How can the world’s two consumer “superpowers”- the U.S. and China – work together to reduce the impact that consumption has on us and our world? That was the topic a capacity crowd addressed on March 22 at the U.S. – China Greener Consumption Forum. The event, held at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. […]
Are we “greener” than we were four years ago? Yes, we are, and Barack Obama deserves a lot of the credit. Despite strident anti-environmental opponents on Capitol Hill, President Obama has managed to use the power of his office – deployed primarily through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of […]
How good are your kids at saving energy? Here’s your chance to find out. Team ENERGY STAR, the Environmental Protection Agency’s program to teach kids about energy efficiency, is holding an essay contest for kids. The purpose of the contest is two-fold. First and foremost, Team ENERGY STAR wants to recognize kids for […]
491viewsRefrigerators use more electricity that any other single appliance in your home. Why? Because they’re on all the time. There are a few ways you can improve the efficiency of a refrigerator you already own, but if you have an older model, it could make a lot of financial sense to replace it with something […]
Are you keeping track of how much water you’re using – and maybe wasting? You could probably cut your water bill by almost 50% if you do – and now’s the time to do it. Late July and early August are usually when outdoor water use soars. By some estimates, you might use between 30 and […]
“Dry” cleaning is one of those things that sounds like a much better idea than it is. You might have an inkling of that when you step into a dry cleaners to drop off or pick up your laundry and get an overpowering whiff of …yeah, what IS that smell? It’s actually a toxic solvent […]
Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota Republican Member of Congress who’s running for President, vows she’ll cripple the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency if she’s elected. Maybe if she spent a week in China like I recently did, she’d change her mind. I’ve just returned from a seven-day trip to Beijing, China’s capital, and Xi’an, the country’s cultural […]
My toilet sprang a leak a few nights ago, creating the perfect opportunity to replace it with a new, water-saving toilet. My first choice was to get one that offers two flush options so you don’t need to use a full tank of water for a job that only requires a half-flush. The toilet would cost about $350 more than […]
