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1. In the House

• Twenty percent of the electricity consumed in the United States is for lighting. The incandescent light bulb is so inefficient that about 90 percent of the energy it consumes is given off as heat, meaning only 10 percent is converted to light. (Source: US Dept. of Energy)
• Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and LED lights are far more efficient and last longer than common incandescent bulbs. Note: a small amount of mercury is sealed within the glass tubing of CFLs. Do not throw CFLs out with regular household trash. Take them to your local household hazardous waste collection site or call 1-800-RECYCLE for a location.
• Almost half of the average home's energy consumption is used for heating rooms. Another 17 percent is used for heating water, 6 percent for cooling rooms, and 5 percent for refrigeration.
• Powering TV sets, DVD players, cable boxes and other home entertainment devices still uses energy even while they are off because of clocks and easy-on features like "standby" mode.
• Although much of Washington's electricity comes from hydropower generated by dams, some still comes from greenhouse gas producing coal-burning plants. Depending on your energy provider, a growing amount of electricity comes from wind power, which does not produce greenhouse gas. (See: Pounds of carbon dioxide per kWh, by WA utility)

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2. In the Kitchen

Even with state of the art appliances and gadgets, the kitchen is a source of excess carbon emissions.

• Dishwashers use 20 gallons of water each cycle; garbage disposals average 2 gallons each minute. Extra water use also means more wastewater to treat, which uses more energy.
• The majority of household recycling happens in the kitchen.
• Half of what is currently thrown away in King County alone, is recyclable.
• 80 percent of the 25 billion single-serving (oil-based) plastic water bottles Americans use each year end up in landfills.
• Americans use more than 380 billion plastic bags (made from oil) every year and the average bag is used for five minutes. Plastic bags litter our land and ocean, entangling wildlife. Paper bags are made from trees that sequester or store carbon.
• Recycling one ton of aluminum results in 13 tons of carbon dioxide NOT being released into the air.
  
  If we could recover and recycle 75 percent of the aluminum cans currently being tossed into landfills, we could keep 11.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from being generated and released into the atmosphere. Recycling a ton of aluminum uses just 5 percent of the energy required to make virgin metal; aluminum can be infinitely recycled. (Source: Recycle To Save Energy — The Sooner The Better, by Greg Wittbecker, Director Corporate Metal Recycling Strategy, Alcoa Inc.)

Washington's recycling efforts for 2005 reduced greenhouse gas emissions by almost 3.2 million tons, or more than 1,000 pounds per person. This is equivalent to removing 2.5 million passenger cars from the roadway each year — equal to more than half of the passenger cars in Washington! (Source: Department of Ecology)

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3. In the Bathroom

• In the United States, 27 percent of our water is used in bathing, which also uses energy for heating water.
• Showers commonly account for nearly 2/3 of all water heating costs.

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4. In the Home Office

• Laptop computers use up to 80 percent less energy than desktop computers.
• Computers can be recycled free at Dell.com, through Office Depot's Tech Recycling Service, at Hewlett-Packard, or call 1-800-RECYCLE to find a location near you.
• Many electronics draw power even when they are "off," including empty chargers in standby mode.
• Producing recycled paper requires about 60 percent of the energy used to make paper from virgin wood pulp (which comes from cutting down trees that store carbon dioxide if left standing).
• Living trees left standing absorb (or sequester) carbon in their wood as they "breathe in" carbon dioxide and "breathe out" oxygen.

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5. Home Care

Upgrades to existing systems in your home can not only drastically reduce your carbon footprint, but also significantly reduce your energy bills:

• From 1990 to 1999 the U.S. increased its consumption of electricity by 21.5 percent. (Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Annual Report, Volume 1)
• The typical U.S. home uses about 10,000 kilowatt-hours a year. Puget Sound Energy customers can pay an extra $0.0125 per kWh to purchase 100 percent green power. That totals $125 extra per year or about $10.42 per month. Avista Utilities customers can purchase 300 kWh of renewable energy for just $1 with their Buck-A-Block program, that works out to be about $33 a year.
• Every day more solar energy falls to the Earth than the total amount of energy the planet's human inhabitants would consume in 27 years. Solar energy is a super-abundant resource that can provide hot water and even electricity, on both sides of the Cascades.
• Weather stripping & caulking around doors and windows can plug heat leaks.

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6. In the Yard

• The air pollution from cutting grass for an hour with a gasoline-powered lawn mower is about the same as that from a 100-mile automobile ride. (Source: Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, June 2008.)
• Climate change is expected to reduce our summer water supplies. Up to 50 percent of the water used on landscapes is wasted due to evaporation, improper sprinklers, and over-watering.
• Trees planted on the south or west side of the house can naturally shade and cool your home in the summer. Trees also absorb (or sequester) carbon in their wood as they "breathe in" carbon dioxide and "breathe out" oxygen.

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7. Transportation

• In Washington State, more than half of our carbon dioxide comes from vehicles, so together we can make a big difference here! Use public transit, carpool, vanpool, bike, walk, or telework from home if possible, even if just a day or two a week. You save one pound of carbon dioxide for each mile of driving you eliminate.
• You can reduce your carbon footprint if you buy a hybrid the next time you purchase a vehicle. Consider fuel efficiency next time you buy a car or truck.
• For every 10 minutes you do not let your car idle, you reduce your carbon footprint by 3.2 pounds. So turn off that engine when you’re stuck in a traffic jam or waiting in line.
• A vehicle roof rack can reduce fuel efficiency by 5 percent.
• One gallon of gasoline from a car engine emits 20 pounds of carbon.

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8. Make an even bigger difference

If you want to make an even bigger difference...

• Pick a climate initiative and lobby in your community.
• Create or support carpools, flex-car, or mass transit alternatives to single occupancy vehicle use.
• Volunteer on a community council or for an advocacy group fighting global climate change. Conduct a campaign to convert 3,000 homes in your town to CFL light bulbs
• Encourage your friends and neighbors to purchase green energy from their utilities. If 25,000 households switched to 10 percent renewable green energy, the carbon savings would be huge.
• Think before you buy! You can conserve resources, save energy and prevent waste by buying products that are energy efficient; are used or reusable; are made with recycled content or are recyclable; or have no packaging or reduced packaging.
• One person can make a difference and inspire others to do the same.

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