Going Green the Lazy Way

More easy "Going Green" ideas for you all!

Inflate Those Tires:
* Lose 1% fuel economy per 3 lbs of pressure.
* Proper pressure extends tire life.
* The science: “rolling resistance.”

Choose Green Energy
* More than half of all electricity consumers in the U.S. have the option of purchasing some kind of green power product from their electricity provider. Find out how you can buy green power by visiting the Department of Energy (DOE) website, which offers a state-by-state list of green energy providers, as well as information on making your own green energy, such as installing solar power, and tips on conservation.

Double Check Before You Print
* To save paper and ink, preview your documents before you print, make sure you have the correct number of copies and destination, and use such handy functions as print selection and print manager. It only takes a second or two more,but will reduce the "d'ohs" at the printer tray and save a lot of waste. You can also change your margins to narrowso you can minimize the need for that extra sheet of paper.

Grow Heirloom Veggies
* Backyard organic gardeners are trying their hand at growing these gifts from grandmother's garden, and it's a good thing, too. Heirloom vegetables keep our food supply bio-diverse, and reduce our dependency on monoculture farming, hybridization and genetic engineering.

Go LCD
* Instead of a traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) desktop computer monitor, get a more energy efficient "flat panel" LCD (liquid crystal display).

Use a Manual Can Opener
* It may not seem like a big energy user, but consider whether you really need to be using electricity to open the occasional can. Unless you have arthritis or are disabled, you can probably get by easily with a hand-crank model, and therefore reduce your environmental impact.

Wrap Your Pipes
* Reduce energy loss by making sure your water pipes are properly insulated.

Jacket Your Hot Water Heater
* Put a insulated jacket around your hot water heater for better efficiency

Buy a Front Loading Washing Machine
* If you are in the market for a new washing machine, make sure you get a front-loading model, which uses a third less water, heat energy and detergent than standard top-loading designs.

Recycle Your Inkjet Cartridges
* If you've been chucking your inkjet and toner cartridges in the garbage up to this point, you're not alone. Over 13 cartridges are discarded in the U.S. every second, according to CartridgeFundraising.com. That's hundreds of millions of cartridges that end up in landfills every year, made with plastics that can take at least 1,000 years to decompose. Not a good thing.

Choose Rechargeable Batteries
* Save money and resources by using widely available rechargeable batteries, many of which can be reused up to 1,000 times. More than 15 billion batteries are thrown away each year — enough to make a column to the moon and back. That number continues to grow, as we use more and more electronic devices in our lives.

Use a Refillable Mug
* Cut down on waste, as well as toxic chemicals in the environment, by using a reusable mug at home, in the office and on the go, instead of opting for single-use containers for coffee, tea and other beverages.

Skip (Unneeded) Photo Doubles
* Cut down on waste, as well as use of toxic chemicals, by saying no to doubles at the photo shop, unless you really plan to use them.

Download Your Software
* Instead of shopping for software at the store, simply download what you need directly from those clever folks on the Internets. You'll save resources, as well as time and fuel.

information courtesy of http://www.thedailygreen.com/