Lighter Footstep: Sustainable Living Blog

This is a wonderful resource for people looking to reduce their impact on the environment.

Lighter Footstep is a web-based magazine dedicated to sustainable living: learning to thrive in our personal and business lives by making wiser choices.

Lighter Footstep - About Lighter Footstep

Saving Energy

BITS Ltd. smart power strips
Even after turning off a computer, power continues to flow to computer peripherals like printers and scanners. This power strip ($32.99) stops the energy from being wasted. For more information visit www.bitsltd.net.

Carbonfund.org and Terrapass
If your local utility company doesn't offer green power, you can reduce the environmental impact by purchasing offsets. In this system, you give money to companies like Carbonfund.org or Terrapass, which use it to develop renewable energy sources. For more on purchasing power offsets, visit www.carbonfund.org or www.terrapass.com.

Duke Energy
Duke Energy provided energy efficiency starter kits for audience members. The kits are available to their customers in Indiana and Kentucky who qualify for in-home energy audits. To purchase a kit, visit www.dukeenergykit.com or for additional information visit www.duke-energy.com. Check with your local energy company for similar ways to save energy.

GE Energy Smart lightbulbs
GE Energy Smart bulbs use 70 to 75 percent less energy than incandescent lightbulbs and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. For example, by using a 26-watt compact fluorescent lightbulb—equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent lightbulb—users can save up to $59 on energy costs over the life of the bulb. Saving energy saves money and is better for the environment.

Via: Oprah.com

Go Green This Earth Day

To celebrate Earth Day, April 22, make 'going green' more than just a catchy line. Make it a part of your life—every day.

'In honor of our Earth, I love her, I'm asking all of you today to implement just one green idea to help the fight against global warming,' Oprah says.

Start by making small changes…it's easier than you think.

Related links:

• Shop smarter at the supermarket.
  
• Going green is Oprah's bag.
  
• The truth about water bottles
  
• The environment hits the road.
  
• Matt Damon's win-win solution
  
• A simple change you can make right now
  
• The Green Book
• Think green at the bank.
  
• One family's green conversion
  
• How did this family clear the air?
  
• Find out how to buy Shaklee cleaning products.
• Other organic cleaning options
  
• Simple ways your family can reuse and recycle
  
• Save the environment while saving money.
  
• Have a lightbulb moment!
  
• Recycling 101
  
• What you can't recycle
  
• Small steps, big strides
  
• Going Green 101: What Your Family Can Do Today!
• Resources and products that will help you get green

Go Green This Earth Day

Be Cool

There are some good tips on the Global Cool website for living green.

Such as:

• Turn your heating down by 1 degree.
• Don't leave electronics, appliances, and gadgets on "standby." Turn them off instead.
• Unplug chargers when you are done, so they won't drain energy.
• While cooking, don't boil over.
• Fly less often.
• Turn off lights when not required (should be obvious, but people still don't do it!). If you don't need them on then switch them off, they waste so much energy.
• Switch to a supplier that generates electricity through wind, water and solar power.
• Take a low-power shower.
• Buy better bulbs such as compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Pack the freezer, empty space wastes energy.
• Park the car, take a walk.
• Use better home insulation.
• Wash your clothes at a lower temperature in the washer.
• Buy locally grown foods.

TreeHugger: How to Go Green

Here's an excellent resource to help you live green.

We present below, a plethora of handy guides to help you green your lives with ease, while understanding why. Our aim is over 100+ guides so do come back to visit. And please tell your friends, family and colleagues! Most of us understand that we need to do something, some of us understand what to do but few of us are actually doing anything...Carpe diem kids!

TreeHugger: How to Go Green

Declutter Your Life

By consuming less, you are helping the environment. Follow the Less is More principle and Declutter your life. It's one way to live green. Check out the tips at the following link.

This Is the Year to Declutter Your Life: "Declutter your home, declutter your life."

Shopping Green

Original posting on Live Green in Plano.

Shopping is one of the most significant things we can do to Live Green. Your dollar is a powerful medium in which you can support green products and practices. Below, you will find tips for shopping and local places to invest your money. Remember- when you Rebuy recycled products, you “close the loop”!

Here are some tips for Shopping Green:

• Avoid single-use items. Instead buy reusable or repairable products.
• Use and reuse gift bags, scarves, towels, comics, ribbons and bows to wrap and decorate gifts.
• Rent, don’t buy, infrequently used tools.
• Take your own cloth, paper or plastic bags to the store instead of getting new ones every trip.
• Buy products with less packaging.
• Buy in bulk.
• Donate or sell used goods; shop at garage sales and resale shops.
• Purchase items in concentrate when possible (the packaging is always significantly less).
• Buy products that contain recycled materials. Glass, Steel, and aluminum bottles, jars, or cans have 20% or more recycled content.
• Paperboard boxes (such as cereal and shoe boxes) are made from almost 100% recycled materials.
• Avoid foam containers, waxed milk and juice cartons, and any single serve boxes.
• Repair old items instead of buying new ones.
• Select recycled-content writing paper and envelopes; buy refillable pens and pencils.
• Buy a low-flow showerhead and install it.

Tips for Green Living

Original posting on Live Green in Plano.

Living Green involves the Four Rs: Reduce - Reuse - Recycle - Rebuy. Listed below are tips to help apply the Four Rs to everyday life.

1. Compost food scraps, leaves, and other organic materials.
2. On hot days, water your lawn in the early morning or in the evening.
3. Remove your name from Direct Mail marketers’ lists for five years by registering with the Mail Preference Service of the direct Marketing Association.
4. Use cloth napkins instead of paper.
5. Use sponges instead of paper towels.
6. Store food in reusable containers.
7. Reuse plastic sandwich bags and aluminum foil.
8. Turn off lights and your TV when not in use.
9. Replace incandescent lights with energy-saving fluorescent bulbs.
10. Buy energy efficient appliances.
11. Clean the dryer’s lint trap after every load.
12. Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth.
13. Keep your car tuned up and your tires properly inflated.
14. Ride DART, ride a bike, or walk.
15. Take short showers.
16. Go to the library to read magazines, newspapers, or books rather than buying them.
17. Pack your own lunch and use a reusable lunch box or bag.
18. Look into alternative energy sources.
19. Recycle at home, at work, and out and about!
20. Check out Plano’s Material Exchange Web site – where you can list items you want to get rid of, but don’t want to throw away. After providing information on what you want to give away, seekers can arrange to take and use the items that would otherwise be going into our landfill.
21. Buy a hybrid vehicle.

Tips for Green Living