Hanukah Handout: 8 Actions in 8 Days for your Home

This Hanukah, make each day special and extend the miracle of energy conservation through 8 Days, 8 Actions. Eight simple actions, for your school and for your home, to help conserve energy, slow global climate change, and save money!

8 Days, 8 Actions for your Home

Day 1: Replace an old fashion incandescent light bulb with an energy efficient Compact Fluorescent bulb. Uses approximately 1/5 the amount of energy and last up to 7 years.

Day 2: Make a plan to decrease your car use. Automobiles emit greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 and NOx) and contribute to dependence on foreign oil. Examine your driving habits and see if you can walk, bike, take public transit, or combine errands to reduce the amount you drive.

Day 3: Make your own Hanukah gifts! Take a photo and design a frame for it, knit a scarf for the winter, or make a set of beeswax candles. Use recycled materials if you can. You can find lots of great books about homemade gifts in your local library.

Day 4: Eat less meat. Large-scale meat production uses a huge amount of natural resources, particularly grain, topsoil, and water.

Day 5: Buy organic, locally grown foods. Eating organic food is better for your health since it reduces your exposure to pesticides and antibiotics. Buying food grown close to home supports family farms and reduces the amount of energy used to prepare and transport food.

Day 6: Give your furnace a tune-up. Forty percent of home energy use is for heat. An inefficient heating system can waste 30-50% of the energy it uses. Oil furnaces should be serviced annually and gas furnaces every two years. A heating technician can do the tune-up for $50-100.

Day 7: Save paper by sending environmentally-friendly Hanukah e-cards. To create an e-card, visit www.care2.com. Or, if you’re feeling artistic, make your own paper cards with recycled paper.

Day 8: Wash a full load of clothes and use cold water for the rinse. Washing machines use 32-59 gallons of water per cycle, so waiting until you have a full load of clothes will save both water and energy. A warm water wash and a cold rinse will clean nearly all clothes well.


No Replies to "Hanukah Handout: 8 Actions in 8 Days for your Home"


    Got something to say?