I found this list on the Orlando Sentinel website. It has a list of items to help increase conservation around the home. It was taken from this page
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/growth/orl-locresolutions01x010107jan01,0,4618803.story?coll=orl-home-promo
Save water
- Use an automatic shut-off hose nozzle.
- Use a commercial carwash that recycles, or wash the car over the grass, not the road.
- Find leaks. Check your water meter when no water is being used; find toilet leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. You have a leak if color appears in the bowl within 30 minutes.
- Use the dishwasher and clothes washer only when full.
- Avoid letting water run while brushing teeth, washing or shaving.
Conserve energy
- Air leaks can account for up to 30 percent of cooling and heating costs. Check for drafts by taping a piece of tissue paper to a metal clothes hanger. On a windy day, while inside your home, hold the hanger still at several places around the frames of windows and doors. If the paper moves, there is a leak. Seal cracks by recaulking or applying weather-stripping tape.
- Use a programmable thermostat. For every degree above 72{degree}F, you will save 5 percent on cooling costs. When it's cooler outside, lower the thermostat to 68{degree}F.
- Use ceiling fans.
- Insulate your water heater.
- Windows can account for 10 percent to 25 percent of a home's heating bill. During summer, windows make the AC work two to three times harder by letting in the sun's heat.
- Add overhangs to the outside of windows, or install awnings and shutters.
- Install shades, drapes or blinds in light colors.
- Close curtains.
- Replace single-pane windows with energy-efficient double-pane ones.
- Create less trash
- Buy in bulk, when practical.
- Avoid the disposable versions of razors, pens, batteries, plates, cups, napkins, etc.
- Reduce junk mail by having your name and address removed from mailing lists. Send a request to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735
- Reuse shopping bags or take your own.
- Carry food in reusable containers rather than plastic bags.
- Leave grass clippings and leaves on your lawn or compost them.
- Invest in cloth napkins for daily use and reusable wiping cloths and towels.
- Donate unwanted furniture, appliances, clothing and toys.
- Recycle paper, plastic and metals.
- Print and photocopy on both sides of the paper.
Reduce water pollution
- Direct downspouts and gutters to drain into the lawn or plant beds to avoid runoff. Water picks up pollutants and carries them directly into rivers, lakes and springs.
- Decrease soil erosion by planting ground cover where grass doesn't thrive.
- Use mulch, bricks, flagstone, gravel or other porous surfaces for walkways, patios and driveways.
- Collect and store runoff from your roof in a rain barrel or cistern.
- Create swales (low areas) or terracing to catch, hold and filter storm water.
- Pick up after pets. This reduces bacterial and nutrient pollution entering storm drains.
- Clean up oil spills and leaks on driveways; spread cat litter over oil, sweep it up and then throw away in the trash.
- Sweep grass clippings, fertilizer and soil from driveways and streets back onto the lawn. Remove trash from street gutters before it washes into storm drains.
- Use natural products to fertilize the lawn and kill weeds, such as corn-gluten meal, and use natural pesticides such as insecticidal soap or pyrethrin.
Reduce air pollution
- Use water-based products or those with low amounts of volatile organic compounds.
- Avoid using leaf blowers; choose a push or electric lawn mower.
- Store solvents in airtight containers.
- Paint with a brush, not a sprayer.
- Start your barbecue briquettes with an electric probe or use a propane or natural-gas barbecue.
Choose 'smart' communities
- Learn how to buy a green home. For details, visit: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW247
- Choose a town with reliable public transportation, bicycle lanes and pedestrian paths.
- Look for a community pool, which decreases the incentive for families to build their own pools, saving energy and water.
- Stay informed
Visit www.myregion.org and vote early next year on how you want the region to grow. The planning think tank will unveil several growth blueprints and wants your input.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/growth/orl-locresolutions01x010107jan01,0,4618803.story?coll=orl-home-promo
Save water
- Use an automatic shut-off hose nozzle.
- Use a commercial carwash that recycles, or wash the car over the grass, not the road.
- Find leaks. Check your water meter when no water is being used; find toilet leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. You have a leak if color appears in the bowl within 30 minutes.
- Use the dishwasher and clothes washer only when full.
- Avoid letting water run while brushing teeth, washing or shaving.
Conserve energy
- Air leaks can account for up to 30 percent of cooling and heating costs. Check for drafts by taping a piece of tissue paper to a metal clothes hanger. On a windy day, while inside your home, hold the hanger still at several places around the frames of windows and doors. If the paper moves, there is a leak. Seal cracks by recaulking or applying weather-stripping tape.
- Use a programmable thermostat. For every degree above 72{degree}F, you will save 5 percent on cooling costs. When it's cooler outside, lower the thermostat to 68{degree}F.
- Use ceiling fans.
- Insulate your water heater.
- Windows can account for 10 percent to 25 percent of a home's heating bill. During summer, windows make the AC work two to three times harder by letting in the sun's heat.
- Add overhangs to the outside of windows, or install awnings and shutters.
- Install shades, drapes or blinds in light colors.
- Close curtains.
- Replace single-pane windows with energy-efficient double-pane ones.
- Create less trash
- Buy in bulk, when practical.
- Avoid the disposable versions of razors, pens, batteries, plates, cups, napkins, etc.
- Reduce junk mail by having your name and address removed from mailing lists. Send a request to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735
- Reuse shopping bags or take your own.
- Carry food in reusable containers rather than plastic bags.
- Leave grass clippings and leaves on your lawn or compost them.
- Invest in cloth napkins for daily use and reusable wiping cloths and towels.
- Donate unwanted furniture, appliances, clothing and toys.
- Recycle paper, plastic and metals.
- Print and photocopy on both sides of the paper.
Reduce water pollution
- Direct downspouts and gutters to drain into the lawn or plant beds to avoid runoff. Water picks up pollutants and carries them directly into rivers, lakes and springs.
- Decrease soil erosion by planting ground cover where grass doesn't thrive.
- Use mulch, bricks, flagstone, gravel or other porous surfaces for walkways, patios and driveways.
- Collect and store runoff from your roof in a rain barrel or cistern.
- Create swales (low areas) or terracing to catch, hold and filter storm water.
- Pick up after pets. This reduces bacterial and nutrient pollution entering storm drains.
- Clean up oil spills and leaks on driveways; spread cat litter over oil, sweep it up and then throw away in the trash.
- Sweep grass clippings, fertilizer and soil from driveways and streets back onto the lawn. Remove trash from street gutters before it washes into storm drains.
- Use natural products to fertilize the lawn and kill weeds, such as corn-gluten meal, and use natural pesticides such as insecticidal soap or pyrethrin.
Reduce air pollution
- Use water-based products or those with low amounts of volatile organic compounds.
- Avoid using leaf blowers; choose a push or electric lawn mower.
- Store solvents in airtight containers.
- Paint with a brush, not a sprayer.
- Start your barbecue briquettes with an electric probe or use a propane or natural-gas barbecue.
Choose 'smart' communities
- Learn how to buy a green home. For details, visit: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW247
- Choose a town with reliable public transportation, bicycle lanes and pedestrian paths.
- Look for a community pool, which decreases the incentive for families to build their own pools, saving energy and water.
- Stay informed
Visit www.myregion.org and vote early next year on how you want the region to grow. The planning think tank will unveil several growth blueprints and wants your input.
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