EARTH DAY 2010
40th Anniversary is April 22, 2010
"A little energy goes a long way." While we have been promoting this message for the past year to show how small changes in energy use can have an impact on your electric bill, Earth Day is a celebration of how changes in behavior - whether related to energy consumption, water use, recycling, etc. - can have an impact on our environment.To honor this important event, TexasIsHot is sending an e-mail message every day this week to highlight articles and information about what Texans can do to make a difference. We thought the following article was a good way to start things off. Note we did not highlight all 40 tips but you can link to the full article here.

40 tips for Earth Day's 40th birthday
Roanoke Times
Dan Waidelich

To honor those 40 years, here are 40 tips to get you started on "saving our planet":

3 Use desk lamps instead of overhead lights.

4 Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) instead of incandescent bulbs.

5 Buy Energy Star-certified appliances.

7 Pay attention to your computer's energy management settings.

8 Turn off computers at the end of the day or if they will not be used heavily.

9 Turn off power strips at the end of the day.

12 Wash your clothes in cold water (eighty to ninety percent of the energy used to wash clothes heats the water).

19 Use a microwave instead of a conventional oven.

20 Open blinds instead of flipping the light switch.

21 Open windows instead of using the air conditioner.

23 Donate old clothes, electronics and furniture (check for rebates or other incentives for donating old appliances when replacing with an energy star model).

24 Check and fix water or air leaks in your home.

25 Replace toilets installed before 1992 with a water-efficient, 1.6-gallon-per-flush model (saves water and energy).

26 Research the appropriate plants and proper landscaping to have in the yard (landscaping isn't just for looks, it can be extremely functional in saving energy as well!).

30 Weatherproof and seal your windows to prevent energy loss.

31 Ask your utility company if it can provide energy from a renewable source.

39 After a busy day of saving the environment, treat yourself to a large bottle of wine. The larger the glass bottle, the less wasteful (the author should have put this first to keep your attention!).

Read this e-mail online.