More from the Green Grapevine
Here we go with some little tidbits ……
100 million trees worth of junk mail arrives in American mail boxes each year.
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Every year, 20 million tons of packaging goes into landfills.
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An SUV emits 3 pounds of Nitrogen Oxide per gallon of gas.
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Low flow bathroom faucets will save up to 20 gallons of water per day or 4,000 gallons per year per person.
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Most people wait up to 18 – 20 seconds for the shower water to warm up. A traditional shower can waste up to 2 – 5 gallons during this wait time. There’s a new shower system that comes with a built in thermostat which can be set before the water is turned on, thereby cutting the wait time down to 2 seconds. Plus, it can be set to a maximum temperature to prevent scalding.
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You can donate your old working appliances to Habitat for Humanity.
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Now available, extremely green countertops made from recycled glass and concrete, without any formaldahyde or polyurathane. Very Beatutiful.
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A high efficiency HVAC (air conditioner) system can reduce utility bills 10 – 30% per year and can greatly improve your indoor air quality.
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Tags: air conditioner, avail, bathroom faucets, boxes, countertop, countertops, efficiency hvac, formaldahyde, gallon of gas, gas, grapevine, green, habitat for humanity, high efficiency, indoor air quality, junk mail, landfill, landfills, low flow, mail boxes, maximum temperature, nitrogen oxide, recycled glass, recycling, savings, shower water, systems, thermostat, trees, utility, utility bills, wait time, waste, water
July 1st, 2008 at 9:46 am
Every one of these is a great tip or piece of advice, and the one that catches my eye is the shower! At our house the master bath takes forever to warm up in the winter. So you wait and wait and watch tons of water go back down the drain. Depressing really.
Do you have a recommendation for a shower replacement in particular? I’d go with your suggestion/advice if you did! Just post it for me (us).
July 1st, 2008 at 1:30 pm
The waste really frustrates me and I am trying to make money to really go green and do an eco house and then maybe an eco village. I am fed up with the Governments being so ruddy slow in omplementing green laws..so it’s up to us I guess. I love your layout by the way.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Diane,
Do you have an insulated blanket on your hot water heater? If not, you might want to try adding one. You can buy one at any home improvement store. They are easy to install, just wrap the blanket around the hot water heater, tape it into place, and cut a hole in the blanket so you can get at the hot water heater’s controls.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Hi Diane …. I just knew someone was going to ask. I have not an answer at this point but am still looking.
Hi yanjiaren … thank you and good luck with your projects. I would be interested in hearing about them!
Hi Condo … Great Idea for those of you who have a water heater! I, on the other hand, have a tankless water heater so I get hot water on demand. This is another option!
July 1st, 2008 at 10:55 pm
I wish there was something I could do about all that advertising. If I don’t check my mail for like three days my mailbox will be overflowing. I’m terrible at remembering my own bag when I go to the grocery store, but I always ask for paper, then I use them to throw my junk mail in so I can just recycle it all together.
Also, I think it should be mandatory for all newly built homes to come equipped with solar power on the roof. It should just be standard. My grandparents have two solar panels on their roof and it cuts their electric bill in half. Imagine if the whole country started doing that?
~Teresa
http://www.naturalbabybiz.com
Teresas last blog post..Is Your Baby’s Sunscreen Safe?
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:17 am
Hi Linda,
Re the shower. We had an inline heater pump (I think that’s what it’s called) and we have almost instant hot water for the shower/bath. It’s saving many gallons of water that would otherwise be wasted.
Our plumber is the one who suggested it to us and for that we’ll be forever grateful.
I love all of these facts you provide. You’re my favorite “green” site.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:59 am
Hi Teresa .. I like your thinking on the solar panels. Great idea! You are doing your part on
the recycling of paper. Keep up the good work!
Hi Barbara … Yes there are the heater pumps but there is one that acts almost like a tankless water heater in the faucet area of the shower. Just have to find it! I know you just love the saving of water and heated at that! Thank you for the compliments!
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:22 am
Everybody benefits with a new high-efficiency heating and cooling system. Not only can you save money on high energy bills, the environment is also saved from excess green house gas emissions which reduces dependency on non-renewable energy.