Be environmentally responsible at home this summer

Posted 31 May 2011, by Scott Kirk, Reporter News, reporternews.com

Maybe you think that global warming is hooey and you’re content with your carbon footprint, thank you. You still may want to consider going green this summer for the most basic of reasons: It can save you money.

“Maybe it will just save you 20 or 50 dollars a month, but that’s 20 or 50 you didn’t have,” said Gary Musgrave, who teaches environmental science at Cooper High School. “Over the year, that adds up.”

The No. 1 place you can look to go green during the summer is your air conditioner, which, according to Mother Earth News, accounts for 20 percent of utility bills and contributes the most to pollution.

“The air conditioner is the biggest sucker of energy in your house,” Musgrave said.

Obviously, the easiest thing to do is crank up the thermostat, but, really, do we want to suffer?

“You want to be comfortable,” said Musgrave, who suggested turning up the thermostat during the day, especially if you’re not home, and replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescent ones, which not only emit less heat but use less energy.

Mother Earth suggests a thermostat setting of no lower than 78 when no one is home and the use of ceiling fans. According to the magazine, if you raise your thermostat 2 degrees and use a ceiling fan, you can cut your cooling costs by 14 percent.

Also, use a microwave instead of your oven, when feasible, and change your air conditioner filter regularly. Plugging duct system leaks can save up to 20 percent of the air flowing through your house.

Musgrave suggested washing clothes in cold water and drying in the morning or in the evening, when the dryer would contribute less to raising the heat level in the house. Or, better yet, put up a clothesline and take advantage of what West Texas has to offer most in the summer — dry hot days.

A search for other tips on keeping cool can yield some inventive suggestions, from keeping damp cloths in the freezer to a wading pool in the backyard to going around the house au naturel — although that suggestion would probably work best if you live by yourself and you make sure the blinds are tightly closed.

If you cook outdoors, you might want to consider buying a gas or electric grill, or at least a lighter fluid that doesn’t have any toxic ingredients.

If you really want to earn your greening chops, you might look at going natural when it comes to cleaning your house.

Eartheasy.com suggests several substitutes for commercial cleaners, including baking soda, unscented soap in almost any form, lemons, borax, white vinegar, washing soda, isopropyl alcohol (as a disinfectant) and cornstarch (furniture polish).

You don’t have to be a chemist to make the household cleaners suggested on the website. For example, a half-cup of vinegar and a quarter-cup of baking soda in a half-gallon of water makes a fine all-purpose cleaner. Bathroom grout can be cleaned with a solution of one part hydrogen peroxide to two parts water in a spray bottle. Equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle can clean carpet stains. Cutting blocks can be cleaned by rubbing a slice of lemon across them.

To deodorize your house, consider simmering water and spices or placing small dishes of baking soda or vinegar with lemon juice around your home. Keeping fresh coffee on the counter is another option, as are house plants. Grinding lemon slices in your disposal will keep it smelling better.

There are even natural ways to ward off insects. Citronella candles stave off bugs outside, and flies are repelled by mint, bay leaves and eucalyptus. Use boric acid (away from pets and kids) in areas of cockroach infestation, although catnip also will work.

To keep Fido, and thus yourself, free of fleas, bathe your dog often in mild soap.

Maybe you’ll save enough money to go clothes shopping (think organic fabrics that don’t need to be dry cleaned) or do some gardening (some nurseries will recycle nursery pots and trees for free).

And don’t get defensive if the kids are embarrassed that their family doesn’t have all the commercial cleaners under the sink like their friends’ families do.

Hey, you’re not cheap. You just have a social conscience.

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2011/may/31/be-environmentally-responsible-at-home-this/