A Sustainable American Lifestyle

For my Environmental Sustainability class I am writing about ways that the typical American household can reduce their environmental impact without sacrificing the quality of their life.  My areas of research are in electricity and water use.  Here are some ideas, as well as some statistics for you to consider in your own life.

Electricity

With only 5% of the world’s population, America consumes 26% of the world’s energy supply (EcoEarthWalk.ca). To generate this electricity, we rely heavily on coal, a fossil fuel which contributes to smog, acid rain and global warming. Coal accounts for 50% of the United States energy production (pbs.org). According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a typical coal burning power plant emits 3.7 million tons of CO2, the equivalent to cutting down 161 million trees. In addition to carbon dioxide emissions, coal burning power plants also release sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, mercury, arsenic and lead (ucsusa.org).

Water

The average American uses between 80 and 100 gallons of water each day. Most of this water is used in flushing toilets and bathing (usgs.gov). While 71% of the planet is covered in water, less than 1% is fresh and available for human use (usgs.gov). At least 36 states are facing water shortages in the next four years (alternet.org). Water shortages are not limited to the Western United States. The Great Lakes are shrinking (newyorktimes.com) and states including New York, Georgia and Florida are all facing water shortages or will be in the future (alternet.org).

What Can You Do?

Reducing your impact on the environment doesn’t require any dramatic shifts in your lifestyle or quality of life. Many of the changes are small but can have a major impact on reducing your consumption of electricity and water. Reducing your consumption also means saving yourself some money. Here are some of the ways that you can reduce your environmental impact:

Electricity Consumption

Install Compact Florescent Lighting: CFLs use 75% less energy than standard incandescent light bulbs and will save over $30 in energy costs over their lifetime. They also last 10 times longer than a standard bulb which means less maintenance around the home (energystar.gov).

Flip the Switch: In addition to switching to CFLs, turning off the lights when you are not using them will save electricity and money.

Use a Power Strip for Electrical Appliances: Estimates indicate that as much as 10% of your total home energy use is a result of phantom power, the energy consumed by electronic devices in Standby mode (therenewableplanet.org)

Replace Old Appliances with Energy Star Appliances: When the time comes to replace an old appliance, chose an Energy Star Rated Appliance. According to Energy Star: “Energy Star qualified appliances incorporate advanced technologies that use 10–50% less energy and water than standard models.” (energystar.gov)

Unplug Chargers When Not In Use: Even when your cell phone chargers are not charging your phone, they are still drawing electricity. Unplug them from the wall after your phone is charged.

Water Consumption

Lower the Temperature of Your Water Heater: “For each 10°F reduction in water temperature, you can save between 3%–5% in energy costs.” Water temperatures can be lowered to 120° F without any noticeable change (EnergySavers.gov).

Pee in the Shower: Brazilian environmental group SOS Mata Atlantica says that by peeing in the shower, the average Brazilian household can save 1,157 gallons of water if it avoids flushing the toilet once a day for a year (huffingtonpost.com). If they can do it, so can we!  Watch their video, it is cute!

Turn Off the Water While Brushing Your Teeth: The EPA states that turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth can save 8 gallons of water a day; 240 gallons a month (epa.gov)

Use a Dishwasher: Consumer Reports claims that using an efficient dishwasher can actually use less water than washing dishes by hand! (consumerreports.org) Save even more water by only running the dishwasher when it is full.

Take Shorter Showers: Peeing isn’t the only way to save water in the shower. By taking shorter showers, you can save up to 60 gallons of water compared to taking a bath. A typical bath requires 70 gallons of water while a 5 minute shower only uses between 10 to 25 gallons (epa.gov).

Conclusion

Doing your part to save the environment doesn’t require large sacrifices that will lead to book or movie deals like No Impact Man and we don’t need to live in a cave without money like Daniel Suelo.  Creating a sustainable lifestyle is about making small changes that will result in a large difference in your consumption levels.  Being Green and environmentally friendly isn’t just for Hippies anymore.  The financial impacts of reducing your costs add up to money in your pocket.  Who doesn’t like that!?

Go Green While Saving Some Green

One of my core values is to live my life in a way in which I am minimizing my impact on the environment in as many ways as possible.  “Going Green” has become a slogan of many companies and we have been bombarded with “Natural” alternatives.  Organic food has become the latest trend.  For the average person, Going Green can be expensive and sometimes impractical.  Here are some tips about how you can save the environment while saving money.

I’ll start with the basics:

Reduce- The easiest way of saving the environment and your money is by reducing the amount of things you consume.  The less you buy, the less you spend.  It also means that whatever it is that you didn’t buy isn’t going to end up in a landfill (at least not through your consumerism).

Reuse- Use what you already have, then use it again.  At work I reuse a plastic bottle for water.  Instead of buying a new bottle I fill mine at the water fountain.  At first the taste was about enough to make me sick, but I’ve grown accustomed to it and I feel good that I am reducing my plastic consumption.  We have a dependency on plastic which is making our world sick.  We are creating a toxic soup of discarded plastic in the Pacific Ocean that has grown to the size of Texas.  Each time you fill that water bottle, you’re saving yourself $1.00 and I fill my repeatedly throughout the day.

Recycle- Our natural resources are limited and by doing our part in recycling we can help to make these resources last as long as possible.  I never thought that my efforts would make much of a difference so it wasn’t until recently that I really became passionate about recycling.  I am only one person, but so are we all.  As individuals we can accomplish great things.  Be sure you are doing the right thing.  By recycling you are not only saving the environment but you can also put some cash in your pockets. 

Recycling aluminum cans is a great way to make money.  Aluminum comes from Bauxite which is stip mined from regions around the world, including the rainforests in South America.  While many sources claim that the impact of mining Bauxite is minimal, it is still important that we play our part to do what we can to save our resources.

Here are some other things which you can do in your life to have an impact on the earth and your bank account.

Turn off the Lights- My mother would preach to me when I was young about turning off the lights when I wasn’t using them.  I never understood what difference it made, probably because I wasn’t the one who had to pay the electricity bill every month.  Now that I am a little bit older I understand not only the monetary implications of wasting energy, but also the impact that it has on our environment.  Along with turning off the lights you can also…

Install Compact Flourescent Lights (CFLs)-Trent at The Simple Dollar is probably the leading expert about CFLs, so instead of trying to explain the benefits of installing these lights, I’ll let the expert do the talking: Five Reasons To Try Out a CFL Today.  I encourage you to check out his other articles on this subject as he really knows what he is talking about.  While the upfront cost of these lights is more than a standard bulb, they last longer and use less energy.  As a result, they save you money in the long run.

Unplug Electrical Equipment- When you have electronic devices which are in standby mode, they are using electricity.  The easiest way of eliminating this power consumption is to put the devices on a power switch which can be turned off easily.  This will eliminate the phantom power drain.  That cell phone charger you have plugged into the wall waiting to be used…yes, that is using power too, even though it is doing nothing.  Unplug it.

Use Rechargeable Batteries- I’ve discussed the benefits of using rechargeable batteries previously and I stand by what I said.  The cost of purchasing rechargeables is significantly higher than disposable batteries, but they can be recharged hundreds of times.  That makes the cost per battery much cheaper than regular batteries.  You are also keeping waste from entering the landfill by reusing these batteries repeatedly.

Take a Bike- If you are able to walk or bike someplace instead of driving a car, do it.  Not only is it good for the Earth to reduce our emissions, but it is good for you and your wallet.  By walking or biking you are improving your overall health, which can lead to fewer medical issues.  That is money in the bank.  You don’t have to purchase gasoline to power your feet.  Money in the bank.  You don’t need to insure a bicycle.  Money in the bank.  There are so many ways which finding alternative modes of transportation is a benefit to us and our world.  I recommend it to everyone!

Dispose of Your Disposables- In our modern era we dispose of EVERYTHING!  One of my biggest pet peeves are paper products.  We use a paper towel for just about anything, and we use them constantly.  We buy paper/plastic plates and silverware which ends up in the trash after one use.  Why not just take your money and set it on fire.  Not to mention the environmental impact we are having by wasting these things.  Use a cloth towel and wash it.  Use real dinnerware and wash it.  I remember life out on the farm with farmers who blew their noses into a handkerchief, and then, guess what, washed it and used it again.

Buy Produce at a Farmer’s Market- Summer is coming and that means the Farmer’s Market will be in full force.  Buying products from them helps support your local economy and also helps the environment by reducing transportation emissions.  I know that I will be getting out there and buying some produce when they open.

I hope that some of these tips will help encourage you to “Think Green” in more ways than one.  If you have your own ideas of how to Go Green While Saving Some Green, feel free to add a comment!