31 Days of Green Little Things: Phantom Loads Are No Treat

It's Day 31 of my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  Day 31!  DAY THIRTY-ONE!  The last day of this series!  Can you believe it?!  Day 31!

Did you know that most of us are living with about 20 phantoms every day?  Not just on Halloween either.

No, I don't mean poltergeists.  I mean electronic devices that use energy even when they're not turned on.  The energy that is consumed when devices are not being used is called a "phantom load." 

For me the easiest way to think about it is anything in "standby mode" or with a little light that remains on draws this (wasted) energy.  The devices are also referred to as "energy vampires" because they continue to suck/draw energy (like blood) even when they are turned off.  

Some of the typical vampires/phantoms are TVs, stereos, DVRs, game systems, chargers (cell phones, laptops, electric razors, etc.), garage door openers, desktop computers, cordless phones, coffee makers, appliances with clocks (stoves, microwaves, etc.), electric toothbrushes, and, well, you get the point.

One of the easiest things we do to reduce our phantom load is unplugging things we aren't using.  The coffee pot is an easy example.  I don't drink coffee and Mr. Green Stuff only makes coffee at home on the weekends so it's unplugged almost all the time.  Another easy thing we do is use power strips.  Our TV and DVD player are plugged into a power strip.  We rarely watch TV and we don't have a DVR so this simple for is.  There's no rebouting to wait for so it's no hassle at all.  When we had a desktop computer it was plugged into a surge-protected power strip along with the printer.  We rarely print anything anymore so we simply unplug our printer now.  

Whether they're called phantom loads, energy vampires, or standby loads, they are scary.  Just like Halloween.  Except they're real!  And a real big waste!

My friend's kid wore this as his Halloween costume last year.

I know! What a great costume!  It has all my favorite qualities: simple, reusable, and clever.  Plus, those cube-shaped plugs are some of the most inefficient ones out there.  She probably already knew that!  I didn't.  Did you?
Come back tomorrow (or maybe the next day if I'm feeling lazy) for a recap of this series. :)

Peace,

Stacey

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31 Days of Little Green Things: Dump An Incandescent

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I've posted every day this month about the little things I do to help the environment.

Today's going to be an easy one.  It's one we've all heard before but worth repeating nonetheless.  Next time you have an incandescent light bulb burn out, replace it with one that is more energy efficient.

If you want to be even more "green" chose an LED (light emitting diodes) over a CFL (compact florescent light) bulb.  LED light bulbs use about half the energy of a CFL.  They do not contain mercury.  (Recycle any CFLs at places like Home Depot.)  LEDs are also the least fragile of the three.

Incandescents are the cheapest to purchase but the most expensive to operate.  They also have the shortest lifespan.  LEDs last the longest but also cost the most.  CFL fall in the middle. 

Here's a great chart (although a little dated) comparing these three types of light bulbs.

While I've searched for light fixtures for the kitchen remodel, I've sought out ones that do not use "candle" bulbs so I can use something more energy efficient.  I just don't like the CFL ones that are candle-shaped.
 
See you tomorrow for the final day of this series.

Peace,

Stacey

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31 Days of Green Little Things: Cloth Napkins Aren't Just For Special Occasions

Wow!  It's Day 29 of my 31 Days of Green Little Things series.

Have you ever noticed how nice restaurants always use cloth napkins?  It just feels fancier, huh? There's just something about wiping my mouth on a disposable paper napkin that screams, "fast food, fast food, fast food!" to me.  I don't want meals at home to feel "fast" or rushed.  I want them to be relaxed and enjoyable.  Don't you?

Try using cloth napkins, it just feels better.  

And they work better, too.  One cloth napkin can stand up to the biggest, messiest meals.  Sticky, syrupy pancakes? Yep.  Drippy, melty ice cream?  You bet.  Barbecue?  What could be better than a red bandanna napkin?  (I mean, yes, of course.)  When was the last time you used just one napkin with these messy foods?  O.K., well maybe you're just a neat eater, but most of us end up with a bunch of balled up napkins on our plate!

Sure they will probably end up a little stained after awhile but that might just be the excuse I need to take up tie-dying or maybe something slightly less groovy but equally green like making dye from plants.  Who knows.  I could!

Obviously, there are green reasons to use cloth napkins rather than paper.  Trees are spared.  Cloth napkins are small and easily fit into any load going in the washing machine already so they don't create more loads.  They're usually available in like-new condition at estate sales and thrift shops since most people only use them at Thanksgiving anyway.  They're reusable.  You'll create less trash.  Most of the time we're able to reuse ours at least once before they go into the washing machine.

Like I said yesterday, when I hang my napkins to dry rather than tossing them into the dryer, they look nice and pressed... almost like a fancy restaurant. ;) Now I need to go learn how to make origami napkins.

Peace,

Stacey

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31 Days of Green Little Things: Laundry Day Part 2 (Drying Racks)

Whoa, it's the final week of my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

Like I said last week, Sunday is usually laundry day around the Green Stuff house so today I want to talk about my drying rack.

I use a drying rack so I can consume less energy doing laundry.  Seriously, dryers are energy hogs.  Since I end up putting fewer things in the dryer when I use my drying rack, my clothes spend less time in the dryer and I can dry on a lower temperature setting.

When I need to hang more, I just use more hangers.

The added bonus of using my drying rack is that my cloth napkins and handkerchiefs end up looking like they've been ironed.  O.K., they're not perfect but they're way better than when they come out of the dryer!  And, you and I both know that I'm never going to iron my napkins. (Unlike what the link about suggests, my iron does NOT use $22 worth of energy a year... maybe not even in a decade!)

Oh, and don't forget to clean the lint filter after every load to improve air circulation in the dryer.  This will save energy and also helps prevent fires.  (Lint is highly flammable.) It can even be composted.

Remember, saving energy saves money.

Do you use a drying rack?  What about a clothes line?

Peace,

Stacey

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31 Days of Green Little Things: Bring Your Own To-Go Container

It's hard to believe that I only have a few more days left in my 31 Days of Green Little Things series!  If you're new here (welcome!), this is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

We take our own carry out containers when we go out to eat.  I know.  What?!

Well, it all started at our favorite Mexican restaurant.  They use stryofoam to-go containers and we hated having to chose between wasting perfectly delicious food just to avoid styrofoam containers. One day it was like a (compact florescent) light bulb went on.  Why not bring our own?!?  So we did... to that restaurant.  Many of the other restaurants we like use reusable plastic or compostable paper containers so when we needed to take something home we didn't mind... too much.  Then another (even greener LED) light bulb turned on.  We should always (try to) bring our own.

We take our own bags when we go shopping, why not take our own food storage containers too?  Now we do.

We chose reusable over compostable this week.

We've mesmerized our friends and servers in the process.  Seriously!  Friends always comment about how "smart" I am for bringing my own to-go container.  Servers are usually confused at first but usually dig it.  One guy now he asks me if I remembered my container rather than if I need one.  (O.K. maybe we go there a lot.)  Last week a new server complimented us on it.  She was thoroughly impressed, which led us into a conversation about how she brings her own grocery bags when she goes to stores that charge for every plastic bag but had no idea she could take them to other stores!

Today I let a friend use my to-go container because we didn't have any leftovers but she did.  She was happy and that made me happy.

The other way we cut down on needing to take anything with us is to share our meal.  Most meals are big enough to feed two adults.  If we're still hungry, we get dessert.  Hooray! And, let's be completely honest, desert is my favorite part anyway.

Now if only I had a stove and/or oven, we could eat at home again....

Peace,

Stacey

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31 Days of Green Little Things: Buy Used

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

Today's little thing is to visit a resale shop next time you need/want something in order to reuse someone else's discarded item and love it like it's new.

Honestly, I'm kind of new to this whole resale shopping thing. It's tricky.  I'm not going to lie.  It's much, much easier to just got to a big box store and buy something new.  Resale shopping (or thrifting) isn't like that.  It takes persistence to persevere in that world... because who knows what might be there that day.  Now maybe you like to shop so this adds a new dimension to your fun but it's been at least a decade since I've enjoyed going to the mall for "fun."  Boy, can it pay off though!

It seems like a lot of people enter the world of resale shops when kids come into the pictures but sometimes these stores are pretty overwhelming just by the shear volume of things.  I mean check it out:

Pink is not in my minimalist wardrobe color scheme.

The good thing is that it's specialized (kids only stuff) so it might seem less intimidating.

And I'm still not convinced there is much in the way of organization in the "home goods" section at Goodwill most of the time.

A boy used that ab-roller literally 20 seconds after I took this picture

That's why I prefer more specialized stores like ReStore.   The workers at places like this are usually very helpful and knowledgeable.  I've learned a lot by just asking questions. 

At ReStore they even assist when I need a picture to take home.

Plus, she carried my "new" ceiling fan (clearly, not pictured) out to my car and helped load it.

The biggest thing I've learned (regardless of the store) is to have a particular item in mind (say, a schoolhouse pendant light) before entering the store but to be flexible about it.  Lighting for the new kitchen has been my mission this month.  I've been to 2 different ReStores, a mid-century "antiques" store, and 2 different Goodwills... and most of those places more than once.  That's more shopping than I've done all year but it has finally paid off!  I found all the lighting that I need... hopefully.  Look:

I know you can't tell how beautiful they are from that picture... but when the kitchen is finished, those two globe pendant lights and the flush-mount light are going to look great!  Now remember I went looking for a schoolhouse pendant but I was open minded enough to realize how incredibly awesome these lights are. Trust me they are.  (That's what I keep telling Mr. Green Stuff, too.)

Anyway, by shopping resale, I'm reusing someone else's no-longer-wanted-goods.  Like the old saying goes: one man's trash is another (wo)man's treasure! The globes may not have been "bargains" like the flush-mount but to me they were worth every single penny. One of those babies would have cost more than all three combined, if I would have purchased it new... so maybe it still was a bargain.  A "green" bargain!

Remember how I scored these bowling alleys from craigslist?

That was worth the effort of checking craigslist (somewhat) regularly for the past year.  I guess it's time to start working on those things.


Yard Sales count as resale too. And used cars!

I wonder where I'll go today?  What is your favorite resale store?  I might need to visit it.

Peace,

Stacey

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