If you're anything like me, during the winter months you hole up inside in front of the computer. You obsessively check and re-check your free internet dating profile, watch YouTube videos, and because of all the snow and cold, you try to forget there's a world outside at all. Unless, heaven forbid, you're forced to go outside and brave the elements. But when spring comes, you realize the existence of --gasp!-- a beautiful outside world all over again. And hopefully realize that it's your job to help take care of it.
Fortunately, there's no better time to go green than when the weather warms up. Looking to take care of the environment a little better this spring? Read on for some great spring green tips.
1. Contact your utility companies. You know those piles of bills and statements and papers you get every month? If you set aside a couple of hours this spring to contact your utility companies and your bank, you can get them to stop sending them. What difference does this small gesture make to the environment? A bigger one than you think. On average, switching from paper bills and statements to all-electronic ones will save more than 5 pounds of paper in a year, and more than 170 pounds of CO2 emissions (caused by their delivery).
2. Switch off the dryer. If you don't live in, say, Antarctica (or under a waterfall) drying your laundry in a clothes dryer in the spring and summer is just lazy! And totally unnecessary. In the winter, you can often excuse using the dryer with, well, needing dry clothes-- they just don't dry well when it's cold and wet. But as spring dawns, it's time to switch off that dryer. Dry your clothes outside on a line, or if it's too wet, inside your house on an indoor rack. You'll save energy, help the environment, and save yourself some money while you're at it.
3. Get outside. You know all that time you and your kids spend inside watching TV or playing video games? Getting outside is not only great for your bodies, it's good for the environment as well. When you spend the day out, you turn down the air conditioning, turn off the television, and save tons of energy in the process. And when you make your outdoor activities environmentally friendly ones --like planting a garden-- you're doing something doubly good for the planet.
4. Cover up those windows. When your windows aren't properly covered during the hot, sunny summer months, you can use up to 25% more energy keeping your house cool. Instead of allowing your home to bake like an oven, install blinds or screens to keep the bulk of the sun out during the hotter hours of the day. Want to be even greener? Make your house go literally green; planting bushes and trees is a great way to shade your home naturally.
5. Sweat it up a bit. Unless you live in, say, Phoenix Arizona, chances are you don't need air conditioning as much as you think you do. All over Europe --even in hot countries like Spain or Greece-- regular people go without air conditioning in the spring and summer. Do they sweat a bit? Sure. But sweating a little during the warmer months will save 50 percent on your monthly energy bills-- and be far, far greener as well. Like to use the excuse that fans use up energy, too? Their energy consumption is far less, and they keep you cooler than you might think.
6. Plant an organic garden. Everybody knows that eating foods produced by local farmers is the greenest way to eat. Well, you can't get much more local than your own backyard! Take some time this spring and plant some food crops that your family can enjoy throughout the summer months. Everything you can grow and pick yourself is something that doesn't need to be delivered by a smoke-spouting truck to your local store-- and that you don't need to drive down there to buy.
7. Closet clear-out. When winter changes to spring changes to summer, you'll probably need to make some changes to your wardrobe. But instead of tossing all of your old things, use them to get new ones! Sell or donate your old clothes, and use any proceeds to buy what you need. Even better, host a swap party for your friends. If ten people bring along five great items each, you may all just find everything you need without having to spend a dime-- and without having to support the excess consumption that's so harmful for our environment.
8. Clean out your furnace filter. When the filter on your furnace gets clogged and dirty, your furnace has to work harder to heat up (and at the end of a long winter, you can bet that filter will be plenty dirty). And working harder makes your furnace use up lots of extra energy. Cleaning your filter (or, even better, replacing it with a 10-year permanent one) will save tons of energy and help make your home more allergy-friendly, as well. 10-year permanent filters cost about $100, but disposable ones dirty up the planet and cost $15 a pop. You do the math.
