The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) estimates that lighting accounts for 20% - 25% of annual electricity consumption in the United States. Lighting for offices, stores, industries and warehouses accounts for 80% - 90% of the total electricity consumption. If energy-efficient lighting were used everywhere it was possible, then the electricity needed for lighting would be reduced as much as 50%, translating into a 10% reduction in aggregate national electricity demand.

ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent bulbs use 75% less energy than standard lighting, produce 75% less heat and last up to 10 times longer. Using compact fluorescent bulbs also means that 1,000 pounds less carbon dioxide is emitted to the atmosphere.

Task lighting reduces energy costs by directing more energy only in the areas where it is most needed.

When you take two flights of stairs every day, you are saving approximately 72 kilowatts of energy, according to the Nature Conservancy. This energy savings is coupled with the health benefits of skipping the elevator. A Swiss study found that people who take the stairs instead of the elevator at work can expect to live longer. Taking the stairs will improve your fitness, reduce your blood pressure, fat mass and cholesterol. Step it up now!

About 90 percent of the energy used by washing machines is actually used to heat the water. According to the US Department of Energy, washing clothes on the cold or warm settings is usually sufficient, and simply using the warm instead hot can cut energy use for that load in half.

According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a single fume hood running 24 hours a day uses as much energy as an entire house. Closing your fume hood will reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions.

According to a study done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 96 billion pounds of food goes to waste every year in the United States. Not only does this represent unnecessary environmental costs especially gasoline for food transportation, but it also means spending an estimated $1 billion per year to dispose of the excess food.

According to the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture, the food that we eat travels an average of 1,500 miles before it lands on our plates. Buying locally grown foods decreases the distance travelled, otherwise known as "food miles" and hence, decreases our use of fossil fuels (the primary contributors of global warming). Buying locally grown produce supports the local farmers and the economy and often provides fresher, tastier food.

According to the Clean Air Council, Americans toss out enough paper, plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times!  While real dishes require washing, much more energy is associated with the harvesting of raw products, manufacturing, transportation and disposal of paper/plastic plates and cutlery.  Plus it is much more elegant to eat off of the real thing.

Buying local is good for farms and farmers, good for cities, and good for the environment. For more information about farmer's markets and restaurants with sustainable choices click here.

According to the EPA, turning off the water when you brush your teeth can save 10 gallons of water each morning!

Standard-size top-loading machines on regular cycle, high water level use from 40 to 57 gallons of water per use.  Front-loading machines on regular cycle, high water level use 25 to 30 gallons of water.

A leaky faucet wastes about 2,700 gallons a year at a drip per second  It’s estimated that 8% of all home water use in the U.S. is wasted through leaks. The EcoQuiz Deck knowledge Cards, Sierra Club.  

The Pacific Institute finds that it took approximately 17 million barrels of oil equivalent to produce plastic for bottled water consumed by Americans in 2006—enough energy to fuel more than 1 million American cars and light trucks for a year."  Read more:
http://energy-conservation.suite101.com/article.cfm/increased_use_of_bottled_water_a_waste_of_energy#ixzz0Nyx1p2V4 

Vehicles are least efficient when the engine is cold.  In fact some estimates suggest up to 50% less efficient.  So short trips require more fuel/mile traveled and release more air pollutants.  

For every gallon of gasoline that is burned, 20 lbs of CO2 is released into the atmosphere.  Reducing your time in the car reduces greenhouse gases and gives you more time for other activities.

According to the Clean Air Council, the average American uses 650 pounds of paper per year. Each year, Americans throw away enough office paper to build a 12-foot wall from New York City to Los Angeles.

According to the Clean Air Council, U.S. businesses use about 21 million tons of paper every year. That's 175 pounds of paper per American. Help to save trees by not printing emails. At the same time, you are also helping to save energy when you send one less job to the printer.  Go even further by adding "Please consider the environment before printing this email" to your email signature to influence the recipients of your emails to reduce paper consumption.

In an article published by the National Geographic, the worldwide population consumes 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags each year and most of them end up in landfills. Worse, it takes months to hundreds of years for these plastic bags to breakdown. Start using a reusable bag now!

In an article published by the National Geographic, the worldwide population consumes 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags each year and most of them end up in landfills. Worse, it takes months to hundreds of years for these plastic bags to breakdown. Start using a reusable bag now!

Video: The Dangers of Plastic Bags

The average American office worker uses an average of 500 disposable cups a year! Bring your own coffee mug or water bottle and help to reduce our waste production. Also, Americans throw away 2.5 million of plastic bottles every hour - that's 21.9 billion plastic bottles every year (Clean Air Council).

According to New American Dream, more than 100 million trees worth of bulk mail arrive in American mail boxes every year - that's the equivalent of deforesting the entire Rocky Mountain National Park every four months! Americans receive almost 4 million tons of junk mail every year. Most of it ends up in landfills. The production and disposal of direct mail consumes more energy than 3 million cars. The Direct Marketing Association and Catalog Choice offer ways to remove yourself from junk mail lists.