How To Install a Programmable Thermostat - The Home Depot
Learn how to save energy and money on your heating and cooling bills by replacing your existing thermostat with a programmable thermostat. Watch ...
How to Replace and Install a Programmable Thermostat
Lowe's home improvement expert, Mike Kraft, shows how to safely change and install a programmable thermostat to increase your home energy ...
Making Your Next Vacation Eco-Friendly: Tips and Advice
To anyone who ever questioned tourism’s global impact, consider this: According to the International Ecotourism Society, if tourism were a country it would have the second largest economy, eclipsed only by the United States. In 2004, there were 760 million tourist arrivals worldwide and that number is projected to reach 1.56 billion by 2020. Not surprisingly, something as trivial as a disposable plastic water bottle in the hands of every tourist has a profound effect on the planet.
That doesn’t mean you have to spend your hard-earned vacation days in the backyard lounge chair to be environmentally conscious. But for people looking to take an eco-friendly vacation, there are lots of ways to minimize your impact. You can start by packing a reusable water bottle, and while you’re at it toss in some soap and shampoo. (All those hotel mini-bottles add up.)
Next, get rid of unnecessary packaging. Many developing countries don’t recycle, meaning the box your toothpaste tube comes in will end up in the trash. Instead, recycle it at home, and trim down your toiletries to the essentials. Also make sure to get your house in order before you leave. Turn down the thermostat and water heater, and put newspaper delivery on hold.
Whenever possible, take the train. Trains are more efficient than airplanes, and you won’t have to deal with one-hour-early check-in times and long security lines.
If air travel is unavoidable, consider buying carbon offsets. Companies such as TerraPass, Carbon Neutral, and Carbon Fund have websites that allow you to calculate the impact of your flight, and then buy offsets to counter CO2 emissions. In turn these companies channel your money to green projects such as re-forestation, wind farms, or to help reduce the cost differential between renewable and conventional energy.
According to the TerraPass website, the 6,920-mile round trip flight from New York to London produces 2,698 pounds of CO2 per passenger. Spend $9.95 on their Puddle Jumper offset (good for 6,000 miles of air travel) and you’re almost square. For the jet set, chose the $149.95 Globetrotter offset that’s good for 100,000 miles in the friendly skies. (Just remember that the offset enterprise is not regulated, so do your homework before you buy and don’t use offsets as a replacement for responsible behavior.)
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