Earth Day 2010

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and I believe that we each have a responsibility to do our best to protect and preserve our environment.

The EPA is asking everyone to "Pick 5 for the Environment". Choose at least 5 actions you’ll commit to - use less water and electricity, commute without polluting, reuse and recycle, and more. It can be as simple as not running the water while you brush your teeth - putting your computer into sleep mode when you're not using it - using a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water - recycling your used cans.

You can become a fan of Pick 5 on Facebook (oops, I mean you can "like" it!) and join them on Flickr. 

Did you know?

• recycling 1 soft drink can could save enough energy to power a TV for 3 hours

• by switching to cold-water washing, you can save up to 90% of the energy used in each load of laundry 

• you can save up to $100 per year by putting your computer into sleep/standby mode rather than using a screen saver 

• laptops use 15 to 25 watts during regular use, as compared to the 150 watts used by a conventional desktop computer and monitor. Plus, laptops also draw just a fraction of a watt when in sleep mode. 

• if you switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, they pay for themselves in energy savings in about 6 months. (We've noticed about a $20 per month difference in the electric bill by changing all of our bulbs to CFLs.)

• for every degree you raise your thermostat in the summer, you reduce your cooling costs between 7 and 10 percent; so use stationary, ceiling and whole-house fans to help cool your home - the energy you use to run the fans is minimal compared to the savings you reap by turning your thermostat up a degree or two.

(information from The Daily Green & Mother Earth News)

What will you do to celebrate Earth Day?