Did you know by using cruise control while driving you are not only saving gas but the mileage in your car as well? When you use cruise control, you vehicle could get up to 15% better mileage. You are reducing your gasoline intake and maximizing your mileage. Especially when you are driving on a highway, using cruise control helps you maintain a constant speed.
How is this possible you may ask? Cruise control helps adjust the speed of your car by controlling the throttle position. It basically means it provides a constant feed of fuel to your car compared to supplying gas by simply pressing the gas pedal. It is the consistent provision of fuel is what really improves your fuel economy.
However, it is best to use cruise control when driving up hilly areas, whether it is going up or down large hills. If that is the case, cruise control can use more gas.
With high gas prices, using cruise control is not only good for the environment but for your budget as well!
Growing up we are always told to eat our fruits and vegetables. However, did you know some fruits and vegetables have high amounts of pesticides? You as a consumer can lower the amount of pesticides you intake by avoiding the twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and consuming the least contaminated produce. You will find fruits and vegetables that are least contaminated from those produce that were organically grown. Eating conventially grown (organic) produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all.
Did you know that apples are the number one fruits with the most pesticides? 98% of conventional apples have pesticides. The second highest contaminated produce is celery, which tested positive for 57 different pesticides followed by bell peppers as the third highest with 15 different pesticides.
The produce with the least amount of pesticides are onions, sweet corn and pineapple. It is encouraged that consumers but produce from the “Clean 15” list. Although, organically grown produce might be a bit more expensive it is worth the extra dollar.
Organic foods do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Organic food are also not processed using industrial solvents, irradiation, and chemical food additives. Organic farms use less energy and produce less water. When you purchase organic food, you are helping the environment! Not only are you eating healthier but giving back to mother nature as well.
Have you ever wondered where your trash goes after it leaves the dump? How much of it is actually sifted through to be recycled? Some cities spend more money and time into making the most out of our garbage, but the fact is that more of our waste is being treated as such and disposed in our oceans more than is being reused. One the main and most harmful materials that is polluting our oceans, trashing our beaches and killing our sea life is plastic. There are island-sized mounds of plastic all around the world. Some reports as many as 10. It would take an insurmountable amount of labor and equipment to clean up what we have accumulated over decades, but we can prevent making the problem worse and clean up what is within reach. Sea life that we could potentially find on our dinner plates and in our restaurants are mistaking bits of plastic for food. Some of this plastic has traveled from all around the world for years. A lot of plastic has dissolved into a powder that covers some of our most beautiful beaches for miles.
Click HERE to learn more about the impact plastic is having on our beaches.
During this tough times of economic crisis everyone wants to save money in any way possible. In addition, saving water could increase the life of existing septic systems.
According to an article called Protecting Our Waters, conserving water could do the following:
“Conserving water within a municipal water system will reduce household expenses, increase treatment plant efficiency, and reduce the amount of electricity and chemicals needed to treat wastewater”.
This is why the following simple tips should be taken into consideration:
Keep showers to under 5 minutes
Use only a little water in the bathtub
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth
Put water in the sink when washing up
Flush the toilet only when necessary. Don’t use it to flush tissues For more information, you can also visit the LADWP offers and programs. Remember, using water wisely can save you money.
In this country, a large part to our environmental damages are due to America’s dependence on oil. Oil is what powers our vehicles, and no matter how much gas prices inflate, we continue to support or oil dependency, pay the high prices and hope the politicians will make them lower. Although we can do less about the price per barrel of oil from overseas, we can make changes that will help America reduce its need for oil, causing the demand to go down, which will have a trickle down effect which will lower gas prices and greatly reduce the need for fossil fuels. Although fossil fuels will probably never be obsolete, the goal is to reduce the need for them, and in turn healing our planet and create a whole new job market beneficial to our country. Here are 10 ways to reduce your dependence on oil:
1. Switch to a push mower to mow your lawn.
2. Plant a garden instead of grass.
3. Walk, bike, or take public transportation whenever possible.
4. Avoid buying plastic toys and goods when an alternative is available.
5. Don’t use plastic bags, reusable bags.
6. Avoid tar roofing in favor of a tile product (metal or clay).
7. Switch to soy-based printing inks instead of petroleum-based.
8. Avoid products made from nylon, a petroleum-based material. Instead, look for alternatives, such as luggage made from recycled plastic.
9. Ditch nylon and polyester clothes!
10. Wax the floors with beeswax instead of a petroleum-based wax. Click HERE for source article and 10 more tips.
As a society, we have a moral obligation to protect our planet. We only have one earth to live on, and unless the government plans on letting us in on how to survive on Mars, we better start making some serious changes. There are some basic changes that we can make as individuals that can help stop climate change. If we all made these simple changes, we could get off to a great start to healing our planet. Here are 10 easy changes we can all get accustomed to,
1. Change your light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs.
2. Don’t drive when it isn’t necessary.
3.Recycle your own waste, and buy recycled items when possible.
4. Check the air pressure in your tires regularly.
5. Use less hot water.
6. Avoid buying products with excess packaging.
7. Keep your thermostat at 68 degrees in the winter and 78 in the summer.
8. Plant a tree. Add more oxygen and absorb more carbon dioxide.
9.Turn off electric devices when not in use.
10.STAY INFORMED!
These changes will not change our everyday lives, they are simple and if practiced and normalized, can be easily internalized by our society.
Learn what these changes actually do for the environment HERE
Global warming strikes again. This is a long alleviated issue that we must get control of. Arctic Ice has melted to an all-time low as of 9/16/12, shattering the previous record set in 2007. The worst part is that in 2007, the all-time low record was shattered. The ice has shrunk from covering 1.61 million miles to 1.32 million miles. This means that the burning of fossil fuels is penetrating our protective ozone layer and our oceans are heating up. Sea levels could rise as much as 20 feet. At the rate we are headed, the ice could be melted completely by 2050. It is imperative that we mandate clean energy and save our planet.
Below you can see the state of the Arctic ice is a fraction of what is used to be. The yellow line outlines the size of the ice recorded from 1979-2000.
Gas prices are un-predictable, and the threat of global warming continues to loom over us. We are consistently told that one of the biggest contributions to penetrating the ozone layer is smog from our car engines, but cars are a daily necessity to every day urban life. So what do we do as human beings? We can’t live on a planet not suitable to live on but we can’t seem to live our lives without personal transportation. This day and age manufactures and consumers alike have recognized this issue and have come up with many designs for cars that are economically friendly and use gasoline much more efficiently. Check out the top 10 most eco-friendly cars in 2012.
At number ten, the 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid. This car runs on both gasoline and electricity and can reach 47 miles per gallon on pure electricity.
Seven, the 2012 Lexus CT remains eco friendly while still offering sports car speed.
six, the 2012 Toyota Prius v boasts 40 mile per gallon highway miles.
Number five, the Mitsubishi i is a mini all electric car. Truly a “car of the future.”
Number four, the VW Passat TDI uses clean diesel powered fuel.
In at number three is the Ford Focus Electric. This car can get up to 100 miles on a single 3 hour charge.
Number two is the Nisaan Leaf another all electric car is perfect for the eco minded commuter.
The number one 2012 eco friendly car is the 2012 Honda Civic natural gas. With all the bells and whistles of a new Honda, add the reduced cost of natural gas and you have a winner.
Temperature conditions such as high Fahrenheit numbers during hot seasons are too frustrating for residents living in the valleys or deserted areas. Zones where the cold seasons are just too low for people living in mountainous areas is another problem. The problem that both living conditions mentioned above share in common is the fact that your wallet is the one suffering, when utility bills are due.
Much of you homes energy goes to the electronics we used for either cooling or heating. This is why making smart choices about your homes heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system is crucial.
Making smart decisions could have a positive impact on your health, environment and wallet. In order to make these positive changes visible you have to take a look at these steps Guide to Energy Efficient Heating & Cooling to increase efficiency of your cooling and heating systems. You can also join the ENERGY STAR partnership to save energy by using their products.
This year, Earth Day landed on April 22nd and provided people opportunities to take action and participate in helping to preserve the planet.
Earth Day Network gave people the opportunity to register and pledge an act of green for their “A Billion Acts of Green” campaign on their website. EDN is trying to prove that real change can occur if millions of people commit to their actions. So far, a little over a million people have made a pledge.
“Our family will use less water, plant a tree and grow a food garden,” “I pledge to use less styrofoam, as well as recycle all paper and plastic products…,” and “I will bring my own reusable shopping bags to the store,” are all examples of pledges people have proposed.
Pledges range by topic from advocacy, energy, transportation, and water. EDN’s reasoning behind this campaign helps raise awareness on the way we treat our planet. It is true, also, that if millions commit to their actions, then maybe a big difference can be made. What do you pledge?
Earth Day photo from space. Photo from National Geographic.
To learn more about Earth Day or how to make a contribution, visit Earth Day Network.
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