Lower Your Carbon Footprint

With Governor Kaine's announcement of the annual sales tax holiday on energy efficient products and the new Energy Efficiency Rebate program, this is a great time to lower your carbon footprint, save on heating and utility costs, and save on taxes.

According to researchers at Oregon State University, some changes around your house can do big things for the environment. For example:

• Recycling newspaper, magazines, glass, plastic, aluminum, and steel cans: 19 tons of CO2 saved
• Replacing old refrigerator with energy-efficient model: 21 tons saved
• Replacing ten 75-w incandescent bulbs with 25-w Energy-efficient lights: 40 tons saved
• Replacing single-glazed windows with energy-efficient windows: 133 tons saved
• Increasing car's fuel economy from 20 to 30 mpg: 163 tons saved

Recycling is easy and free to do. The rebate and sales tax holiday can help with three of the bullets. You probably won't buy a new car this fall, but hopefully your next one will get at least 50% better mileage than your current one.

Green thoughts, green actions

We all, in the Valley and beyond, need to think green. Conservation by each of us, however small the steps, can add up to big savings for your wallet and bigger savings for planet Earth. In this video, check out the hidden costs of your computer and other hi-tech stuff. 

So, what is your carbon footprint? The Nature Conservancy has an interesting and informative carbon footprint calculator to measure your household's climate impact. Check it out. Follow the links. Save money. Do your part to help the environment. We are all in this together!