of the year can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by hundreds of pounds. Plus, your clothes will have a fresh scent that no fabric softener can provide.
Ditch gas-powered lawn equipment
In one hour, a typical gas-powered lawn mower spews into the air more smog-forming hydrocarbons than an average car traveling about 200 miles. An electric lawn mower (or a push mower for the ambitious landscaper) will cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 80 pounds each year. And raking leaves instead of using a gas-powered leaf blower, which can be as bad (if not more so) for the environment as a gas-powered mower, is the best option. It’s also a great excuse to get outdoors and exercise.
Even though a television is turned off, it is still using energy. Same thing with a DVD player, stereo or anything else that stays plugged in when not in use. (Think cell phone charger). So unplug electronics from the wall when not using them. It could save a couple hundred dollars in energy costs and hundreds of pounds in carbon dioxide emissions every year.
Bring cloth bags to the grocery
Bringing your own cloth sack when food shopping is a simple way to keep plastic bags out of the landfills, where they could sit for hundreds of years. By shopping at a local farmers’ market, you reduce the need for trucks to transport foods cross-country. And a cloth bag makes it impossible for that jar of tomato sauce to rip through plastic and shatter on the sidewalk.
Rechargeable batteries last longer than regular batteries. That’s a no-brainer. So using the rechargeable option keeps more batteries out of landfills. But instead of throwing away dead batteries, whether they’re rechargeable or not, recycle them at one of Louisville’s many drop-off locations and keep them out of landfills altogether. As a result, each battery’s metals will be recycled, preventing the nickel cadmium, alkaline, mercury and other elements from polluting parts of the environment — groundwater, for example.
A compact fluorescent light bulb four-pack costs about 12 bucks. That may seem expensive short-term, but a CFL lasts up to 10 times longer than your standard incandescent option (saving you money in the long run) and uses about two-thirds less energy (saving 100 or so pounds in carbon dioxide emissions per bulb every year).
Installing a programmable thermostat can greatly reduce your energy bill and carbon dioxide emissions. If that isn’t an option, though, simply adjusting your thermostat down two degrees in the winter and up two degrees in the summer can save about $100 and reduce emissions by hundreds of pounds. And that’s probably being conservative. Another good idea is purchasing an electric blanket or mattress warmer. Then you can really lower the thermostat, even during winter’s coldest nights.
So it’s been a year (probably less than that), and it’s time to get a new cell phone. Instead of throwing away the outdated version, recycle it. CyberCycle, Louisville Metro’s electronic recycling program, allows residents to recycle computers, printers, monitors, VCRs, CD players, digital cameras, cell phones and electronic gaming systems, to only name a few. And keeping these items out of landfills helps everybody because the hazardous metals, such as cadmium, mercury and lead, pollute the environment, particularly groundwater.
A water heater is one of the home’s biggest energy-guzzlers. If yours seems warm to the touch — which is often the case with older models — purchase an insulation blanket for about $20. It can prevent your water heater from losing heat, which, in turn, can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by hundreds of pounds yearly. It can save you some cash, too.
When buying food, toys, electronics or any product, really, avoid excess packaging. That can reduce your garbage by up to 10 percent, which prevents those materials from ending up in a landfill.
OK, maybe it’s impractical to carry silverware on you at all times. But consider this: When placing a take-out order, turn down the plastic utensils pack — even if it’s just once. If every Louisvillian who can eat solid food did that, it would keep 10 tons of material out of the landfills.
http://louisvillegreenguide.org [4]
www.louisvillecan.org [5]
www.myfootprint.org [6] (Ecological Footprint Quiz)
Air and Water
(Air Pollution Control District)
www.helptheair.org [8] (Kentuckiana Air Education)
www.air.ky.gov [9] (Kentucky Division for Air Quality
www.kppc.org [10] (Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center)
www.kwalliance.org [11] (Kentucky Waterways Alliance)
Energy
www.energy.ky.gov [12] (Governor’s Office of Energy Policy)
www.kysolar.org [13] (The Kentucky Solar Partnership)
www.kyrc.org [14] (Kentucky Resources Council)
www.kentuckycleanfuels.org [15]
Farmers’ Markets
www.communityfarmalliance.org [16]
http://louisvillegreenguide.org/farmers [17]
(List of farmers’ markets)
Recycling
www.louisvilleky.gov/solidwaste [18] (Louisville Metro’s Division of Solid Waste Management)
Transportation
www.bicyclingforlouisville.org [19]
www.louisvilleky.gov/BikeLouisville [20]
www.ridetarc.org [21] (Transit Authority of River City)