Replace Your Power Drill Battery
My husband, Joe, loves tools, so my mother gave him a Makita 7.2 volt power drill for Christmas in 1993. It's been his reliable helper ever since, allowing him to put up bookshelves, a train table and a score of other items around the house. A few years ago he noticed that the drill battery was starting to go, but he put off looking for a new drill. (Maybe it was his sentimental attachment to the old workhorse--the drill, that is, not my mother-- or maybe he just didn't want to spend the money on a new drill).
The manufacturer never advertised replacement batteries. Maybe they were hoping owners would just go out and buy a new drill. But, they didn't know my husband and his environmentally frugal (aka “cheapness” ) gene.
The drill cost $95.00 more than fifteen years ago. Replacing it with a similar quality tool now would probably cost at least $150.00. Well, two months ago the drill finally died. On a whim, Joe went on the internet in search of replacement batteries and found out that Makita-manufactured batteries are available for all the company's products, going back at least fifteen years. The website you can go to to order them is www.toolsource.com.
So, he ordered a new battery for $35. When it arrived in the mail, he opened the trap door on the handle of his drill with a screw driver. That door appears to have been designed to allow for removal of (and proper disposal of) the old battery. Joe just removed the dead battery and popped in the new one. Now his drill works like a charm. These days, every time he uses his Makita, my husband thinks pleasant thoughts of his mother-in-law!! That, in itself, is a tiny miracle!
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Drive Slightly Slower and Save
For Spring break we drove from Northern New Jersey to Carolina Beach, North Carolina, where my brother lives. Just about everyone knows that the faster you drive, the more gasoline you burn. But, we thought this was a good time to put that principle to the test. For part of the trip my husband tried to maintain a speed of 60-65 miles per hour (mph), and in other areas with higher speed limits, he pushed our Subaru Outback to 70-75 mph. Because our car has a digital readout of average miles per gallon (mpg), it was easy to see how we were doing. The upshot is that at the lower speed, we achieved 33 mpg. When we drove 10 mph faster, we achieved 29 mpg.
The entire round trip was about 1,700 miles (including stops at Williamsburg, Virginia, on the way there and Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home near Charlottesville, Virginia, on the way back.) Most of it was highway driving. So, a simple calculation assuming an average gasoline price of $2 per gallon, suggests that we saved almost a penny for every mile we drove at the slower speed. If we drove the entire 1,700 miles at 60-65 instead of 70-75, it would have taken us a little longer to get to the beach, but we would have saved about $17. Not bad. But not quite as good as my neighbor, who has a Prius and says he averages 43 mpg when combining highway and local driving.
Stop Newspaper Delivery While Away
Temporarily stopping your newspaper delivery may deprive a neighborhood
kid from making a little cash by picking up your paper, but it will
benefit others. A lot of publishers will credit your account while
you're away, so you'll save money and a tree—or at least a branch! Many
papers also allow you to donate the cost of the subscription while
you're away to a charity, or to have the papers you temporarily cancel
donated to a school or other worthy public facility.
Try A Metal Water Bottle
Bottled water is also not as good for the person drinking it. Tap water quality is closely regulated by EPA under the Clean Water Act, but bottled water is only regulated by FDA and is not subject to all the same testing requirements (although about a quarter of bottle water is tap water, so some of it does undergo the more stringent EPA regulations!) To learn more and/or to buy a bottle try the Back2Tap Web site or the Greensender Web site.
Attend PSE&G's GreenFest
If you're free April 3, 4, or 5 and live within a couple of hours of
the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, New Jersey, think about
attending PSE&G's GreenFest 2009. This is the second year for the
event, and it 's intended to introduce homeowners and business owners
to the latest environmentally savvy technologies and ideas. Their Website
promises hands-on demonstrations and workshops, interesting speakers
and kid-friendly activities (including a visit from the kooky Kratt
Brothers).
If your a homeowner, there will be plenty of vendor representatives to
tell you about their eco-friendly products. You can order your tickets
on line at the Website. When I did, I got a coupon valued at $300
toward the purchase of Andersen replacement windows. I'm not sure we're
ready to make that investment yet, but I'm hoping to find other
bargains.
Try Recycled Paint
When a big piece of dried ceiling paint fell and almost impaled our cat the other day, I decided that it was time to do some indoor painting. I had heard about something called “recycled paint,” so when I visited our local hardware store to pick up a few samples, I asked if they had any.
They pointed me to a display of about 25 cans behind the cash register. When I asked what recycled paint was, the saleswoman told me that it was more like “rejected” than “recycled.” In other words, people bought the paint, but probably decided that they didn't like the color and so returned it. She said they've just started selling the paint instead of disposing of it.
Despite their rejected status, I found several of the colors attractive. There were a few cans of white/cream which could have a pigment-of-choice added, said the sales woman. But what was really encouraging was the price--$10 for a gallon of high-quality paint and $5 for a quart. That's half price for this particular store. Environmentally, it's also one less can of paint to dispose of!
While I was considering paints, I went on the Benjamin Moore Web site and found out that they are introducing a new line of paints this Spring called “Natura.” They're marketing it as an interior, waterborne paint that has zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Normally, those compounds help paint to dry, but they're not healthy to inhale.
So, check out your local store to see if they have recycled paint. If recycled paint doesn't work for you, at least look into the VOC content of the paint your considering, and buy one with the lowest rating—you'll be doing your home environment and your painter (maybe yourself!) a favor.
Start A Compost Heap
It's
time to start thinking about spring gardening, and what better way to
have a beautiful crop of vegetables or flowers than to feed them with
homegrown compost. We started ours a couple of years ago, and it's been
a great success. You'll also be saving energy in the process. Most
non-organic fertilizers contain nitrogen. That's a byproduct of
ammonia. And that comes from natural gas! The more we compost, the more
gas we save!
It's better to start it in the fall, when the leaves are falling, but it's still a good time to prepare one. First, select a sunny spot along the periphery of your property away from your deck or patio if you have one. We cleared a flat spot about 6 feet square'. Gather any dead leaves you see around your property. (I'm looking out my side window and see the beginnings of a great pile along my neighbor's driveway.) Sprinkle the dry leaves with water to aid decomposition.
Keep a plastic container next to your sink and add any leftover vegetable or fruit scraps as well as eggshells and even coffee grinds. (Don't add meat or fish!) Add the scraps to your leaf pile every couple of days. Don't forget to rake the pile once in a while to mix things up. The best mulch (the most decomposed materials) ends up looking like fine, black soil. You'll find it settled at the bottom of your pile. To read more about composting try the Web site “How to Build A Compost Heap.”
Try Energy Star Products
The government's Energy Star program helps consumers to choose the most energy efficient appliances for their homes. According to the Department of Energy (DOE), Americans saved enough energy in 2008 using Energy Star-approved products to power 10 million homes and avoid greenhouse emissions from 12 million cars. The program also resulted in a savings of $6 billion, DOE says.
Under the guidance of the new Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, DOE may soon raise appliance-efficiency standards and create a new category called "Superstar" for the leading 5-10 percent of energy saving products, such as light bulbs, washers and dryers, toasters/blenders and windows. So, next time you're shopping, look for the Energy Star logo. Also, the Energy Star Web site is well worth a visit, with a lot of information on Energy Star products as well as home improvement and building tips.
Bring Your Own Grocery Bags
I go to the grocery store several times a week, and each time I check
out I'm asked if I want paper or plastic bags. The better choice for
the environment is paper bags because they are biodegradable, are more
readily recyclable, and don't harm wildlife if eaten. They also hold
more groceries.
But, the best option, by far, is to bring your own bag. A washable
canvas bag works really well, and for $1 each I was able to buy a
couple of reusable bags at my local grocery store. By using them I'm
doing my part to reduce the pollution that results from making the
disposable bags. I'm also reducing our dependence on foreign oil,
saving some trees and maybe even a few seagulls that try to eat the
plastic bags in landfills.
My biggest problem is remembering to bring my own bags into the store.
Leave them in your front passenger seat so you don't forget! Try Fluorescent Lights Outdoors
I've noticed that some of our neighbors keep their outdoor lights on
all night. Most of us have some kind of light on outdoors in the
evening, and if you do, it pays to switch from incandescent bulbs to
fluorescent bulbs. You'll save energy—yours and the environment's.
If you're worried about whether or not the light will be bright enough,
don't. A 9 watt fluorescent bulb puts off as much light as a
traditional 60 watt incandescent bulb. As for cost, you spend about 22
cents burning a 60 watt incandescent for 24 hours versus 5 cents
burning a fluorescent for the same amount of time.
So, if you leave an outdoor, 60 watt bulb on for only six hours/day
every day of the year, that totals around $20/year, versus less than
$5/year to burn a fluorescent for the same amount of time. Sure
fluorescent bulbs cost more, but one fluorescent will outlast several
traditional bulbs, which means fewer trips outside to change bulbs. To
read more about the advantages of fluorescent light bulbs and ways to
reduce the mercury hazard while disposing of them, check out the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources web site. Buy a Refurbished Computer Our computer also came with the manufacturer's one-year Limited Warranty. You can go on the Apple web site I've noticed that some of our neighbors keep their outdoor lights on all night. Most of us have some kind of light on outdoors in the evening, and if you do, it pays to switch from incandescent bulbs to fluorescents. You'll save energy—yours and the environment's. Try Linoleum Flooring My friend had a linoleum tile kitchen floor installed in various shades
of green and it looks great. But, besides being attractive and durable,
it's a plus for the environment. Vinyl tiles are made from oil-based
plastics such as PVC. Linoleum is made from natural products, mostly
flaxseed-derived linseed oil. And linoleum is readily recyclable. According to The Green Book,
published by Three River Press, installing a 500-square-foot linoleum
floor instead of vinyl would save the equivalent of 12 gallons of
gasoline. Also, if 1 percent more of the hard flooring installed in the
U.S. were linoleum instead of vinyl, about 600,000 barrels of oil would
be saved—the average amount the US imported daily from Iraq in 2008.
Besides, this isn't your Grandmother's linoleum—now it comes in
hundreds of colors! Turn Off Your Computer Turn off your desktop computer if no one is going to be using it. If
you're all out of the house for eight hours, and asleep for another
eight (if you're lucky!), you could save yourselves about 20 cents a
day. Doesn't sound like much, but that's over $70 a year, which would
pay for a nice dinner out. If you can easily put your computer to sleep
(it's a breeze if you have a Mac), do that. The electricity use for a
sleeping computer is negligible. Wear a Scarf Around the House This might sound crazy, but when it dropped to 6 degrees yesterday I kept my polartec scarf on in the house. I didn't take it off when I first came in because the phone rang and I got distracted. But then I realized it was helping to keep me warm. Just make sure you're not wearing it over your gas stove. You could end up cooking more than your dinner!
We needed a new desktop computer last year and decided to opt for
purchasing a refurbished Apple iMac. It was $200 cheaper than a
non-refurbished machine, and it works beautifully. In addition to the
cost saving, we saved one machine from going to a landfill.Before
manufacturers started selling refurbished machines, they routinely
disposed of any computer that came off the assembly line with a defect.
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