Refrigerators

One of the worst energy offenders in your home is the refrigerator.  Depending on how old your fridge is you can expect to save hundreds.  Buying a new energy star rated refrigerator will save you 20% on your electric bill.  You can also take it a step further and buy a super energy efficient fridge that has a CEE tier-3 rating, which will save you 30%.  To find out the estimated savings you'll save by upgrading your fridge go to www.energystar.gov and find the refrigerators page and click on the energy star savings calculator link.  Refrigerators that have a top-mounted freezer save an added 10-25% less than side-by-side or bottom mounted freezers.  Also take into consideration the size of the fridge, don't buy a huge fridge with a bunch of special features if you aren't going to fill it because the bigger the model the more energy it uses.

Some other things to consider when living a green life style is where the refrigerator was manufactured.  Shop around for a brand manufactured in America and support the American worker.  Whirlpool, Maytag, GE are a few brands I know of that are made in America.  I also like to shop at a local discount store rather than a major appliance big-box center, you can usually find better prices and the sales people are more helpful and take the time to answer your questions.  When I think of the "Green Lifestyle" I think of the American dream, supporting America and your local American laborer.  Living a green lifestyle is all about purchasing products locally and supporting your community which is what being an American is truly all about.

I recently bought a refrigerator to cut down costs on my homes energy usage.  Our old fridge is from the 1980's and according to the energy star website the annual cost to run it is $320.27 and uses 1,709 kWh. The first thing I thought of was replacing my current model with one that was manufactured in America.  Once I found out what companies manufactured their refrigerators in America, I began looking at different models online paying attention to the energy star label to see how they differed.  I knew I wanted a top-mounted freezer as I learned they used less energy than other models.  I also payed attention to the features and shelves, I didn't want a lot of fancy features or cheap shelves that could easily break down.  As I did my research I became aware of models that were CEE Tier-3 certified which is the highest rating by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency.  Through the Super-Efficient Home Appliances Initiative CEE promotes energy-efficient refrigerators that use significantly less energy than the federal standards.  Once I found the model I wanted I looked online at several different appliance centers until I found the best price.  Of course I went to a local discount appliance store instead of a big brand store, they were very helpful and took the time to answer all our questions.  They did not have the size model I needed but were able to special order it for us, you probably wouldn't get that kind of service at Home Depot.  My new fridge is made by Maytag which manufactures their fridges in America, has sturdy shelves, stainless steel, and energy star tier-3.  The estimated annual cost to run it is $37 and uses only 345 kWh.

So the key things when purchasing a refrigerator are buy energy star, made in America, and from a local appliance center.  Always do your research online first and know your information and prices before heading to the store.  I'm proud to say that I bought a super energy-efficient refrigerator, made in America, and from my local discount appliance center.

Conservation Inspiration

Recently there was a very inspiring article in the newspaper, It is not often you read about the good things that are going on in your city but this was a nice change.  This story was a perfect example of how we should all live our lives and is very eye opening.  As you read the article you soon realize that people take many things for granted and expect others to do whats good for their community.  The most fulfilling part of this story is how a 10 year old girl can do so much good and teach us all the right way to live.


The article is about 10 year old Gia Oppedisano.  Gia had to complete 10 hours of community service for a school projct, she chose to plant pine trees at Sunnycrest Park with the help of her brother and grandmother Amelia Nigro.  They spent April break planting the trees, it was hot and sweaty but Gia pushed on until the job was complete.  Did I mention that she was in the middle of being treated for Leukemia.  Gia has always been passionate about conservation in her community, when she was younger she would always pick up garbage as she walked around the neighborhood.  The Syracuse Parks Conservancy recently awarded Gia with its annual Guardian Award.  Gia was very appreciative for being recognized for her efforts but what Gia would appreciate most is that her story inspires everyone to go out and volunteer their time to clean up the community.


Everyone needs to take some responsibility to clean up trash along our streets.  Sometimes the animals get into our trash on trash night and the wind blows it around, well someone has to pick it up eventually. Get outside and clean up your street, meet your neighbors, help them out and they will help you in return when your in need.  If everyone worked together with one another and supported each other as a community we could change the world.  I hope Gia's story inspires all of you to get out and beautify your community.


http://www.syracuse.com/kirst/index.ssf/2011/12/post_227.html 

Happy New Year

Hello blog buddies, we have made it to 2012!  At the start of every New Year we make resolutions, to better ourselves and live happier and healthier lives.  Some of the more common pledges are to eat wholesome food, lose weight, and volunteer more.  These are all great things to focus on, people should eat nutritiously and live active lives while volunteering and doing what they can for their community.  The problem is people never commit to what they set out to accomplish and they end up setting the same goals each year.  In recent years Global Warming has become a more reverent threat than in years past.  Scientist and Environmentalists have found out through research and studies that Global Warming is a clear threat to our existence on Earth.  Instead of setting the same resolutions that you have in the past, why not promise to be more environmentally friendly?

I'm not implying you have to go out and install solar panels on your house, buy a hybrid, or buy all new energy efficient appliances; there are many things you can do that don't cost anything accept a few small life changes.  Such as recycling, buying local, reusing, reducing the amount you buy, or composting.  When it does come time to replace those bigger items, think about energy efficiency and it will save you money.  Also, when it comes time to renovate think about the materials you use, what they are made of and where they come from.

These changes are not unfathomable, with a little knowledge and effort you can be kinder to your environment and find yourself saving money too.  You may actually succeed with your resolutions.  It is time to wake-up and stop denying the fact that our planet is facing a serious issue and that everyone needs to start doing their part if we want to be successful in slowing down Global Warming.  Even if your not a firm believer in the whole climate change crisis, why not be be Eco-Friendly?  Things such as reusing, reducing, eating healthy, buying less, buying energy star rated electronics, and building green; all these things save you money and help the environment at the same time.  Being Eco-Friendly is not being a Treehugger, it's simply a way of being smart and thrifty.  So my challenge to every one is to start 2012 out right and add a couple Eco-Friendly things you can do to your New Years Resolutions list, even if your a non-believer in Global Warming you'll save some money, every one can relate to that.

10:10UK.ORG

Hello Mini Eco-Man followers, here we are on blog #4 already!  I was recently told about this awesome UK site http://www.1010global.org/uk.  10:10 is a Non-profit Organization that has a goal to cut carbon emissions 10% at a time.  Their mission is to unite people and organizations across society around positive, practical action to cut carbon emissions.  This site has great information on how you can cut costs and be more environmentally friendly.  Carbon emissions is the leading cause to global warming which has to be drastically reduced now before we become in eminent danger.  Right now at the rate our carbon emissions are rising, it is highly likely that for the first time human population could become extinct unless drastic measures are taken to lower our carbon emissions.  The key to reversing the effects of global warming is to educate people on what needs to be done, why, and how they can accomplish their individual goals.  Once you join 10:10 they will send you weekly emails with challenges, things you can try to reduce your overall emissions.

They also have a page which I really enjoy http://my.1010uk.org/.  This page is similar to a social-networking page, once you sign up you answer a series of questions that calculate how many carbon emissions you produce.  Once you find your number then you can learn where you need to make changes to reduce your footprint.  You can also take on challenges and earn medals once you complete the goal and connect with your friends and send them challenges.  This a great interactive page that makes it fun reducing your emissions.

I hope everyone takes the time to check out the web sites because they are filled with important information.  To often when people hear about global warming they tend to not realize how serious of an issue it actually is.  Everyone thinks someone else will come up with a solution or it won't happen in our lifetime.  I say, why wait for someone else when we could all do a little and why leave our mess for our youth to fix.  Another thing I hear a lot is "one person isn't gonna change anything", I personally hate that excuse.  For one thing positive change big or small is still for the better good.  If everyone would stop thinking that and started making the insignificant changes it would add up and we would see significant change.  Anytime I see an opportunity to improve the environment no matter how small it seems, I utilize the opportunity knowing it is for the greater good I have a guilt free mind.

So I challenge you all to sign up and take the quiz on http://my.1010uk.org/, and find out your carbon emissions score and what you can do to lower it.  Also remember anything you do, no matter how minimal, if it betters the environment you have made positive change.

Vermi-composting

Hi everyone, we are on blog number three already and today were talking about vermi-composting, better known as worm composting.  Many of you know what composting is, a mixture of food scraps and yard waste that you place in a bin or pile out in your yard.  Over time it all breaks down and turns into nutrient rich soil for your plants or garden.  That system works fine in the warmer months, but what if you live in the Northern parts of the United States where we experience snow and temperatures below freezing?  A solution that works well is worm composting.  It's very easy to maintain and will get rid of your food scraps and keep you warm during the winter months so your not trekking through the snow to get to your compost pile out back.  It is also great for anyone living in an apartment or urban area with limited space.

To start vermi-composting I recommend reading "Worms Eat My Garbage".  This is a very detailed book that has many different options to make worm composting fit your individual needs.  The main components you will need to start out with is a bin, food scraps, shredded paper, and worms.  There are many different ways to make a worm bin, you can use wood or plastic.  If you use wood remember the box could get quite heavy.  You can make a bin out of anything really, you just have to make sure to drill holes in the sides and top and cover them with mesh screen material.  If DIY isn't your style there are many worm bin kit options available but they can be expensive.  You then need to order worms, but not just any worms "Red Wigglers".  You need to factor in how much food waste you produce to know how many worms to order so that your worms can keep up and break down the food.  I recommend starting out with one pound.  To find a worm farm in your area search http://www.findworms.com/.  If your unable to find worms in your area, there are many sites online that you can order from.  I buy my red wigglers from http://www.unclejimswormfarm.com/.  To prepare your bin for your worms place shredded paper on the bottom and food scraps in the center.  Place the worms in the bin and cover them with moistened newspaper and mist the bin.  You are now on your way to making compost in the warm comfort of your house.

Composting is very beneficial to the environment no matter which way you choose. Vermi-composting is a good way for those in small spaces that don't have yards to have an outdoor bin.  Not only does composting promote rich nutrients that are healthy for the environment and household plants but it lessons the waste we produce and send to the landfill.  Anytime you can stop waste from going to a landfill it is beneficial.  It also cuts down on your need for a garbage disposal, if it were up to me we wouldn't own one at all.  I love my worm bin and think it is a great way to get rid of food scraps during the winter months.

Pick-Up Trash

Hey Everyone, this is my 2nd blog entry and today I chose to write about the need to pick-up trash for a specific reason.   I'm sure as you walk around outside in your neighborhood and your surrounding communities you notice other peoples trash on your property, road side, and parks.  It's a problem that seems so simple to stop, yet every time someone cleans up a park someone else leaves behind a mess.  When I was younger their was an elderly woman that lived a couple houses down the street from me, every Earth Day she would recruit me and a couple of my friends to grab a trash bag and go down to the park at the end of our street to clean up the garbage people left behind.   The park has many trash bins that are spread out evenly, but the trash never seems to make it into the bin.  Every year, year after year we would clean up the park every Earth Day hoping maybe one Earth Day the park would be clean, that people would be responsible enough to clean up after themselves.

Recently I was riding in our van and we were driving down a side street and I noticed a few men wearing reflective vests carrying garbage bags with a truck following them close behind.  As we got closer I realized that they were from the Public Works Department, but I became confused because it was not garbage pick-up day and their wasn't a garbage truck around.  I then realized these men we city employees earning an honest living picking up trash because we as a society aren't civilized enough to pick up after ourselves.  Our tax dollars are being used to clean up our city streets because we can't seem to do it ourselves.  Money that could be used for more important things like education, renewable energy, fighting hunger, assisting the homeless and much more.

So what if you didn't drop the cup blowing down the street, simply pick it up and toss it in a trash bin.

The point I'm trying to get across is that we can not fight the climate crisis our planet is facing if we are unable to keep our communities clean.  How are we going to reverse the big issues if we can't keep our neighborhoods free of trash.  My next challenge for everyone is to keep a grocery bag with you in your car or on your next walk or bike ride.  This way when your out and about you will always have a place to put your trash and if you happen to find someone else's, pick theirs up too.  Everyone says "It doesn't make a difference if one person picks up trash", but even if just one person picks up one piece of trash a day, it's a step in a positive direction.  Make yourself a New Year's resolution to pick up trash left in your neighborhood and set yourself a goal to collect a certain amount of bags each month.

Mini Eco-Man's First Blog!

Well hello everyone, I've started a blog as an addition to my Mini Eco-Man Facebook page.  Some of you have probably already "liked" my page on Facebook, if you haven't you should check it out.  The purpose of Mini Eco-Man is to help everyone learn simple everyday ways to improve our planet at a cost effective price.  While the Facebook page allows me to post everyday tips, the blog will allow me to go more in depth on certain topics.  Becoming more environmentally friendly is very simple, it often takes a few small changes and usually saves you money.  Sometimes living green can cost more up front but in the end you save more money long-term.  The upfront cost deters a lot of people from going green in the first place but there are many things you can do that are cheap and make a big impact, especially when it comes to the three R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).  Any time you can reduce your amount of waste and keep it out of a landfill your improving the Earth.  A way to reduce your waste is to obviously reuse, any time you can take an item or object that you would otherwise throw away and put it to good use your helping to cut down on the waste we all produce.  Lastly, when something has finally worn out and can no longer be used for anything, recycle it if at all possible.  While it does use energy to recycle, the end result is that you can reuse the item and make something new out of it, which is better than having it wasted in a landfill. The three R's are like an environmentalists golden rules to live by.  So as I get to the conclusion of my first blog entry I am challenging you to think about the 3 R's.  For one day collect everything you were gonna throw away in a bin or bucket.  Then at the end of the day sift through each item and think about how you could reuse each item or if it could be recycled.  Try and reuse the item before recycling, even if you yourself are not able to use it you may find someone else who can.  Also if an item is in fair condition there are many organizations such as the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity who continually need donations.  When your looking at the items in your bin make two piles, one throw away and one reuse (includes donations and recycling).  Who knows you may just find out you don't have a lot of trash after all.  Hopefully you will attempt my challenge, I look forward to your comments and reading your results!