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The Project: Reduce Pollution
Background Information | Green energy | What you can do
How can I buy trees in Mexico to reduce CO2 and help monarch butterflies?
Click here to purchase trees in Michoacan, Mexico and receive a certificate through The Rainforest Site.
How can I become involved and make a difference?
First, think about what you might be able to change about your lifestyle that would help you consume less energy. Many of the simple things you've heard before really will help: walk or ride a bike instead of driving, turn off the lights, recycle and use products that have less packaging - it takes much more energy to produce new products than to reuse what we already have.
Then, encourage others in your family and community to do the same. Ask community leaders and decision makers in your state and Congress to provide incentives for conservation and energy efficiency, instead of consumption. Become involved with organizations that are speaking out about global warming, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Use email to let friends and colleagues know about the global warming and energy problems and what they can do to help reduce greenhouse gases and use energy more efficiently.
What kind of energy efficient products/appliances can I buy?
 The typical American household could reduce its electricity consumption�and bill�by 40% simply by replacing existing lighting and appliances with efficient Energy Star models. Such enormous efficiency gains can go a long way toward helping the US reduce global warming gasses. The most important appliances to consider are those that use the most energy: lights, refrigerators, washing machines and dryers, air conditioners, and dishwashers.
LIGHTING
 Lighting alone represents 10% of US electricity consumption, and offers the largest potential savings. Compact Fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) generate the same amount of light as incandescents but use only 25% of the electricity. CFLs cost more than incandescents, but because they last 10 times as long and use so much less electricity they have a lifetime cost that is much lower than the competition. Two companies producing CFLs are based in the Midwest and are members of the Midwest Global Warming Leadership Council:
GE Lighting, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is the largest lamp manufacturer in North America. GE LIGHTING offers a full line of "Energy Star labeled" energy efficient compact fluorescent products.
Technical Consumer Products (TCP) in Aurora, Ohio manufactures SpringLamps that use 75% less energy when compared to an equivalent incandescent bulb. Springlamp's 10,000 hour average life equals 10 standard incandescent bulbs and it will fit anywhere a standard bulb will fit. For more information, visit www.springlamp.com
HOME APPLIANCES
Washing Machines - Maytag manufactures the Neptune washing machine which saves nearly 40% of the water and 65% of the energy than conventional washers. These savings help combat global warming by reducing the amount of energy needed to operate, and can reduce utility bills up to $100 annually.
Air Conditioners - The Trane Company manufactures high efficiency air conditioning systems for homes and buildings.
The Trane Earth Wise CenTraVac chiller used to cool large office buildings, airports, hospitals and industrial applications is the world's most efficient, lowest emission chiller. If every chiller were as efficient, annual power plant emissions would be reduced by nearly 17 billion pounds of carbon dioxide - the equivalent of removing over 2 milion cars from the road or planting nearly 500 million trees each year.
Windows - Windows can account for up to 30% of annual home energy consumption. Cardinal IG manufactures highly efficient glass in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, which helps reduce the energy needed to heat and cool a home or building. Cardinal IG makes their glass in in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, and also makes the glass for Andersen Corporation's LowE windows.
For more information on energy efficient windows, see www.efficientwindows.org.
 Find out what your ecological footprint is!
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Buy energy conservation devices like compact florescent light bulbs & programmable thermostats, and protect 100 square feet per dollar spent! Click here to shop! |
Energy & Pollution Factoids from Sierra Magazine:
- If you replaced your Ford Excursion with a Honda Insight, over its lifetime you'd save $11,000 on gas and produce 107 fewer tons of CO2.
- If you replaced your 1972 refrigerator with a 2001 model, you'd cut CO2 emissions by 1,100 pounds a year and save $80 a year on your energy bill.
- If you replaced your top-loading washing machine with a new front-loader, you'd save $100 a year in energy, water, and detergent.
- If you replaced your 75-watt incandescent lightbulb with a 20-watt compact fluorescent, you'd get the same amount of light but save 1,300 pounds of CO2 and $55.
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Click this button to reduce pollution!
How to Make your Home GREEN this Spring!
 Let the ENERGYguide EcoCalc guide your home to a Greener Spring. Just by answering seven simple questions about your home's energy use, the EcoCalc can suggest ways you can reduce CO2 emissions and save money.
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Click here to purchase energy efficient products and remove 10 lbs. of CO2 per dollar spent.
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