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Utilize ceiling fans in your home to reduce energy use. Using ceiling fans will allow you to set your thermostat 2-3 degrees higher in warm weather months because the fan makes the room feel cooler. Regular use of ceiling fans can reduce air conditioning bills by up to 40%. During the winter, by running the fan in the opposite direction and circulating warm air normally trapped at the ceiling, can reduce heating bills by up to 10%.
Save the water from your room de-humidifier and use it to water plants, flower beds, and container gardens, or resuse in your washing machine. A de-humidifier used regularly in a basement setting can generate several gallons of reusable water each week.
Newspapers make an effective weed barrier in flower beds and gardens. Layer sheets of newspaper on top of the soil and over with mulch. The newspaper will biodegrade in a few weeks. Avoid using color print.
Reduce your paper usage by printing on both sides of the paper. This works great for non-sensitive documents, which makes up the bulk of our printing needs. Recycle after using both sides.
Replace traditional incandescent light bulbs with compact flourescent bulbs (CFLs). CFLs use only about 25% of the energy of their incandescent counterparts to produce the same amount of light. CFLs also last significant longer reducing the impact on our landfills.
Use reusable shopping bags whenever possible. Over one-billion single-use plastic bags are given out daily at grocery and department stores. A plastic bag thrown away will take over 500 years to biodegrade in a landfill, and requires non-renewable resources such as petroleum and natural gas to produce.
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