eco-officiency blog » Eco-Living

Make One New Green Committment for your New Year Resolution

eco-officiency — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:02:56 +0000

It’s true for all of us. We all want to be more green but each step requires us to do something differently which is not always easy. If we each committed to just one new thing for the year, we would make a powerful difference as a collective in our nation.

We will have more success with our commitments if we are as specific as we can be to the action and behavior we would like to change. Instead of committing to just purchasing less, make a firm dollar commitment. Based on what you usually spend on ‘luxury’ or ‘disposable’ items, make a dollar commitment to spend only $200 for the year, or whatever amount makes sense for you and your family. Then, determine how you are going to track your commitment and have some way to measure it. With the example of purchasing less, you would know by the amount of money you spend.

This year, I have committed to driving less and my goal is to reduce my usual 12,000 miles per year down to 9,000 miles for the year. Although that doesn’t seem to be a lot, that is essentially not driving my car 3 months out of the entire year! My plan is to use a combination of alternative transportation methods such as my bike, the bus and try to carpool more often. How will I know if I am successful? Well, I will track my miles monthly and the goal is to reduce each month by 250 miles. I’ll keep you posted on my progress during the year.

Again, make your new resolution a specific action and determine the way you will track it. When you do this, the likelihood of success will go up dramatically.

Share with me what your green commitment will be for the year.

Get Festive with LED Holiday Lights

eco-officiency — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:08:05 +0000

As the holiday season approaches you may want to add some decorations around the office, as well as at home. One easy way to spread the holiday cheer while saving energy, and some company money, is to switch to LED (light emitting diode) holiday lights. LED lights are an alternative to conventional incandescent holiday lights and are gaining popularity and availability. Though still more expensive than conventional lights, LEDs offer a number of benefits that not only outweigh the cost, but actually may make them cheaper in the long run. Some stores are offering a take back program, where they will take your old holiday lights, recycle them, and give you a discount on new LED lights.

Benefits of LED lights:

90% more energy efficient – saving you money on the utility bill
When one bulb goes out, the others stay lit
Unlike incandescent bulbs, LEDs are cool to the touch
LEDs are more durable and less likely to break
Pricewise, LEDs cost about five times as much as incandescents upfront. But their life span is 50,000 hours, instead of 1,000-2,000 hours for incandescents. That means if you lit the LEDs for 45 days each year, 24 hours a day, it would take 46 years for them to dim.

For more information visit this site on Holiday Lights:

Think Before You Buy that Water Bottle

eco-officiency — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:34:56 +0000

Bottled water is creating a mess…literally. Eight of 10 water bottles become landfill waste. We think we are drinking ‘pure’ water but all the studies are showing it may not be any healthier for you than regular ole’ tap water. With over 90% of the cost of water in the bottle, lid and label are we paying for great water or a great bottle? And if we are paying for a bottle, is it worth it? It takes over 1.5 million barrels of oil to manufacture a years supply of bottled water. That is enough oil to fuel 100,00 cars.

So instead of buying bottled water consider these two options:

Purchase a water filter in your home or office
Purchase a reusable water bottle like Kleen Kanteen and SIGG

Do you have other ideas to minimize water bottle use?

Ask for Green Travel

eco-officiency — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:07:13 +0000

I travel a lot as a consultant. In some cities I see some great green stuff going on. It is easy to recycle, easy to get public transportation and travel green. In other cities in can be a constant struggle. I find the best way to get these cities on board is to continue to ask, even though I know the answer might be ‘no’ or ‘not possible’. I ask hotels about recycling program, I ask restaurants for their organic dishes, I ask the tourist information about public transportation. The more we as consumers ask, the greater liklihood, that cities, hotels and restaurants will start taking action. I would love to know how you travel green…