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Mayor Baker's Biography Healthy Wimington 2010 |
Wilmington's Climate Sustainability Plan Things You Can Do to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint There are many things that you can do in your daily life that will reduce your impact on the environment, both in your neighborhood and in places far away. These opportunities, some very simple, can reduce carbon dioxide being released to the atmosphere and can save you money! Each person and each change can make a difference! 10 Ways to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Home 1. Replace Incandescent Lights with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Focus first on replacing the bulbs that are on the longest each day. Compact fluorescents use about ¼ the electricity to produce the same level of light, and they last about 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs. So, you not only reduce your energy use, but save money on your monthly electricity bill. 2. Buy Energy Efficient Appliances and Electronics Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances. The website, www.energystar.gov, provides a list of the most energy efficient products. Un-plug unused electronics; even when turned off, as long as they are plugged in, they are using electricity. 3. Weatherize Your Home Caulk and weather strip your doorways and windows. Make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated. Replace single-paned windows with double-paned windows. 4. Fill the Dishwasher Running a full dishwasher is more efficient than washing all those dishes by hand. But it is important to run the dishwasher only when it is FULL. 5. Use a Programmable Thermostat or Adjust Your Thermostat Using a programmable thermostat allows you to automatically adjust the temperature in your home for times when you are there, away, or asleep. Whether your thermostat is programmable or manual, moving the temperature down 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer can save up to 2000 lbs of CO2, as well as save you money on your heating and electricity bills. 6. Check and Change the Air Filters Cleaning and replacing air filters allows your heating and cooling systems to run more efficiently, saving CO2 and money. 7. Turn Down the Temperature of your Hot Water Heater Turning the water heater down to 120°F, the cost to heat your water will also go down. Insulate your water heater and save even more energy and money. For a bigger investment, switch to a tankless water heater – water is heated as it is used rather than keeping a tank of hot water. 8. Install Low-Flow Showerheads and Faucets You'll use half the water without decreasing performance. Less water in the shower means less energy to heat the water. Showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs, so, take shorter showers and you’ll save even more money and CO2. 9. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Buy Recycled Products Producing paper, glass and metal products from recycled materials saves 70-90% of the energy over producing them from virgin materials. Did you know that recycling a 4 foot high stack of newspapers can save a good-sized tree? Of course, reusing products saves 100% of the energy of producing a new one. Use a reusable water bottle - 2.5 million individual plastic water bottles are thrown away every hour in the US. 10. Plant a Tree Trees absorb carbon dioxide and give us oxygen in return. Well-placed trees can also reduce your heating and cooling bills. A special thanks to the Sierra Club, StopGlobalWarming.Org for information used in this fact sheet.
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Louis L. Redding City/County Building |