THINGS YOU CAN DO

All of us live in a household of one sort or another, and although not all of our homes fit into the traditional mold of the single family residence, we must all make choices about how we eat, travel, shelter, and provide comfort for ourselves as households.  It is here at the individual and family level that we have the most control over the changes we wish to see.  So, it is here that we must begin to make the change to a sustainable future.  There are hundreds of ways, some simple and some more complicated, for us to reduce our negative impacts on the environment.  Fortunately, each sustainable choice we make will lead us to more fulfilling healthy lifestyles and end up saving us money.  

Let’s get started, right? 

Here are some of the most effective ways your household can put the ability into sustainability:

Transportation:

Every mile that you don’t drive keeps one pound of carbon out of the atmosphere.  Use your own vehicle as little as possible; instead walk, bike or use public transit whenever possible.

1. Walking and biking are the most sustainable ways to travel with great benefits to your own health and environmental health.  These options produce zero emissions, zero noise pollution, and they are the cheapest way to get about.
2. If you can’t make it there with your own two feet, public transportation is the next most sustainable choice.   Public transit uses less than half the fuel of a personal vehicle at the same time producing less than 10% of carbon monoxide and other smog related pollutants.  Plus with fuel prices the way they are and where they’re likely headed, public transportation is the affordable way to get from here to there.  Go to www.ripta.com to find out how the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority can get you where you want to go.

If you must use your own vehicle, then here are some ways to make your travel more sustainable.

1. Carpool: traffic congestion costs the US economy $80 billion annually.  If just 10% more people shared rides, traffic delays would be cut in half.
2. Simple maintenance of your vehicle can save a lot.  Under-inflated tires can increase fuel consumption by 4-8%.  If every American’s tires were properly inflated we would save over 2 billion gallons of gas per year. 
3. Slow driving = smart driving.  According to the EPA, you can improve your car’s gas mileage by 15% by driving at 55mph rather than 65.  Furthermore, accelerate gradually; stepping on the accelerator too heavily uses up to four times as much fuel as moderate acceleration.
4. When running errands try to do fold all your errands into one trip rather than several. Much of our transportation-related pollution comes during the day when we running those errands.

Energy:

Before we look at the steps we can take to make use of energy most sustainably, it’s instructive to look at how the average household consumes its energy.  Heating and Air Conditioning eats up 60% of our energy, 16% is consumed by the water heater, 12% is used to refrigerate and freeze our food, 7% goes to lighting our homes, and the remaining 5% of our energy consumption is devoted to other electronic devices like computers and TVs. 

What you can do?

1. Keep an eye on the thermostat and set it appropriately.  In the winter, lowering your thermostat two degrees saves 6% of heating related carbon emissions, while every degree you raise the thermostat during the summer saves 3% on your cooling costs.
2. Reduce the energy draw of your water heater.  An insulating jacket which costs $10-20 prevents 220-1100 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.  Wash full loads of clothes in warm/cold* water rather than hot water; each 10 degree reduction of the water heater saves 600 pounds of carbon dioxide/yr.
3. Fill that fridge/freezer up.  Freezers and refrigerators are increasingly more efficient the fuller their compartments are.
4. Regarding lighting our homes, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are the way to go.  They last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs and use 75% less electricity.  Each CFL keeps 100 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air over the course of its lifetime.
5. Power strips are a great way to save electricity.  Most appliances continue to use small amounts of power unnecessarily even when they are turned off.  AC adapters for electronic equipment are especially hungry and will continuously draw power until they are unplugged.  Attach your appliances and devices to power strips and you can stop these needless energy drains with one flick of the power strip switch.  Moreover, you will protect your electrical equipment from power surges during storms.

Building:

Building a new home?  Here are some things to keep in mind.

1. Consider how much space you need. Impress your neighbors with how much money you save and how much you contribute to the environment by building sustainably.  Compact multi-story houses use and retain heat much more effectively than large sprawling houses.
2. You don’t need solar panels to make use of the sun’s energy.  Orient your house toward the south to make use of passive solar heating and you can reduce your fuel bills by 30-80%.
3. Insulation:  42% of heat is lost through the roof so focus there first, but it is critical to insulate everywhere.  Insulation keeps heat where you want it to be and also acts as a soundproofing material.  You can save 20-30% of your heating bills as you reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 140-2100lbs./yr depending on how you heat your home.
4. Windows:  Though windows make up only a small percentage of the surface area of your house, they are responsible for 12% of your home’s heat loss.  Use double glazed windows to minimize heat loss.  These double paned windows, vacuum sealed or argon filled, can save between 2.4-9.8 tons of carbon dioxide per year over their single paned counterparts.
5. Opt for green construction materials.  Choose building products made from toxic-free, sustainably harvested or recycled materials to conserve and protect natural resources.

Food:

The way that our society produces and distributes its food is becoming harder and harder to maintain with the continued rise in the cost of petroleum.  Oil and its byproducts are necessary to transport and grow what we eat.  Thus even as food prices soar, farmers are having a more difficult time making a living off the land.  Typical produce in the grocery store has traveled 1500 miles to sit on the shelf, and only 3% of what we pay for that food finds its way into the pocket of the farmer responsible for its creation.  Clearly, we need change now.  A sustainable food system is a local food system.  Here’s how we’re going to make it happen:

1. Buy local. Ensure that tons of carbon dioxide aren’t going into the atmosphere just to get food on your plate by buying locally.  Farmer’s markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms allow you to get your produce directly from the grower and cut out the middle men.  Farmers keep ninety cents out of every dollar you spend at the farmer’s market.  So as you help save the planet, you’re also helping to build a strong local economy.
2. Grow your own.  If you have the time, the most rewarding way to get your food is to grow it yourself.  Not only will you minimize costs and the use of petroleum, but you will also discover a new found connection to the earth we all rely upon for survival.  If you don’t have a yard to grow in, look for a community garden to join where you can have a plot of your own or become a “work share” at a CSA farm where you can help them get their food to market in exchange for some of the crops.
3. Eat lower on the food chain.  It takes 68 calories of fuel to make one calorie of pork, and it takes 12000 gallons of water to produce just one pound of beef.  Choosing to eat vegetables rather than meat is an excellent way to reduce your environmental impact and lead a healthier lifestyle.  Start by eating vegetarian one day a week and see how far you can go.  If you go completely vegetarian, you will prevent 3.2 tons of carbon emissions per year. 

Water:

Whereas the majority of the world’s population lives on 2.5 gallons of water per day, the average citizen of the United States uses 400 gallons, and we cannot continue to use water at this rate.  Even in Rhode Island where water seems plentiful, we have water shortages.  Here are some ideas to help us conserve this most precious resource and save on the water bill.

• By far, the largest water consumption activity for RI households is lawn irrigation, and you can tell by all the beautiful yards around the state.  Unfortunately, we are overwatering our lawns.  Lawns require only one inch of water per week to remain actively growing. Measure weekly rainfall and apply only the amount of water needed to make up the difference. Also, taller grass retains more moisture so keep your grass at least 2-3 inches high.  Lawns that are not overwatered are healthier because the grass’ roots will grow deeper to find water, making a stronger lawn.  Finally, apply water during the cool parts of the day, preferably in the morning, to prevent excess evaporation.
• Fixing water leaks is the next most important area for water conservation.  Studies have shown that leaky irrigation systems, toilets, and faucets can account for more than 10% of your water usage.  Determine if you have leaks by watching your water meter when all the faucets are turned off.  Usually, cheap and easy fixes like replacing washers will take care of the problem.
• Installing low-flow equipment in your home adds up to huge water bill savings.  Showerheads and faucet aerators can save up to 50% on water costs.  Spending an average of thirty dollars is estimated to conserve 45 out of the 260 gallons used in the average RI home per day. 

Community:

Making our households more green is the first step toward making Rhode Island a sustainable state.  The next step is taking these progressive individual actions and molding them into a movement.  As you take action to be more sustainable, take the time to tell others in your community about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how easy it is.  Everybody knows that going green is the right thing to do for our future and the planet’s future.  The thing that is stopping people from taking action is that people do not see it being done.  The fact is most people will only change their lives if they are following someone else’s lead.  Here are some ways for you to be a part of the leadership we need.

1. Host a sustainability event
2. Join and support the organizations and businesses working in your city or town to make the future sustainable.
3. Share resources: from information, to tools, to some of your own sweat; there is a way for you to help the effort.
4. Start a friendly competition with another community to see who can achieve a greener future first.