Have A Green Thanksgiving

As this year will be my first real US Thanksgiving as a US resident, I found this interesting article from Ecologue aimed at “Greening up your Thanksgiving.”

An example tip is about decorating for the Thanksgiving feast:

“All flowers remind us of nature’s bounty, but not all flower companies are created eco-equal — most spray their crops with heavy loads of pesticides or ship their beauties in from far away countries. The nasty chemicals probably won’t end up in your digestive system — though carnations and chrysanthemums are tasty — but they will end up polluting soil and water. Turn over a new rose petal this year, and order a gorgeous Thanksgiving centerpiece or edible cornucopia platter from Organic Bouquet. They often pledge part of their profits to organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, and send your flowers in biodegradable, corn-based flower sleeves.”

Read the rest at: Ecologue.

Quick Water Saving Tips

Saving water at any time of the year is a good idea, but obviously in the summer and after there is usually a shortage. Some quick tips for saving water:

- Repair leaks. Leaking taps, sprinklers and hoses can add to your bill and use a surprising amount of water, around 20 gallons (76 liters) per day per leak.

- Water the garden before 6am or after 8pm. It takes about 20 – 25 gallons (76 – 95 liters) less water at these times of day, clearly depending on how large your garden is.

- Shorten showers. You’re clean enough already, 2.5 gallons (9.5 liters) per minute can be saved.

- Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. A surprising 2 gallons (7.5 liters) is wasted per minute this way.

- Use a car wash. Washing the car yourself uses a lot more water, plus car washes usually recycle the water. If you do wash it yourself, don’t leave the hose running – self-closing nozzles are cheap and handy.

Quick Tip Of The Day – Is Your Fridge / Freezer Running Well?

A reader (thanks Mathew! That’s not him pictured by the way.) sent us this little story a while back that I thought might be of interest to you all:

“Today my fridge/freezer packed up. Well, actually it is my landlord’s, so I did not get the back off of it straight away. I called the support line and they said that they could get the engineer out for £100. I told my landlord and he said he would handle it. I knew what this meant – a long time with warm beer! I decided to get the back off and see what was wrong. There was a huge ‘cat size’ quantity of fluff blocking the vent that had accrued over seven years or so. I removed this et voila! Fridge/freezer sprang back into life. Within minutes everything was tickety-boo. The only downside was that the compressor was no longer muffled as much as it used to be, hence more noise in the kitchen.

Lesson learned? Pull the fridge/freezer out and remove whatever fluff there is. The machine works more efficiently thereafter, therefore saving electricity. I advise you and all of your readers to do likewise, who knows it could be warm beer for you too if you don’t take the same precautions.”

And no-one likes warm beer do they? Another couple of tips he suggested were getting rid of any ice build-ups (sounds like a job for a quiet Sunday afternoon), and also checking the seal around the door is working properly. You shouldn’t be able to slid a piece of paper between the seal and the fridge or freezer.

Your Fuel Efficiency Checklist

I like getting press releases and corporate information sent to me, it helps me keep up to date. We get a LOT of it sent to us, and whilst they all are promotional, some are actually useful as well. Like this piece of information – Jiffy Lube have a list of driving tips that will help keep your vehicle’s gas/fuel bill down. Making small modifications to your driving habits can reduce the amount of fuel your vehicle burns and that’s not only good for the planet, but for your wallet too.

• Keep it steady: Use cruise control and overdrive to maintain a consistent speed, and observe the speed limit to keep your vehicle moving at a steady pace, according to The Department of Energy (DOE).

• No more stop and go: Avoid aggressive driving including speeding and rapid acceleration and braking for better fuel efficiency.
• Junk in the trunk: Remove non-critical items from your trunk or truck bed to lighten your load, reducing the amount of fuel you burn. The DOE reports an extra 100 lbs in the trunk reduces a typical car’s fuel economy by 1-2 percent.
• Breathe easy: As the vehicle’s lung, a clogged air filter will reduce the amount of air getting to the engine, thus reducing the engine’s ability to work properly. According to the DOE, replacing your vehicle’s motor oil with the recommended grade and viscosity can improve gas mileage by one to two percent
• Stay pumped: Under-inflated tires result in more rubber hitting the road. The DOE reports keeping a vehicle’s tires inflated to the proper pressure can improve gas mileage by around 3.3 percent.
• Make the grade: Check your vehicle owner’s manual to ensure you’re using the recommended grade of motor oil. According to the DOE, replacing your vehicle’s motor oil with the recommended grade and viscosity can improve gas mileage by one to two percent.
• Get checked: Visit Jiffy Lube for fee Fuel Efficiency Review. Go to http://Locations.JiffyLube.com to find a service center in your area.