REUSE - What can I replace with reusable items in my life

Have you ever stopped and thought about how much you throw out in a day? For most of us it is probably a lot more than we think. So many times we do it out of ease and convenience. Take for example a bottle of water. It is easy to grab one on the way out the door as we head to the game, work, beach, etc. and we can justify it because that bottle of water is in a recyclable container. Great, I have done my part to help the environment! Yes it is true that bottle is recyclable, but realistically only a portion of bottles actually get recycled and it still uses energy and resources (such as oil) to manufacture the bottle as well as recycle the bottle. Now what if that same amount of water was taken in a reusable container. Most bottled water is just filtered tap water anyway. That simple act could not only help the environment it could also save you a lot of money over the course of the year. Think about how much your tap water costs (even if you use some type of filter with it) then compare that to how much a bottle of water costs.

This is just one example, take a look around you to see what else you can change. What about that brown bag you bring your lunch in, could you bring it in a reusable container? Did you just use plastic plates and silverware for the cookout because you didn’t want to be bothered with cleaning anything up – don’t worry we are not judging, we’ve been there too. The point is that there are many small things that we can do to have a positive impact on our environment but it takes a group effort. Start with something small today. To learn more about how you can reduce your carbon footprint, visit www.airkinglimited.com.

Reduce your carbon footprint – 10 easy steps to take today.

A lot has been written about carbon footprints and reducing the impact we have on the environment. While living “off the grid” might not be something all of us can do, there are some easy steps we can all take to reduce the impact our daily lives have on the environment. The added bonus is that most of these also save us money in the process. Here are ten:

1. Adjust your thermostat 2 degrees (up in the summer, down in the winter). It will lower your energy bill and reduce up to 500 lbs. of Greenhouse Gases (GHGS) per year.
2. Perform regular maintenance on your vehicles. Your car will drive better and save up to 800 lbs. of GHGS per year.
3. Reduce your driving by 20 miles a week. Do you have an opportunity to car pool? Can you take one car instead of two to the kid’s game? You will save on your gas bill and up to 1,000 lbs. of GHGS per year.
4. Reduce your kilowatt-hour usage by 20 per month. Does every light in the house need to be on at all times? You will save on your electric bill and up to 200 lbs. of GHGS per year.
5. Enable the power saver feature on your computer and monitor. A simple setting that can save up to 100 lbs. of GHGS per year.
6. Run your dishwasher only when full. This is one that has multiple benefits, you save water and energy, which save money and saves up to 100 lbs. of GHGS per year.
7. Wash clothes in cold water. Save the energy needed to heat the water being used and save up to 200 lbs. of GHGS per year.
8. Replace your incandescent bulbs. By investing in LED or CFL light bulbs instead of traditional incandescent bulbs, you can greatly reduce your energy usage saving up to 40 lbs. of GHGS per bulb per year.
9. Recycle. Recycling is something that is easy and in a lot of areas required. By recycling aluminum, steel, plastic, glass and paper, you can reduce up to 1,300 lbs. of GHGS per year.
10. Reuse. Even better that recycling, is reusing. Do you need a new bottle of water each time you leave the house or can you use a refillable one? The paper bag you pack your lunch can be recycled but what about a reusable container?

As you can see, some very easy and mostly free steps can greatly reduce your impact on the environment. Now here is the challenge – how many of these are you going to start doing today? For more tips and information visit www.airkinglimited.com

GHGS calculations courtesy of www.epa.gov