5 more Green Ideas

If you've already starting making household changes from the previous "How Green Are You" post, then you'll find these tips for saving CO2 just as easy!

Action: Modify the temperature on your thermostat

Why it's worth it: There's no reason to keep the house perfectly heated or cooled when you're not home. Modifying the temp just 4 degrees with a programmable thermostat will save energy - and about $130 a year.

Year one effect: 1,300 pounds of CO2 saved.

The effect if everyone in the US did it for one year: equal to 12, 353, 510 non-hybrid cars taken off the road for a year.

Action: Follow the speed limit

Why it's worth it: it may be tempting to drive 75 mph, but sticking to the 65 mph speed limit improves fuel economy by almost 15%. That reduces your car's emissions and helps you save about $200 at the pump.

Year one effect: 1,500 pounds of CO2 saved.

The effect if everyone in the US did it for one year: equal to 28,121,158 non-hybrid cars taken off the road.

Action: Use power strips

Why it's worth it: Is your TV turned off? Think again. A percentage of your home's electricity goes to devices that are not in use but are plugged in (ie, coffee pot, computer, lamps, etc). Kill the current and lower your bill by plugging them into a power strip and flipping the switch.

Year one effect: 1,608 pounds of CO2 saved.

The effect if everyone in the US did it for one year: equal to 15,280,342 non-hybrid cars taken off the road for a year.

Action: Drive a hybrid electric car

Why it's worth it: The most fuel-efficient midsize hybrid gets a combined mileage of 46 mpg; a typical midsize car gets 25 mpg. By not using as much gas, you're saving 4 1/2 barrels of oil a year plus about $560.

Year one effect: 3,660 pounds of CO2 saved.

The effect if everyone in the US did it for one year: equal to 68,615,626 non-hybrid cars taken off the road for a year.

Action: Buy green power

Why it's worth it: more than 50% of retail customers in the US have an option of buying a green-power product from their utility company. Find out if you have this option at epa.gov/greenpower.

Year one effect: 20,508 pounds of CO2 saved.

The effect if everyone in the US did it for one year: equal to 194,881,372 non-hybrid cars taken off the road for a year.

How Green Are You?

Check out Real Simple's carbon facts to see exactly how your (small) actions can make a (big) difference. Five things you can do right now -

Action: Recycle aluminum cans and steel cans

Why it's worth it: Recycling cans directs valuable metal into new products, saving 95% of the energy required to manufacture aluminum from scratch and 74% to make steel.

Year one effect: 414 pounds of CO2 saved.

The effect if everyone in the US did it for one year: equal to 3,934,118 non-hybrid cars taken off the road for a year.

Action: Recycle newspapers and magazines

Why it's worth it: Americans throw away more paper than any other kind of trash. Recycling the pounds of magazines and newspapers not only saves trees but also reduces contributions to air pollution by 95%.

Year one effect: 581 pounds of CO2 saved.

The effect if everyone in the US did it for one year: equal to 5,511,566 non-hybrid cars taken off the road for a year.

Action: Wash laundry on a cooler setting

Why it's worth it: About 90% of the energy used to wash clothes goes to heating the water. Assuming you already wash half your laundry in cold, moving the other half from hot to warm can save a substantial amount of energy.

Year one effect: 349 pounds of CO2 saved.

The effect if everyone in the US did it for one year: equal to 3,316,442 non-hybrid cards taken off the road for a year.

Action: Switch 5 light bulbs to Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs

Why it's worth it: A 25-watt CFL provides the same amount of light as a 75-watt incandescent. CFLs use a third the energy and last 10 times longer. Switching could save about $400 over the CFLs lifetime.

Year one effect: 500 pounds of CO2 saved.

The effect if everyone in the US did it for one year: equal to 4,751,350 non-hybrid cars taken off the road for a year.

Action: Compost a fifth of your garbage

Why it's worth it: Putting less trash on the curb reduces the amount of fuel required to haul it away. Plus, composting food scraps like apple cores keeps them out of landfills where they break down to release a potent greenhouse gas.

Year one effect: 832 pounds of CO2 saved.

The effect if everyone in the US did it for one year: equal to 7,906,246 non-hybrid cars taken off the road for a year.

Next up: 5 more ways to save some CO2

It's Official

Today is the official launch date of my blog, PlumBliss and this coincides with the launch of my business endeavor, PlumBliss interiors. I’m excited to start this journey, I’m looking forward to sharing it with you, and I’m not all that surprised this is the path I’ve chosen.

A little history. Some of my earliest memories are of blueprints, drafting templates, wallpaper books and paint samples. My mom was an interior designer and designed and decorated custom homes for over 20 years. My dad could draw and build anything. Together, they made real estate investments, designed and built homes as well as commercial buildings, and unknowingly taught me a lot along the way. As a child, I loved going to work with my mom and spreading out those heavy wallpaper books, fabric swatches , and Formica chips (it was the 70’s) and pretending that I was a fabulous designer creating an even more fabulous home!

For the past 15 years I’ve dedicated my efforts to a marketing and technology career which I loved. And in my “spare” time I designed, styled, recommended, staged, painted, shopped, referred, organized, planned (you get the idea) for myself, my family and my friends. Now it’s time to dedicate my efforts to my first love.

Visit me often. I plan to post a few times a week – specifically, on Design, Staging and Organizing. And keep your eye out for PlumPerks – I’ll be giving away fabulous finds each month to my blog followers! And if you’re so inclined, please share my blog and my website with your friends!