Energy saving strategies
By Sam Erickson

People can reduce gas consumption by carpooling, using public transportation, walking and biking.

You can't turn around these days without hearing the words "environment," "sustainability" or "global climate change." People are becoming more aware than ever of how their decisions can affect the natural world. The idea of a carbon footprint has gained ground as a way to gauge how much each person is personally contributing. Online calculators are proliferating, but the average American puts 27 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. A few small changes can help reduce that impact.

The best way you can personally reduce your carbon footprint is to use less fuel in your everyday life. This might mean trading in a car with low miles per gallon for one that gets more miles out of every dollar. Another way to reduce your fuel consumption is to try to carpool to work or to run errands, even if that only happens one day per week. Taking alternate transportation like public transportation, walking or biking will also reduce your carbon footprint. Another way to reduce fuel use is to travel less by airplane and spend more time in your local area for vacation or recreation. You don't have to completely abandon your car or stop traveling, but decreasing your overall miles will help considerably.

After traveling, the home is the area where most energy use takes place, and there are some simple strategies to reduce your overall energy use. The first thing you can do is to drop the temperature by one or two degrees in the house and turn the heat down or completely off when the house is empty. More and more central systems now have timers, and these can save you tremendous energy and money. You can also drop the temperature on your water heater. Water takes a lot of energy to heat, and this can also be a substantial saving.

Tremendous advancements have been made in areas of energy efficiency in appliances. Your dishwasher, dryer, refrigerator and stove require the most energy in the home. Replacing older models with Energy Star models will save you money in the long run, even if there is some substantial initial cost. While changing light bulbs can seem like an easy, insignificant fix, there are substantial energy savings available with the new compact fluorescent light bulbs (see box on page 14). It is also important to simply pay attention to how many lights are left on when not in use. Unplugging appliances that are seldom used will also reduce your energy use.

Most experts agree that it will take major initiatives by governments and businesses to really make substantial change. However, individuals can and do make a difference with every dollar they spend and with every conversation they have. If you want to reduce your impact on the environment, keep that in mind when you go to the store as well as when you go to the ballot box.