Faucets

Your bathroom sink faucet must use 2.2 gallons per minute or less. You  can increase your tap’s efficiency with a 1.5 gpm aerator, available at any local hardware store.

Save water without spending a dime
1. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.
2. Fill a mild carton jug with stones and place it in your toilet tank to displace the water.
3. Use an egg timer from your kitchen to cut showers down to 5 minutes.
4. Turn off the water while shaving.
5. Fix toilet and faucet leaks immediately.
6. Don’t use your toilet as a trash can.
7. Collect “warm up” water to irrigate your lawn and flowerbeds.
8. Conserve energy.  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates .47 gallons of water are lost for
every kilowatt-hour of power generated by coal power plants.

Wasteful Showers

Beware of multi-head shower systems, some can spew an astonishing 80 gallons per minute.  Showers are rife with opportunities for waste, thanks to easy manipulation of low-flow shower heads.

Efficient Toilets

Toilets use the most water in your bathroom. Get a low flow toilet.  If you have purchased a home with a pre-installed 1.6 gpf model, there’s no way of knowing whether the previous owner made any such inefficient modifications.  The parts usually last around 5 years so be sure to ask the hardware store for 1.6 gpf replacements.

Insect Control

Birdbaths, puddles, or gutters are all standing water around your house which breed misquitos. Eliminate these areas, change the water often or use a pump.
Avoid electric propane-fueled bug traps. Instead consider natural alternatives like burning citronella candles or surround your patio with plants that repel insects like: marigolds or geraniums.

Lighting

Use compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs) for floodlights and outdoor fixtures. CFLs use about 75 percent less energy than incandescents, provide the same amount of light and lost longer.

If you use string lights around your patio, look for LED (light-emitting diode) versions.

Grills

Consider a propane fired model. According to the Department of Energy’s Oak Ride National Laboratory, propane generates about half the carbon emissions of charcoal briquettes per hour of grilling and one-third of the emissions of electric grills.

If you already own a charcoal grill and you just like the way it impacts your food, light up your grill with a chimney starter instead of lighter fluid.

Furniture

Buying used furniture or furnture from recycled materials in an option. Also durable, well made products will last longer. This keeps the materials out the waste stream. If you buy new wood furniture, look for products made from reclained of FSC-certified wood.

Tips From Team Green!

Greener Patios-

Summer is the time to take the cooking outside. You can enjoy your outdoor surroundings while also preserving them. Here are some ideas:

*Building Materials-

Use composite lumber for your deck made from recycled plastics and wood wastes and avoid using pressure-treated wood if possible – it is treated with chemicals that could get into local water supplies. Using bricks or paving stones instead of concrete will allow better drainage and replace if damaged.

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