Asparagus Interiors Inc.

Today I received an Earth Day greeting from my sister that I did not expect.

Greeting read:

Happy Earth Day!

• Reduce (my weight)
• Reuse (my socks)
• Recycle (my cans)

Aside from the quirky play on the triple R’s, there is a deeper message.  Reducing our intake and purchase locally sourced products and materials, reusing items that don’t necessarily need to be replaced every season, and recycling those readily available items all contribute to living a greener lifestyle.  Go Bridget! Yeah.

In all honesty, it’s been a slower change than I had planned. A bulb here a bulb there, but I hadn’t done a major sweep in swapping out the light fixtures until this week.

Prompted by living a greener lifestyle, electrical bills and questions regarding lighting from friends, I’m taking a closer look and making the switch where it matters most.

E3 Living offers lots of lighting options including dimmable bulbs. Their site offers loads of environmental products that can be used daily such as cleaners, lighting, trash bags, and electronics.

Other sources:
Dimmable CFL Review from The Green Guide
GE Dimmable CFL – Ace Hardware

I first started watching Living With Ed 2 episodes back. My husband recorded it on our Tivo and mentioned to me in a sarcastic note, “You might want to watch this, it’s about Ed Begley Junior, he lives green”. I’m hooked. I didn’t know Ed from his name, but recognized him when I saw him. Since I started watching this show and building up my site, I just think differently.

Thinking green is becoming a passion. Thanks Ed.

There’s an interesting graphic over at Kitchens.com, depicting the breakouts of home energy usage. Although it’s from 2004, I think it’s still valid and puts a pulse on what appliances and fixtures in the home suck up the most energy. I’ll be looking for an updated graphic after this post.

Interesting enough, it’s the big guys like water heating, fans/AC, lighting and washers and dryers that are the energy hogs.

Simple ways to reduce energy consumption that can begin today:

• Wash clothes in cold water
• Reduce your hot shower from 30 minutes to 15
• Keep your heat at or below 68 degrees in the Winter
• Consider layering your clothes and bedding to get warm and cozy
• Although, I’m not a huge fan of fluorescent light bulbs, consider compact fluorescent and compact halogens. Add soft white or cream lamp shade shaped for indirect/direct lighting that will soften the bright light and diffuse it up to the ceiling and down to the ground.

Acting efficiently means saving more coin for the fun stuff.

For additional information on energy efficiency check out How to Reduce Home Energy Usage, from Wikibooks.