Save Money While Saving Energy

So what do we all do before we leave our house or apartment?  Well, first we forget everything we are supposed to bring with us, rush back in, get the infamous supplies we forgot in the first place, and now we’re all set.  We feel good, even accomplished, and then what happens? We realize we forgot to turn the lights off…

Well, this may help ease your pain at running your energy bills sky high.  Recently, I was sent an article, featured in a financial magazine. I was pretty stoked when I realized not only could I understand what these financial geniuses were saying, but I could actually follow their advice!

Here are some steps to follow to decrease your energy bills, while at the same time being energy efficient and eco friendly!

First:  Get Audited!  It’s worth checking out why your bills are so high.

Costs about $250 to $800, but if you check with your energy provider you may be eligible for  a rebate! 

Second:  Caulking (one tube is $5) up leaky panes or purchasing an energy efficient window (only $5 to $10 dollars more than a regular replacement window) will save you about 20% on your heating and cooling bills.

Third:  Work on sealing your ducts with Aeroseal.  This seals up all cracks in your ducts, but  it does cost $1,500.  Fear not, take comfort in the fact that it cuts your annual utility bills in half! 

Fourth:  Try to save money while washing your clothes. Either purchase a front-loading machine ($500 more), or a more reasonable solution, wash with cold water. Why, because it costs more to heat the water.

Fifth:  Heating brings up costs but if you purchase an energy saving heater, like an Energy Star Heater, you could be shedding $200 off your bill per year.

Sixth:  Insufficient insulation in your attic and other key places could be a big cause for high energy bills. , So, look to see if you need better insulation and spend $1 per square foot to insulate with fiberglass. It will pay for itself in no time.

Seventh:  Water heating takes up about 15% of your bills. A good  soltion would be to turn the water heater’s  thermostat to 120 degrees and use an insulating blanket ($25) and insulation for the pipes to keep the heat contained.

Eighth:  Alert NO COST SOLUTIONS!  If you turn down your thermostat while you’re out or asleep you will be saving $200 annually off of your heating bills. FURTHERMORE! If you turn down your fridge to 35 degrees to 38 degrees cuts down costs as well.

See attached article to get more information, but seriously let us get on this!! 

Stars and Their Sustainability Drive

Stars and Their Sustainability Drive By: Caitlin Presberg, Eco Promotional Products, Inc., www.ecopromotionsonline.com We get our popcorn ready, we sit down in the comfy lounge seats and wait with baited breath until the crystal clear screen shows the faces of our most beloved stars. To some they are crushes, for others they are an inspiration for something magical. They light up the screen with their heroics, comedic banter, and inspiring displays of survival, but when the screen goes black, that is when the real stars emerge. Celebrities like Jessica Alba, Ian Somerhalder, Brad Pitt, and Livia Firth have inhaled their fame and have exhaled beauty into reality by creating eco-friendly businesses, foundations, and challenges that instill the belief that you don’t have to be a superhero to save the world. Jessica Alba, now a mother of two, has taken her role as a mother and has become a supermom. She started her business The Honest Company, an eco-friendly line of baby products, because she wanted her children, and the children of the world, to have the safest, cutest, and healthiest start. She produces eco-friendly products that allow parents to be confident about their children’s future. The journey to the future is happening and Brad Pitt has already been a pioneer on this voyage, as the creator of the Make it Right Foundation. This foundation started after Hurricane Katrina, in hopes of rebuilding the damaged land and homes. However, Brad went further than just rebuilding and began creating an energy efficient community recognized and praised by the U.S. Green Building Council. Not only is he rebuilding the fallen homes, he is building a foundation for the future, and setting a trend of heroism among the people of today. One actor, that has recently been honored for his green efforts, is Ian Somerhalder, known as "the dead guy on LOST now undead on The Vampire Diaries", has used his name to create the IS Foundation. This foundation focuses on saving the environment in every aspect by: raising awareness of global conservation, green energy development, and how to end deforestation. This foundation has targeted the youth as the portals to the future, for within the youth lies the key to change. The future never stops, and apparently neither does this earth warrior. Recently Ian Somerhalder has stated that he is trying to make his character Damon, on The Vampire Diaries, go green by trading in his gas guzzling Camaro for the same classy and sleek Fisker Surf, incidentally the same car that Leonardo Dicaprio drives. This earth warrior is on the move, from the red carpet to the green carpet of the earth. The Red carpet became an inspiration for some, like Livia Firth, Colin Firth’s wife. She has set the challenge to the Hollywood stars to create a Green Carpet Challenge, a challenge that started up about three years ago, and still thriving, and taken up by stars such as Meryl Streep, and Cameron Diaz, and even designer Giorgio Armani. Livia helps challenge and create original, one of a kind clothing, that is eco-friendly and fashionable. Livia explained her passion by stating, "Fashion is a brilliant communicator. The fashion we communicate through the GCC promotes social justice, environmental integrity and the very best in design". This challenge is certainly bringing truth and awareness to the most popular carpet around. The vibrant red is now appearing as the birth place of these beautiful gown creations, setting the stage for future stars to follow. All of these celebrities and many more have incorporated Green Living into their everyday life and mission. Their fame is the foundation on which their missions are built, and upon the earth their fame was born. It is clear, that Livia, along with other celerity pioneers and leaders have found a drive that completes them, and thanks to their efforts the road to the future is slowly clearing.