Living in The East Valley » Go Green

Get Savings on Purchases of CFL Light Bulbs

admin — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:50:48 +0000

SRP is offering discounts with a variety of different merchants for purchases of CFL bulbs. Merchants include: Costo, Lowe’s, Walmart, Home Depot, and Sam’s Club. – SRP CFL Discounts

APS also offers discount programs – APS CFL Discounts. They also have a CFL light bulb Savings Calculator which allows you to calculate savings by room based upon the number of bulbs replaced and the type of lighting in that roonm

Save Energy – Save Money

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:35:07 +0000

October is Energy Awareness Month. Here are some easy ways to reduce energy use in your home and save you money.

Use a programmable thermostat to control the a/c and heat in your home. Turn up the temperature during the summer during the times when you are away from home and do the opposite in the winter.
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. Remember that these bulbs must be disposed of properly when you are finished using them. Ace Hardware locations that have SRP boxes for used CFL bulbs.
Set your dishwasher to air dry the dishes instead of using the heat dry cycle.
Turn off electronics when not in use including your computer and printer. For TV’s and home entertainment centers, you can plug them all into one power strip. Turn off the equipment then turn off the power strip because TVs and DVD players will still use power in standby mode.
Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
Make sure your fireplace damper is closed when the fireplace is not in use.

For more energy-saving ideas:

Visit www.energysavers.gov

Visit the US Department of Energy’s Energy Savers Blog

Recycling Your Christmas Tree

admin — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:45:00 +0000

About.com has a great article with information on how you can recycle your Christmas tree. It provides information by city within the Phoenix metro area. Many cities will collect the trees and chop them up to use as mulch.

About.com – Christmas Tree Disposal in Phoenix

What to do with those plastic grocery bags?

admin — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Most cities in the area won’t take plastic bags in their recycling programs. However, there are stores that will accept the bags. Check out the Partners at Bag Central Station for stores where you can bring your plastic bags to be recycled. Better yet, bringing your own bags to stores. I have been doing this for almost a year at least at the grocery store. I bought the smaller bags that IKEA sells for less than a dollar and find them great for groceries. Most of the grocery stores now sell reusable bags. Sure it is an adjustment, but if everyone did it the impact would be considerable. I’ve found the best thing to do is put the empty bags right back into the car once I’ve unloaded the groceries.

Another option is to use those bags in other ways. They make good liners for small trash cans. Some parks also have plastic bag dispensers for dog walkers to use to pick up their pet’s waste. Most of the bags in these dispensers are donated used plastic grocery and store bags.

For more information on the impact of plastic bags go to Bag Central Station.

Information on Bag Central’s free cloth bag events.

Bike Route Map – Maricopa County

admin — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:03:00 +0000

I read an article in today’s AZ Republic, Bike map for region unveils access to light-rail service, which indicated that the Maricopa Association of Governments had just updated their bike route map. You can link to it below. It also indicated that printed maps will be available starting in mid to late July by calling 602-254-6300.

Hint: – Use the zoom feature to enlarge the area of the map you are interested in.

Bike Route Map – Maricopa County

Low VOC Paints

admin — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Have any of you used low VOC paint when you painted your home? I will consider using this next time I paint. I usually only paint in the winter when it is cool enough to open up the windows and doors to let air circulate. It would be great if someone could share their experience with this type of paint and let us know which brand they chose to use.

EcoBroker information on Low VOC Paints

Advanced Technologies for Remodeling Projects

admin — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:00:00 +0000

I recently learned about PATH, Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing , which is coordinated by HUD. Their purpose is “dedicated to accelerating the development and use of technologies that radically improve the quality, durability, energy efficiency, environmental performance, and affordability of America’s housing”. There is lots of information available on their site including:

plus more…

ASU School of Sustainability

admin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:33:00 +0000

Did you know that Arizona State Univeristy had a School of Sustainability? This school is the first of its kind in the nation and was featured on NBC Nightly News. According to ASU “Sustainability is more than environmental studies; it’s the interconnectedness of the Earth with science, politics, economics, people and cultures.” Watch video clips highlighting this program and how ASU is preparing students to preserve the future.

No Mow Grass

admin — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:09:00 +0000

Is there really such a thing? I read about this in a past USA Weekend newspaper magazine and went to NoMowGrass.com to get more information. We have not yet tried this but it looks promising. They indicate that they have different types of seed for different zones and uses. Less mowing means less work but also less emissions from gas powered lawn mowers. If you have this type of grass, please leave a comment and let us know how it is working out for you. NoMowGrass also has some enivormentally friendly lawn care tips on their site as well.