Tip # 24 - Don't Reload - Recharge

Purchase rechargeable batteries and a battery recharger (some battery rechargers will also recharge regular alkaline batteries).

Solar powered battery recharchers are available online



To read about ways to get the best out of your rechargeables - check this link out

Tip # 22 - LED up your Christmas tree

If you are installing Christmas lights, consider purchasing more energy efficient Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs).
They have an average life span of 100,000 hours (vs. 1,500) and reduce energy consumption by up to 80-90%.

Tip # 21 - Night stroll to scare the phantoms

A major energy waster is the"Phantom Load".

Phantom load is referred to the power consumed by any device while it is switched off or kept on standby.
Many domestic appliances consume power when they are nominally off. Stereos, Computer Screens and television sets are examples. The phantom load can be caused by miniature transformers that convert AC electricity into DC electricity and is also caused by devices which feature small LEDs or other indicators that they still have power; these indicators obviously use power themselves.

A great way to reduce the phantom load is to close the lights right before you go to sleep or leave the office and check for any LED lights or sounds of active appliances. By doing that night stroll you make sure that your home appliances such as your printer, speakers and DVD player are also having a good night sleep rather then working quietly on enhancing your electricity bills.

Sounds exagerated? If you left your printer on standby before getting a good night sleep she would work unnecesserily for 6-8 hours. Same goes for your radio, stereo, computer, computer screen, TV, VCR, DVD and list goes on...

Tip # 20 - Clean the filters

Cleaning the air ducts and filters of the airconditioning units in your home, office and car will reduce the energy consumption and save you money for gas an electricity.

Cleaning the filters at home and in the car twice a year will reduce around 200 lbs of CO2 emissions.


Cleanser
Scrub
Soap
Conditioner
Daily Conditioner
Angel
Kindle
Cover
mach 3

Tip # 19 - Change your light bulbs

Changing your incandescence bulbs at home or at office to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs can reduce up to two thirds of your lighting costs at home.

The CFL bulbs last about 10 times longer then incandescence bulbs and also help you reduce waste.

Just to give you some statistics - if every American home replaced just one light bulb with a CFL bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

Read more about CFL Bulbs in the Energy Star Website.

Tip # 18 - Pressure Cook

Pressure cooking is a method of cooking in a sealed vessel that does not permit air or liquids to escape below a preset pressure. Because water's boiling point increases as the pressure increases, the pressure built up inside the cooker allows the liquid in the pot to rise to a temperature higher than 100 °C (212 °F) before boiling.

Using a pressure cooker means considerable savings of fuel bills and, being energy efficient, you also save on fossils fuels either directly or indirectly.
Pressure cookers are more hygienic compared to open cooking in a pot or utensil. The food is cooked above the boiling point of water, killing more germs.

Pressure cookers can be used to prepare a wide variety of different recipes, covering most cooking styles and foods.
Using such cookers allows higher quality cooking at high altitudes as well as used on board boats and other moving vehicles.

Kitchen is kept cleaner because, compared to traditional, open boiling, almost no steam and oils escape to the atmosphere to end up deposited on the walls.
Due to the tight lid it can be .

Tip # 17 - No More Junk Mail

REMOVE YOURSELF FROM JUNK MAIL LISTS

by Deborah Mitchell - Senior Editor, Environmental Protection

Junk mail is more than a nuisance: unsolicited mail has a tremendous negative impact on the environment. At least 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail, and 28 billion gallons of water are used to produce the paper. All of these resources are wasted to produce items many people don't even look at: about half of all junk mail is thrown out unopened or unread, and the rate of response to junk mail is less than 2 percent. The result is that more than 4 million tons of paper is wasted every year, according to the Native Forest Network (now known as the WildWest Institute).

Junk mail also has a direct negative economic impact as well. An estimated $320 million of local taxes are used to dispose of junk mail annually, and transportation of junk mail costs about $550 million per year, not to mention the air pollution generated during transport.

You can fight back. Read on to learn about effective ways to reduce and even eliminate junk mail in 15 minutes or less!

Register to have your name removed from mailing lists. There are two main resources you can access to accomplish this. One is a free service called the National Do Not Mail List, offered by DirectMail.com, which makes the list available to mailing list owners and users for one reason only: so they can remove (or add) your name to their lists based on your stated preferences.

When you complete the online National Do Not Mail List form, you can indicate if there are any types of mailings you would like to receive (a list is provided). You can choose as many or as few or none as you want. DirectMail.com will contact you every six months via e-mail so you can review and update your preferences. The second service is the Mail Preference Service, which historically was free but which now charges $1. You can register online or by regular mail. Your request is good for five years, and you cannot state preferences. (Note: Neither DirectMail.com nor the Mail Preference Service can guarantee that your name will be removed from ALL mailing lists on which you appear. Therefore you may want to try some of the suggestions stated below as well.)

When you order something from a catalog, your name and address is likely given to Abacus, an alliance of mostly catalog and publishing companies. To have your information removed from Abacus, contact them with your name (including any middle initial), current address, and previous address if you moved recently. Abacus can be reached either via e-mail (optout@abacus-us.com) or by mail: Abacus, Inc., PO Box 1478, Broomfield CO 80038.

To stop sexually oriented advertising, contact your local post office and ask for Form 2150 to stop mail from a particular company, or Form 1500.

Whenever you subscribe to a magazine, join a group, or make a donation and supply them with your name and address, ask that they not rent your name to other companies. Your request may be ignored, so it is best to contact them a few weeks later and make the request again.

To be removed from the mailing list of major sweepstakes mailers, contact the following: Publishers Clearinghouse, by phone: (800-645-9242) or by mail: Consumer & Privacy Affairs, Publishers Clearinghouse, 382 Channel Drive, Port Washington NY 11050; or by e-mail: privacychoices@pchmail.com. And Readers Digest Sweepstakes, phone (800-310-6261) or by mail: Reader's Digest, PO Box 50005, Prescott AZ 86301-5005.

Contact your banks and credit card companies and tell them not to release your name, address, social security number, e-mail address, or phone number to anyone for any type of marketing or promotional reasons.

If you move, do not fill out the permanent change of address (COA) form supplied by the post office. Permanent COA information is provided to third parties. Instead, complete the temporary (10 month) form and notify companies and others on your own. Address changes can be done easily by completing the change of address form found on the back of bills.

Don't mark your junk mail "return to sender" or return it in the postage-paid envelop and request to be removed from their mailing list. The fact that you responded, even in a negative way (and expect your request to be ignored), usually means your name and address will be used again by the company that purchased it. Instead, contact the company that mailed the items to you and ask to be removed from their list. If there is no phone number on the junk mail, you may find the company on the Internet. If no phone number is supplied, make your request via e-mail.

To eliminate handbills from being left in your door, put up a "no handbills" or "no soliciting" sign on your door.

To eliminate extra or redundant telephone books, contact the producer of the book (should be listed inside the front of the book) and ask to be removed from their list.

For catalogs that "slip through" and continue to be delivered even after you have contacted MPS and Abacus, here's an easy plan:

Choose a convenient place to collect your catalogs, such as in a basket next to the phone .

Whenever you have a spare few moments, select one or more catalogs, call the toll-free customer service number listed (usually on or near the order form), and ask to be removed from their mailing list.

Place the catalog in your recycle bin!

An optional fourth step is to help an elderly friend or neighbor reduce his or her junk mail by offering to do the same service for them.

For more information on how to eliminate junk mail and similar unwanted printed materials, visit the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

Tip # 15 - Reduce packaging - Buy in Bulk

If your grocery store has a bulk section, consider using it.
It's a lot cheaper and you're considerably reducing the packaging.
Once you get your loot home, air tight, glass Fido jars are a great way to store your stuff.

Please remember that this tip refers to things you need. There's no point in buying things that will rot or decay in bulk. Be a wise consumer.

Tip # 11 - Drive a car? Check your tires more often

Have your wheels aligned and keep your tires properly inflated.

Low tire pressure wastes over two million gallons of gasoline in the United States every day.

For every pound of pressure below recommended levels, fuel economy drops 1 percent.

Keeping your tires properly inflated means saving about a tank of gas a year.

Tip # 10 - Heat Wisely

Turn your central heating thermostat down to between 18°C and 22°C.

Turning it down by 1 degree can save as much as 10% from fuel or electricity bills.

Tip # 9 - Cloth Diapers instead of Disposable ones

In today's world Cloth diapers have almost become extinct.

Meanwhile our landfills are gaushing with disposable plastic diapers that will take a millenia to decompose.

Moving back to Cloth Diapers will be healthier for the baby, will prevent enormous amounts of waste and save us from drowning in plastic and poo.

Tip # 7 - Reuse and Reduce Plastic Bags

Plastic bags thrown away take thousands of years to be exhausted.
Not only that, plastic bags are light in weight, they easily fly and land in oceans and strangle marine life who believe them to be jellyfish.

The solution is simple - reuse and reduce.
Bring the old bags to the supermarket rather then take new ones.
If we use every bag we get at least one more time, we'd already reduce plastic bags' waste by 50%!

Tip # 6 - Paper to Cloth

Paper towels and napkins create alot of waste and pollution.

Reduce the use of such products by using cloth napkins and cloth towels.
These can be washed and cleaned rather then be thrown away after one use.