Going Green - Do you know what the 4th “R” of recycling means?
It’s time to expand our thinking and add another layer to our recycling strategy. How many of you know the 4 R’s of Recycling? What is the missing “R”? Well if you’ve been watching my events post you could probably make an educated guess. The fourth “R” is “Rot” I have listed all the composting events going on in Contra Costa County for 2010 in my events section. I highly recommend that if you don’t know a lot about composting that you attend a class. Last year I made an attempt to compost and I made a nice garbage can full of stinky sludge. The good news is after attending the class I learned about the scientific part of composting and I started over and now my composting pile is starting to do it’s job. It’s amazing what a little air will do to help in composting.
Another surprising benefit to composting is that my trash can is not full every week. Little did I know that this one small change would reduce my trash so much. I am so much more aware of what I’ve throwing away.
Did you know that composting has a significant impact of reducing the carbon dioxide released into the environment?
Composting helps the climate! The US EPA estimates that simply increasing our national recycling rate from its current level of 30 percent to 35 percent would reduce GHG emissions by 10 million metric tons of so-called carbon equivalent (MTCE). That amount is equal to the average annual emissions from the electricity consumed by roughly 4.6 million households. (2.)
There is a great article on the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority website pertaining to the impact of the 4r’s on our climate. Did you know the EPA ranks landfills the second largest source of human released methane gas?
I challenge you to think about making one small change and consider composting. Worm composting is a small way to start and it’s something you can do in a small tub that doesn’t use very much space.
Here is a link to a quick guide to worm composting at www.savvygardener.com.
3 Steps to Save Money, Save Energy, and Reduce CO2, Doing Your Laundry
I’ve been pondering ways to save money and reduce my energy consumption around the house and I stumbled upon interesting ways to save money doing my laundry.
First a few facts:
1) According to a laundry article I found on the City of Concord’s website, doing your laundry has a significant impact on our environment. Did you know that over the lifetime of a T-shirt up to 9 lbs of carbon dioxide can be release in the air just through washing and drying?
These are general usage cost for a family of 4 for a washer and dryer
Clothes washer (with hot water) -
Electricity kWh/yr - 1,080
Cost /Year - $86
CO2 emitted/yr 1,544
Clothes washer (minus hot water)
Electricity kWh/yr - 99
Cost /Year $8
CO2 emitted/yr 142
Clothes dryer
Electricity kWh/yr - 1,060 -
Cost /Year $85 -
CO2 emitted/yr- 1,516
Surprising huh?
So what is my plan? Well, I have a few obstacles but I can still make a difference. First the simple fix……
1) Wash my clothes in cold water. I had no idea that the hot water consumed 90 percent of a washers energy usage.
Second fix a little more challenging but doable……
2) Line dry my clothes. This is FREE SOLAR ENERGY and another big way to save on energy, laundry supplies and to preserve the longevity of your clothing. Have you ever smelled line dried sheets and towels? They are the best! Did you know the sun is a natural whitener as well as a natural antibacterial? A couple of challenges are living in a community that doesn’t let you hang your laundry as mine doesn’t allow you to hand your laundry outside. I’m thinking about hanging my laundry in the garage or you can watch this funny video clip that is trying to get a petition signed so it is a right to hang your laundry. Check it out here.
Another advantage to line drying is you don’t need to use bleach or fabric softener, just shake, snap and hang your clothes upside down. If you really don’t like the stiffness of your jeans just toss them in the dryer for a couple of minute on wrinkle release.
3) Finally, use a really good biodegradable phosphate free laundry soap.
Here’s a link to some laundry soap options
