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Energy Saving Articles

Another Doomsday, Another Dollar: Shifting Science Towards Peace and Ecology
In his book, Our Final Hour, Cambridge professor and Britain’s “Astronomer Royal” Martin Rees predicts humanity has no more than a 50/50 chance of survival into the next century and that by 2020 a million people will perish due to scientific error...

Clearing out hallways
The door and hallway is considered the mouth and throat of the home in feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of furniture placement and energy flow, so if yours is cluttered up with junk, your home is basically choking and you will feel depressed or...

Insights into China and India's Water and Renewable Energy Market
Insights into China and India's Water and Renewable Energy Market Depletion of Natural Resources and Energy Demands Show Increasing Need for Renewables and Water Filtration By Fei Wang www.China-AsiaStocks.com...

Saving Energy By planting Nursery Stock
In the past week there has been an increasing interest in landscape design for energy conservation. Rising fuel costs can be offset by landscaping. The primary goal is to control wind and sun. In Pa. the first line of defence for energy savings...

Secrets of the 200 MPG Carburetor
Dear Fellow Car Enthusiast: Thanks for requesting this report on the "200 MPG Carburetor." It should inspire you. It may make you angry. It may answer some of your questions, while raising a few more. For example. These questions have been...

 
The "Reduce" of Recycle and Reuse

Most of us are familiar with recycle and reusing, but how often do we think of the third R - REDUCE?

"Reduce" is probably the most important of the three Rs because, if we reduced, it would limit the need to recycle and reuse. By reducing, we cut down on the resources that we use which results in less garbage being produced. Reduce takes us back to the basic question:

"Is it a need or a want?"

So often, our wants result in impulse buying. It is amazing if you ask yourself the question, is it a need or a want before you actually buy. Many things end up being a want, not truly a need.

To help us "reduce", a second question could be asked:

"Can I rent or borrow this item, rather than buying it?"

By renting or borrowing an item, you fill the "need" and perhaps the "want", but you end up fulfilling your need and returning the item.

One other area that helps reduction is "packaging". Are the items you are buying packaged to protect the item, or packaged to market the item. So much garbage is a result of packaging for marketing purposes. Buy products that limit the packaging to protection rather than marketing.

There


are many ways to "reduce" and here are just a few:

- reduce your paper consumption...only print what you need otherwise read online; use both sides of paper for taking messages; leave off the cover sheet of a fax and write all info on the main page

- have your name removed from junk mail.

- reduce the use of plastic bags by taking cloth bags with you when you shop

- purchase energy saving appliances

- use the new compact fluorescent lights bulbs (take 75% less power and burn 10 times longer than a regular incandescent bulb)

- when buying toys for children, purchase toys that do not require batteries

- if you do require batteries, buy rechargeable ones

- buy in bulk, thereby reducing packaging

If we all did only one thing to "reduce", it would help in our efforts to recycle and reuse.

About the author:

Catherine Pulsifer is one of the authors of Stress Relief by a Simple Life http://www.stresslesscountry.com Stories, thoughts, inspirational quotes, and poems on reduce, recycle, reuse, simplicity, being more frugal, crafts and more.