Quick Summary of  "The Energy Diet" by Andrew Portman, New York Times, Oct. 5, 2006

•Run dishwasher & washer-dryer only with full loads.

•Recycle paper, cardboard, plastic, and glass.

•Do not exceed 50-60 mph on highway.

•Use compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent lights.

•Lower household thermostat by one degree.

•Avoid using electrical kitchen appliances such as can-openers.

•Use non-petroleum eye-makeup remover.

•Trade in S.U.V. for station wagon.

•When getting ready to shower, stay in bathroom and step in as soon as water

is hot – don’t leave bathroom while water is heating up.

•Limit time in shower to two minutes.

•When washing white clothes use the warm/cold cycle instead of warm/warm.

•Shut off lights and computers, when you are not in the room or using them.

•Don’t leave the car idling.

•Call retailers to tell them to stop sending print catalogs.

•Unplug the energy “vampires” – e.g., toasters, coffeemakers, hair dryers, cell

phone chargers, computers, TVs, DVDs, and VCRs – when not in use. They

consume energy when in Standby Mode.  Use a surge protector in areas

where there are a lot of these vampires. Then you only have to unplug once

when done for the night or weekend.

•Use a thermal insulating blanket on hot-water heater.

•Use motion sensors for inside and outside household lights.

•Use cloth napkins as an alternative to paper napkins or paper towels. Use

individualized napkins rings so everyone keeps their germs to themselves and

napkins only have to be washed once per week.

•When getting dishes ready for dishwasher, scrape rather than rinse, or rinse

in cold (not hot) water.

•Stop using computer screen savers. Change computer settings so that

computer and display hibernate when inactive for ten minutes.

Postman, A. October 5, 2006. The energy diet. NYT Magazine.  Read the entire article here.

Quickly make changes to reduce your impact on the environment