Green Your Day

For the first time in history, Tel-Aviv will be representing Israel in the global Earth Hour 2008 and turning off the lights for one hour of energy-free bliss.

Unfortunately, as we have yet to hear about separation of church and state, let alone separation of church and globe, due to the Jewish Sabbath, Tel Aviv will kicking off the project one day earlier than the rest of the world: tomorrow, Thursday March 27, between 8pm to 9pm.

(Note to self: focus on the positive side…)

So yes, Israel is taking action, action long overdue, but action nonetheless.

Bottom line is, I dont care who you are, where you will be, what important things you’ll need to be doing.. tomorrow night please, please, please do us all a favor and:

TURN OFF THE GODDAMN LIGHTS!!!!

Thank you.

Image by annienothi

We have all been there: we wake up groggy, we grab the kettle, carelessly fill it all the way up, and then wait impatiently for our morning coffee so that we can start facing the long day ahead of us…

Little do we actually consider the unnecessary energy and water that is being wasted as we are doing this.

Yeah, but what could I possibly do about it?

Easy: Don’t fill the kettle all the way to the top, simply boil as much as you really need. If you are making yourself a cup of coffee or tea you don’t need to boil enough water for the entire family.

Who would have thunk? By choosing the wrong size pot or pan we are wasting energy from having to heat the empty space on the pan.

Yeah, but what could I possibly do about it?

Use cookware that is appropriate for the meal you are making and save energy without even trying. For example, if you are boiling water for your non-fat, whole wheat, organic pasta ;), don’t use a pot that is bigger than absolutely necessary.

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the “stuff” in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is intentionally hidden from view.

The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. It exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world.

It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the “stuff” in your life forever.

Bottom line: this short movie is a ‘must’ in order to raise awareness in our society and needs to be seen by as many people as possible, and FAST.

Yeah, but what could I possibly do about it?

1. Watch it: Clear 20 minutes from your busy, busy schedule to see the bigger picture.
2. Live it: Live by example, be the change that you want to see in the world.
3. Speak it: Tell everyone you know about it: your email list, your family, your friends, your neighbors, in line at the supermarket, on the bus… you get the picture.
4. Host it: Share it with your community by showing the film at a house party, or classroom, or church group, or neighborhood association or any other location. (The official websites includes everything you need for a successful event including invitations, group activities and more.)

Electrical appliances and chargers (including cancer cell phone chargers) left plugged in drain electricity like there’s no tomorrow - even when they’re not in use! Yes, even appliances that are switched off can draw power from the grid (it’s called phantom load).

For example, a TV set that’s switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode. Forty (freikin) percent of all electricity is used to power home appliances while they’re turned off!

Yeah, but what could I possibly do about it?

1. Switch your TV and other appliances off completely - don’t use standby modes!
2. Unplug, unplug, unplug: Just as you know to turn off the oven when you’re done using it, condition yourself to unplug entirely an electrical appliance when you’re done using it. It’s really that easy - even a child could do it (though I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that a child do it…)

Sidenote:

I just did a quick scan around my house to see what appliances were currently not in use and unplugged them. I counted 14 energy wasting appliances (not including those that are currently in use. )