ENVIRONMENT
TIP OF THE MONTH
February 2010
Small Appliance Tips
Fridge:
- Set the temperature for only as cold as you need; check manufacturer's recommendations.
- Don't keep that old, inefficient refrigerator running in the basement for occasional refreshments. It could cost you $150 or more per year in electricity.
- Don't overfill the refrigerator, as this blocks air circulation. Conversely, a full freezer will perform better than an empty one.
- Check your refrigerator's door seal by closing the door on a $5 bill. If it's held tightly in place, the seal's OK; if not, the door should be adjusted or the seal replaced.
- Clean your refrigerator's coils (back) and air intake grill (below the doors) every 3 months.
- Keep refrigerators and freezers out of direct sunlight, and allow at least 5 centimeters all around (or as recommended by the manufacturer) to allow heat to escape from the compressor and condensing coil.
- Allow hot foods to cool before putting them in the refrigerator.
- Don't let freezers build up more than 6 mm of frost. Defrost regularly to keep freezers working their best.
Stove:
-Use an electric kettle to boil water - not the stove, which is less efficient.
-Generally, thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator before cooking, unless the label says otherwise.
-If you put aluminum foil on the bottom of the oven to catch drippings, make sure the foil does not block any of the oven's circulation holes and don't put foil on the oven racks.
-Turn off the oven just before finishing - the oven will remain hot long enough to complete the job.
-Don't use a bigger pot than you need, and match it to the right size element.
-A general rule: for smaller cooking jobs, use smaller appliances (i.e., instead of your range or cooktop, use the electric kettle, toaster oven or microwave.)
Dryer:
-Make sure clothes are effectively wrung before putting them in the dryer. (Front-loading washers are the best at squeezing the water out!)
-Separate loads into heavy, medium and lightweight items - lighter loads will take less drying time than a mixture of items.
-Dry consecutive loads to utilize otherwise wasted heat from the dryer.
-Clean the lint filter after every load. (A clogged lint filter can increase energy use up to 30%, and may be a fire hazard!)
-Get some fresh air! Consider using a clothesline.
January 2010
Running a Green Business
Here are just 10 easy-to-implement ideas for running a green business, provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Greening Operations guides. You can put these ideas into practice right now to make your office a more environmentally friendly place.
1. Turn off equipment when it's not being used. This can reduce the energy used by 25 per cent. Turning off computers at the end of the day can save an additional 50 per cent.
2. Encourage communications by email, and read email messages onscreen to determine whether it's necessary to print them. If it's not, don't!
3. Reduce fax-related paper waste by using a fax-modem and by using a fax cover sheet only when necessary. Fax-modems allow documents to be sent directly from a computer, without requiring a printed hard copy.
4. Produce double-sided documents whenever possible.
5. Do not leave taps dripping; always close them tightly after use. One drop wasted per second wastes 10,000 litres per year.
6. Install displacement toilet dams in toilet reservoirs. Placing one or two plastic containers filled with stones (not bricks) in the toilet's reservoir will displace about four litres of water per flush – a huge reduction of water use over the course of a year.
7. Find a supply of paper with maximum available recycled content.
8. Choose suppliers that take back packaging for reuse.
9. Instigate an ongoing search for greener products and services in the local community. The further your supplies or service providers have to travel, the more energy they use.
10. Before deciding to purchase new office furniture, see if your existing office furniture can be refurbished. It's less expensive than buying new and better for the environment.
Environmentally friendly actions don't have to be large to have an impact. Consistently reducing the amount of energy, water, and paper our businesses use can make a huge difference, both to the environment and to our pocketbooks. How much paper would you save over the course of a year, for instance, if you always ran double-sided copies? A small thing - but a big result!
2009 Tips
