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Cook a little greener — and lower your hydro or gas bill — with these easy tips.
1. If you’re baking in ceramic or glass, you can reduce the oven temperature by 25 F (20 C) and still cook the food in the same amount of time (these materials conduct and retain heat better than metal).
2. Keep your metal burners clean so they reflect heat better. (Same goes for your refrigerator coils and cooling your food, by the by.)
3. Make sure to match pan size to the element you’re cooking on. A small pot on a large burner is just wasting energy. And small burners use less energy.
4. Who says pasta needs to cook at a raging boil for 15 straight minutes? The package instructions for Tinkada rice noodles tell you to cook them for one or two minutes in boiling water, then turn off the stove and cover the pot for 20 minutes. It only takes five minutes longer, and saves energy. You can do this with basically any pasta — just test it after 15 minutes until you figure out the timing for your particular brand of penne or linguine.
5. Keep a lid on it (your cooking, that is). You’re just letting all that heat escape otherwise — unless, of course, it’s integral to the recipe, like a reduction sauce.
6. Smaller is always better. Think toaster oven over electric oven and hand-held blender over food processor.
7. Human power obviously burns much cleaner than electricity, so consider a manual coffee grinder, a hand beater and a plain old knife over fancy plug-in gadgets.
8. Rice cookers and slow cookers (Crockpots) are much more efficient at whipping up your dinner than stovetop methods. Just make sure you stick to Teflon-free models and look for those with stainless steel interiors.
9. If you’re cooking with frozen food, make sure to thaw it first (unless otherwise indicated); it’ll take longer to cook that fish or whatnot if it’s still half frozen.
10. Curiosity kills your electrical bills. Keep your oven door closed as much as possible while you’re cooking. Peeking inside causes at least 20 per cent of the heat to escape, and the poor oven has to waste energy warming itself up again.
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Excerpted from Ecoholic by Adria Vasil. Copyright 2007 by Adria Vasil. Excerpted by permission of Vintage Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. |
Source: http://www.canadianliving.com/life/green_living/top_10_ways_to_save_energy_in_your_kitchen.php
Simple steps to help care for the planet
April 22 is Earth Day, an event that’s been celebrated worldwide since 1970. Help spread awareness of conservation and environmental protection by joining the Earth Day celebrations. Here are 5 tips to help you plan your own Earth Day festivities.
1. Attend or conduct a tree planting ceremony
Many schools and businesses plan formal tree planting ceremonies, but if you have the space, why not carry out your own? Watching the tree you planted grow year after year will not only serve as a reminder of the need to preserve our environment, but of the family and friends you invited to help honour it. Organize a memorable teambuilding experience with the Field and Stream Rescue Team.
2. Adopt a stream, field, or forest
Choose an area that is in need of sprucing up, and organize a neighbourhood clean-up committee. Launch a flyer campaign or take out an ad in a local newspaper to get the word out. In addition to beautifying your surroundings, you will help foster a sense of fellowship in your community. Help realize your community’s natural potential at Environment Canada’s website.
3. Challenge schools, businesses, or neighbours to a conservation contest
Nothing encourages conservation more than a friendly challenge. Devise a goal, set of rules, and a prize, and get to work! Experience the thrill of healthy competition with the help of EcoAction teams.
4. Organize a fund-raiser in your community and donate the proceeds to a local conservation group
Draw up your own sponsor sheets and canvass door to door. Try to incorporate environmental awareness into your fundraising by planning a charity clothing drive, an organic bake sale, or a Hike-a-thon.
Learn more about becoming an environmental educator at the Harmony Foundation.
5. Go for a walk and enjoy the outdoors
In our frequently hectic lives, it is easy to forget about nature. Find a hiking trail, provincial park, or backyard, and absorb all the wonder Mother Nature has to offer. Discover how to reconnect with all things natural at the Nature Canada’s website.
Find out more about Earth Day and how to be more earth-friendly year round at the Earth Day Canada website.
Source: http://www.canadianliving.com/life/green_living/5_ways_to_celebrate_earth_day.php
How to save money and reduce emissions by using less fuel when you drive.
Low-carbon motoring
Even if your vehicle’s a gas-guzzler, the following tips could cut its fuel usage by as much as 30 per cent. Some of them are now incorporated in the tests that new drivers take in the UK, the Netherlands and several other countries.
• Drive at the right speed
Most cars, including hybrids, are most efficient when travelling at speeds in the range of around 45 to 80 kph (30 to 50 mph). As speeds edge above 90 kph (55 mph), cars gulp an increasing amount of fuel to travel the same distance — as much as 15 per cent more for each additional 16 kph (10 mph).
• Lighten the load
Keep heavy items out of your car unless you need them — you’ll typically lose one or two per cent in efficiency for every 45 kg (100 lb) you haul. While you’re at it, check the tire pressure often: rolling resistance goes up and efficiency goes down by as much as one per cent for every PSI (pound per square inch) below the recommended pressure range. However, there’s no benefit, and some risk, to driving with over-inflated tires.
• Avoid idling
Except when it’s required (such as in stop-and-go traffic), idling is a needless and wasteful practice, and it doesn’t benefit your car, except perhaps in extremely cold conditions. Even five minutes of idling can throw half a kilo (1.1 lb) of greenhouse gas into the air. Anything more than about 10 seconds of idling generates more global-warming pollution than stopping and restarting would.
• Use the air-con sparingly
As you’d expect, air-conditioning normally saps energy and cuts down on vehicle efficiency by a few per cent. However, if you’re on a long road trip and it’s a choice between driving with the windows down and running the A/C, there may be little difference in fuel usage, according to some studies. That’s because wide-open windows can increase the car’s aerodynamic drag, especially at high speeds. If outside temperatures are comfortable, try using the vents and fan but leaving the A/C off.
• Starting and stopping
Jack-rabbit starts and stops not only put wear and tear on your car, but they also drain fuel economy. Accelerate gradually, and anticipate stops by starting to brake well in advance. If you have a manual transmission, the best time to change gears is between 1500 and 2500 rpm.
The rules are a bit different for hybrids, which has led to some confusion. In 2005, The New York Times and Consumer Reports magazine declared that hybrids fall far short of their advertised miles per gallon. However, according to energy expert Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, this is because the tests employed by both publications didn’t take into account the different driving style needed for hybrids, which typically call on the electric motor at low speeds and the gasoline engine at high speeds. With a standard engine, you’re better off accelerating lightly no matter what the speed. In a hybrid, you should accelerate briskly until you get to the optimal in-between speed, around 45 to 60 kph (30 to 40 mph), where the car is at its most efficient. A technique called “pulse and glide” driving — basically hovering in that optimal speed range through small accelerations and decelerations — can boost your hybrid’s efficency. When it’s time to slow down, brake slowly at first, then increase the pressure: this ensures that the maximum energy goes into charging the battery versus creating unusable heat in the brakes themselves.
Lessen your impact on the environment by making small changes at home and at work.
In her book It’s Easy Being Green, Crissy Trask shows busy people that they can make a difference today and help the planet by making small adjustments in their daily lives. Try these 23 easy tips for changes at work and at home.
At work
1. Ask your employer to consider implementing a policy for compressed work weeks and/or telecommuting. Working four ten-hour days or working from home one or more days a week reduces commuting and traffic, leading to fewer automobile emissions.
2. Consider buying a laptop. Laptops use 50 percent of the energy used by a typical desktop PC when plugged in and just 1 percent of the energy when running on batteries.
3. If your copier, printer and fax have a sleep or stand-by mode, make sure it is selected. From the sleep mode, it will automatically wake up when you go to use it.
4. When using the copier at work, always make two-sided copies. If your printer also has a double-sided feature, use it.
5. If your office provides disposable cups for beverages, eliminate the need for them by bringing in extra glasses and mugs from home. Post a note in the lunch/break room requesting that your coworkers do the same. Keep the mugs in the lunchroom for anyone to use.
6. Use suppliers who will take back their recyclable or reusable products at the end of their life for proper disposal, recycling or remanufacturing.
Bathroom
7. If you have a nonconserving toilet (a 3.5 gallon flush or greater), retrofit it with a water-saving device. Fill a one-quart plastic bottle with water for each nonconserving toilet in your home, and submerge one bottle in each toilet tank. You will save one quart of water per flush and thousands of gallons a year.
8. Fix all leaks. To check for leaks, turn off all water in the house. Next, read your water meter, wait one hour (make sure no water is turned on during this period), and read the meter again. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
9. Take short showers. With water flowing up to five gallons per minute from a nonconserving showerhead, showers consume about one-fifth of water used indoors.
10. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Fill a cup with water and use it instead of running water. This applies to shaving as well. Partially fill the sink bowl to rinse your razor instead of running the water.
11. Buy a shower curtain that will far outlast cheap plastic ones; a shower curtain made of hemp will naturally resist mildew and is machine washable.
12. Use a strainer on all drains to catch hair and prevent drain clogs. If you do get a clog, use a metal snake to work the clog loose, not toxic drain cleaners.
Building and home improvement
13. Carefully dismantle rooms and buildings during a renovation to salvage reusable materials and fixtures. To donate or sell what you salvage, check your phone book under “Building Materials-Used” or “Salvage.”
14. If you are building or renovating a home, check out salvage yards and antiques stores for used building materials and fixtures. They can be a great source of inexpensive and vintage items.
15. If you live in a cold climate, paint your house a dark color. Dark colors reflect as little as 3 percent of sunlight, thus absorbing more heat. If you live in a warm climate, paint your house a light color that will reflect up to 90 percent of sunlight and keep your house cooler.
16. Before discarding empty latex paint cans, leave the top off and allow the remaining paint to dry completely. Latex paint is not hazardous once it is solidified.
17. Use wool floor coverings instead of synthetic alternatives; they are more durable and easier to clean.
Energy
18. Clean refrigerator gaskets and vacuum the condenser coils twice a year. Your refrigerator will operate more efficiently and use less electricity.
19. Wrap your water heater in an insulating jacket if it is located in an unheated space such as a basement or garage.
20. Use your microwave. Cooking and reheating with a microwave is faster and more efficient than using the stovetop or oven, thus reducing up to 70 percent of energy use.
21. Use a toaster oven for small jobs. It will use a third to half as much energy as a full-size oven.
22. Arrange furniture to take advantage of natural light from windows. Place desks and reading chairs next to windows to cut down on the need and use of supplemental, artificial light during the day.
23. Switch to fluorescent bulbs in areas where extended lighting is required. Though the initial price is higher than for incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights produce four times as much light per watt, last up to ten times as long and therefore cost one-third as much to operate.
Excerpted from It’s Easy Being Green by Crissy Trask. Copyright 2006 by Crissy Trask. Excerpted with permission by Gibbs Smith. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Source: http://www.canadianliving.com/life/green_living/23_tips_for_earth_friendly_living.php
Improve air quality with these simple everyday tips.
Smog alerts and illness and deaths due to air pollution have become commonplace — and that’s not healthy, for individuals or for society as a whole. While it’s easy to assume that one person or family can’t change anything, it’s only through the combined efforts of all that we can affect the quality of our air. Yes, you should try to drive your car less often, but that’s not the only thing that makes a difference. Try these seven suggestions for small changes you can make that will add up to cleaner air for us all.
1. Compost in your backyard
It’s staggering to really contemplate the amount of gas consumed by garbage and recycling trucks picking up waste and trucking it to its final destination — especially if your landfill is far from where you live. By decreasing the amount of waste you leave at the curb, you’ll help reduce emissions from waste removal vehicles. You can make a big dent by composting your organic leftovers, from coffee grounds to eggshells to orange peels, so that they don’t need to go farther than your backyard. Plus, the nutrient-rich compost you create can be added to your flowerbeds and veggie garden, reducing the need to purchase fertilizers. A win-win situation.
2. Buy local
Another way to help decrease vehicle emissions is to be conscious of where the products you buy come from. For instance, if you’re picking up a few apples, go for the ones from your region rather than the imports from such faraway locales as Chile and New Zealand. This doesn’t necessarily mean favouring Canadian goods — if you live in B.C., buy a Washington apple rather than an Ontario one. And the policy doesn’t just apply to produce. Pay attention to labels — you may be surprised by how far your sugar, cereal and laundry soap travel to get to you.
3. Go for old-fashioned yard tools
Remember the days before leaf-blowers? Fall was a peaceful time then, undisturbed by the ear-splitting racket of gas-powered tools that really don’t seem to get the job done any faster than a good, old-fashioned rake. And since when did the sounds and smells of summer include your next-door neighbour’s lawnmower? According to an estimate by the California Air Resources Board, a gas-powered lawnmower running for one hour emits as much air pollution as a car running for 13 hours — and weed-eaters and leaf-blowers are no better. So help the air — and get some exercise to boot — by using a push-mower, a rake and some pruning shears when doing yard work.
Find out how a little yard work can keep you fit all summer long.
4. Have a salad for dinner
Air-conditioners use so much energy that summer has replaced winter as the peak season for electricity use in Ontario. And in much of the country, significant amounts of power come from coal-burning plants, which make a huge contribution to smog. So cut your electricity use by helping your air-conditioner out — don’t turn the oven on when it’s hot and smoggy out. Eat a fresh salad from local produce, and if you must cook, use your microwave, toaster oven or barbecue, helping to keep the house cool. (Living in a province that doesn’t burn coal doesn’t get you off the hook, either. Visit www.bchydro.com/powersmart for suggestions on how to reduce your energy consumption.)
5. Switch your lightbulbs
Another easy way to save energy is to use compact fluorescent bulbs rather than traditional incandescent ones — they may cost more, but not only do they use way less electricity, they last a lot longer, too. The most important places to install compact fluorescents are the fixtures that get the most use, such as motion sensor lights outdoors or lights that get left on for long periods of time. And don’t think you have to change every bulb in the house (although that would be nice) — just switching one or two will make a big difference. (Encourage your friends to make the change as well!)
6. Eat less meat
Not only does meat production consume massive amounts of water and electricity, the animals eat a lot of food — and that food has to come from somewhere. In much of the world, valuable forest land is being cleared to make way for agriculture, leaving less trees to act as the planet’s lungs. In fact, there isn’t enough land on Earth to produce a typical North American’s meat intake for everyone on the planet. By cutting your consumption — try having a vegetarian dinner a couple times a week, for instance — you’ll be reducing our need for cultivated land, not to mention reaping the health benefits of eating less animal foods.
Click here for 101 vegetarian recipes!
7. Wait to buy gas (and other car-related tips)
Cars really do make the biggest impact on air quality, and we couldn’t ignore them completely. So if you are driving on a smog day, try to wait until the evening — or even the next day — to buy gas, as gasoline vapours add to air pollution. Some other suggestions: Don’t let your car idle (one minute of idling uses more fuel than restarting your engine), drive at moderate speeds (stopping and starting uses more gas), and keep your car well-tuned and tires well-inflated to use less gas. Who knows? By following these tips, you may end up with more cash in hand as well.
So there you have it — small changes that, when added up, can make a big difference. After you’ve made them in your own life, pass them on to your friends and family. And for even more great help-the-environment tips, pick up It’s Easy Being Green by Crissy Trask (click here for 23 of her great suggestions).
Source: http://www.canadianliving.com/life/green_living/7_easy_ways_to_fight_smog.php
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