• Reduce your Impact At Home
• Reduce your Impact On the Move
• Offset the Emissions you can't reduce
• Visit our Resources page
   

• Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl) 
  CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we'd reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds! You can purchase CFLs online from the Energy Federation.
   
• Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer 
  Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has more tips for saving energy on heating and cooling.
   
• Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner  
  Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
   
• Install a programmable thermostat 
  Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.
   
• Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases  
  Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models. If each household in the U.S. replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we’d eliminate 175 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year!
   
• Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket  
  You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
• Use less hot water  
  It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.
   
• Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible 
  You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year. 
  
  Turn off electronic devices you're not using 
  Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you're not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
   
• Unplug electronics from the wall when you're not using them  
  Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!
   
• Only run your dishwasher when there's a full load and use the energy-saving setting 
  You can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
   
• Insulate and weatherize your home  
  Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. The Consumer Federation of America has more information on how to better insulate your home.
   
• Be sure you're recycling at home  
  You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area. 
   
  Buy recycled paper products  
  It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.
   
• Get a home energy audit  
  Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist.
   
• Switch to green power 
  You can purchase renewable energy from your local energy provider. Find out what renewable energy programs your local energy provider offers by clicking here.  Or install renewable energy products, like wind generation and solar water heating, in your own home.
   
• Buy locally grown and produced foods  
  The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.
   
• Buy fresh foods instead of frozen  
  Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.
   
• Seek out and support local farmers markets  
  They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. You can find a farmer's market in your area at the USDA website.
   
• Buy organic foods as much as possible 
  Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we'd remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!
   
• Avoid heavily packaged products  
  You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.
   

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