HOME ENERGY EFFICIENCY

What you can do now:

• Replace all lighting with LED lights.
• Use seasonally self-adjusting timers on porch lights and other outdoor lighting.
• Turn off lights, appliances, and electronics when not in use.
• Unplug electronics once they finish charging.
• Avoid or unplug appliances with small lights that remain lit when appliance is not in use.
• Use a clothesline instead of a clothes dryer, or use the dryer for a brief time and then hang dry.
• Buy a programmable thermostat.
• Keep house temperature low and wear warmer clothing.
• Turn heat down at night and when away from home.
• Close blinds, shades, or curtains at night.
• Use insulated window coverings such as warm window shades.
• Turn the thermostat on your water heater down to 120 degrees.
• Use a Kill-A-Watt meter to be aware of energy consumption of appliances and electronics.

What you can do in the longer term:

• Use electricity instead of fossil fuels especially in Seattle.
• Use energy efficient appliances.
• Convert to a heat pump or geothermal heat pump.
• Have a home energy audit and seal to reduce air leakage in your home.
• Insulate your walls and attic.
• Weatherstrip doors and windows.
• Change windows to triple-pane glass.
• Install solar panels and a solar hot water system.
• Consider an on-demand or point-of-use hot water system.
• Move to a smaller home or rent out extra living space.

What you can do to influence public policy:

• Support legislation to ban new fossil fuel infrastructure and phase out existing infrastructure in favor of renewable energy sources.
• Divest from financial institutions that finance fossil fuel industries.
• Support legislation that encourages home installation of solar panels, solar hot water, and heat pumps.
• Through Cascadia Climate Action you can find out about local climate-related events and organizations.

 

WATER CONSERVATION

What you can do now:

• Put flow restrictors on showerheads and faucets.
• Don’t let water run continuously when rinsing dishes.
• Don’t let water run continuously when washing hands, brushing teeth, or showering.
• Use a shower timer or other timing device which you place outside the tub.
• Use the shower to lather up, then turn off the shower while washing, then turn on to rinse.
• Capture water when running water to get it hot. Use a cutaway milk bottle with handle or run water into watering cans for plants.
• Use cold water to wash clothing and wash only full loads.
• Fill the dishwasher completely before using it.
• Don’t flush the toilet after each use.
• Stop watering the lawn.

What you can do in the longer term:

• Install low-flush toilets.
• Convert your lawn to a waterwise, organic, chemical-free food garden.
• Install rain barrels and cisterns to catch rainwater for watering gardens.
• Reduce pavement and install pervious pavement.

What you can do to influence public policy:

• Support legislation encouraging sustainable use of water resources.

 

GARBAGE REDUCTION

What you can do now:

• When making purchases, think how they will be disposed of when worn out.
• Recycle as much as possible – paper, glass, plastic.
• Put food waste in a worm bin or city compost/yard waste.
• Minimize food waste by menu planning before shopping for food and by using leftovers.
• Take worn clothing and shoes to a Threadcycle collection point.
• Repair clothing when possible.
• Take used electronics to electronic recycling events or electronic recycling centers.
• Creatively re-purpose items rather than throwing them away.
• Avoid printing hardcopy by using and storing documents in electronic form.
• Re-use paper printed on one side, especially for writing and printing drafts.
• Borrow books and audiobooks from the library rather than buying them.
• Use e-books and e-audiobooks as an alternative to purchasing hardcopy.
• Subscribe to newspapers and magazines in electronic form.
• Receive bank statements in electronic form.
• Buy used clothing, books, and other items rather than new items.
• Buy napkins, toilet paper, etc. made of recycled paper.
• Use cloth handkerchiefs, napkins, etc. instead of paper products.
• Avoid excessive packaging.
• Re-use or avoid using plastic bags.
• Purchase in bulk, using your own containers such as repurposed glass jars.
• Use reusable cloth bags when shopping, including net bags for produce and bulk items.
• Carry a washable coffee mug with you instead of using disposable cups.
• Carry a metal water bottle instead of buying bottled water in throwaway plastic containers.
• Bring your own plates, cups, and utensils instead of using disposable items at events.
• Eliminate disposable products from your kitchen and the rest of your home.

What you can do in the longer term:

• Learn to live with less, especially considering that we tend to buy things we don’t use.
• Join a tool library to avoid purchasing seldom-used items.

What you can do to influence public policy:

• Support legislation requiring recycling and composting.
• Support legislation banning plastic bags and non-recyclable containers and packaging.

 

TRANSPORTATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY

What you can do now:

• Walk or ride a bicycle.
• Combine trips.
• Plan ahead to do errands only on certain days.
• Organize carpools when possible.
• Support and use ridesharing software.
• Take public transportation when possible.
• Use software such as Skype or Zoom to avoid travel to meetings.
• Avoid air travel. Prefer surface transportation.
• Do not run your car engine unnecessarily.
• Drive at 55 mph maximum speed.

Longer term:

• Buy an electric car (best) or a hybrid electric car (next best).
• Buy a used energy-efficient car.
• Buy a small car.
• Make your car last many years.
• Keep up your car maintenance.
• Sell one or both of your cars.

What you can do to influence public policy:

• Support legislation to encourage purchase of electric cars and building of charging stations.
• Support legislation to require greater fuel efficiency of vehicles.
• Support legislation to ban new fossil fuel infrastructure and phase out existing infrastructure in favor of renewable energy sources.
• Divest from financial institutions that finance fossil fuel industries.

 

SUSTAINABLE FOOD PURCHASING AND CONSUMPTION

What you can do now:

• Buy and eat locally produced food when possible.
• Buy and eat food that is in season when possible.
• Reduce or avoid meat consumption.
• Eat more produce.
• Eat more organic food.
• Plan menus ahead to avoid food waste.
• Compost food waste (at home or in city compost).

What you can do long term:

• Adopt a vegetarian (no eating of animals) or vegan (no animal products) lifestyle.
• Start a vegetable garden to raise food for yourself and your family.
• Join a community garden or rent a p-patch.

What you can do to influence public policy:

• Support legislation for labeling food by state and country of origin.
• Support legislation for more transparency in labeling food ingredients and production information such as organic standards and GMO status.

 

SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING

What you can do now:

• Think about the lifecycle of an item before deciding to buy it – will you really make good use of it? How will you dispose of it?
• Prefer locally produced goods as much as possible.
• Avoid printed material; prefer in electronic form.
• Buy used items instead of new.
• Borrow or rent items that you do not plan to use often.
• Make things last.

What you can do long-term:

• Learn to repair items such as torn clothing.
• Learn to live with less, especially considering that we tend to buy things we don’t use.
• Join a tool library to avoid purchasing seldom-used items.

What you can do to influence public policy:

• Support legislation to require reusable bags, ban plastic bags, and reduce throwaway packaging.