I just received my water and electric bills and they have me contemplating ways to not only save energy but to save MONEY.   I thought others might be thinking the same so thought I’d do a quick post on ways to be green and save more green.  Read on for a few quick and simple steps as well as two ways to win!

1. CFL’s or better known as compact florescent lightbulbs.  I have to admit, when I first started using them I was flat out not a fan.  It took a bit of an adjustment, but now I can imagine not using them.  Before I switched them in my workspace I was seriously changing out a bulb in the ceiling fixtures every few weeks.  With high ceilings it was a total pain so frequently I just ended up working in less than idea lighting.  Since I put in the CFLs about a year and a half ago I haven’t changed the bulbs once.  I don’t use them where we have rheostats or in my storage room (I usually am just running in and out of there and without any natural light, it takes too long for the CFLs to come fully on).  Even better if you just replace your 5 most commonly used bulbs, you can save $100 a year!! And if you want to know about the green impact, if every family in the U.S.A. did this, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by one trillion pounds!  I have heard that they are developing newer bulbs that work well in rheostats and turn on more quickly…

2. A cell phone charger uses 2 watts while charging a phone, it still uses 2 watts even when the phone is fully charged, and STILL 1.5 watts when the charger is plugged in without the phone.  Simple little fix, unplug your charger when not in use.  This goes for other appliances in your house.  My sister’s house was gutted by a fire that began in a faulty coffee maker.  Talking with people in the fire industry, she discovered most fires either start with the toaster or the dryer.  My lesson from that was to unplug kitchen appliances when not in use — save money, save electricity and possibly save your house from a fire.  (Side note, I also never run the dryer or dishwasher when not at home or when sleeping.  We had a 3 month old dishwasher completely melt down inside because the heating unit would not turn off.  The repair man said he’s seen the same happen in other households and would never run a dishwasher unattended.)

2. If you like trees, plant one and save up to 25% on cooling cost when you plant one that provides ample shade.

3. I’ve been guilty of this one.  Did you know that if you only ran your dishwasher and washing machine when full you could save up to 1000 gallons of water a year?  In our municipality water is not cheap so I know that could save us a bundle!

4. If you use a commercial car wash that recycles you’ll actually be using less water (and saving yourself an hour of work!)

5. If you have a new dishwasher, you don’t need to rinse as much.  Again, less work.  My parents wouldn’t let us put a thing into the dishwasher unless every little speck was rinsed off — it’s proving an oddly difficult habit to break but I’m working on it…

6. Did you know that just by turning the water off while brushing your teeth you can save 25 gallons a month — times that by the number of family members in the house.  That will add up to some savings as well!

If you have a great way to go green and save, National Geographic wants to hear about it!  They’ve teamed up with Sun Chips for their Green Effects contest.  The winner with the best green idea will win $20,000!  Now that would really help with energy bills!!! 

We at Cocoa Daisy  want to get in on the action too.  Tell us your favorite green tip and you could win a $50 prize package!!!  Just post a comment to this post before June 15th and you will be entered into the drawing.

If you want to hear more on green (and white), read on.  If you’ve had your fill– don’t.

On Thursday while listening to the radio, I heard a segment on a how the US Energy Secretary Steven Chu, a Noble Laureate in physics wants us to paint roofs white to help save energy and reduce global warming.  I’ve seen some scoffing of this idea on the internet but I think it’s an interesting, common sense solution.  You can read the story here.   

According to Chu, painting roads and roofs a lighter color would be equivalent to take every single car in the world off the road for 11 years!  I know that some global warming skeptics find this idea laughable, but what’s really interesting is where this idea originated.  With the US army.  In an effort to save fuel and to cut down on the need for fule convoys (which account for half of all casualties in the war theaters).   The Independent reports that  it estimates that every 1 per cent of fuel saved means 6,444 soldiers do not have to travel in a vulnerable convoy.  The Army found that just by insulating tents in Iraq and Afghanistan with a layer of light colored foam,  they have saved 100,000 gallons of fuel a day.  Amazing results!

Also, anyone who has been to Greece, the Carribean or other places known for their warm climates has probably noted how the roofs and buildings are generally white or light colored as they don’t absorb as much heat.  It’s an ancient way to stay cooler that seems to have been forgot for a while. 

I doubt people are going to rush out and paint their roofs white but it will be interesting to what what direction this leads future construction. 

There are also “green” roofs an other very old concept.  I visited Norway while in college and was amazed at their turf roofs called torvtak.  People’s roofs were gardens!  This building method is now coming to a city near you.  When I first read about it I thought that it would be messy, leaking and really expensive.  Apparently that’ s not the case.  They can last twice as long as a conventional roof, cut down on the need for insulation while decreasing cooling cost by 25% and provide more garden space!  They’ve grown enormously in popularity in Europe and are starting to catch on in the US and Canada.  You can read about them here and here.  One day when we build our dream house, I want a green roof!