Instantly Greener: Unplug It!

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01/23/2013

Instantly Greener: Unplug It!

For this premier edition of "Instantly Greener", I'm choosing something that's super-easy to do and might just save you a couple hundred bucks over the course of a year: Unplug any appliances that you're not using, right now. That includes the toaster you use for 5 minutes a day and don't use for the other 23 hours and 55 minutes, and the coffee-maker you use for a half hour a day and don't use for the other 23-and-a-half hours. Don't even get me started on the cell phone charger that's plugged in indefinitely with no cell phone in sight.

Why should you unplug an appliance if it's already switched off? For the same reason that you wouldn't allow a slow trickle of water to run from your faucet for months on end (at least I hope you wouldn't): natural resources are going down the drain. This wasteful effect is called "Phantom Load" or "Vampire Energy" and according to Sally Deneen of The Daily Green, "If your home is typical, you live with 20 vampires. They add about $200 to your annual energy bill. That’s because the 'off' button doesn’t really mean 'off' these days; instead, it means 'standby.'"

Vampires might be all the rage thanks to the "Twilight" movies, but they're not so appealing when they're adding up to higher energy costs and lower natural resources. Don't let yourself get sucked in--unplug those vampires today.

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Posted at 01:48 PM in Instantly Greener | Permalink

Technorati Tags: energy vampires, lowering electricity bills, phantom load, reducing energy costs, unplugging, vampire appliances, vampire energy

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A Little Introduction...

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Green Books for Children

Igor Siwanowicz: Animals Up Close
See review under Green Books, 11/12/2012
Helen Frost: Step Gently Out
For commentary, see "Savoring the Last of Summer" post in Nature & Wildlife.
Leo Lionni: Frederick [English Edition]
For commentary, see "Savoring the Last of Summer" post in Nature & Wildlife.
Terry Allan Hicks: Why Do Leaves Change Color? (Tell Me Why, Tell Me How)
For commentary, see "Appreciating Autumn" post in Nature & Wildlife.
Betsy Maestro: Why Do Leaves Change Color? (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2)
For commentary, see "Appreciating Autumn" post in Nature & Wildlife.
Alison Inches: I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (Little Green Books)
"One little monster learns to reduce, reuse, and recycle." That's all good, of course, but my own children laugh out loud every time they read how Max the Little Monster (before his attitude adjustment) clogs up the toilet with too much toilet paper, yelling "Hungry Toilet!" Kids...they just love the potty humor. Made from 100% recycled paper.
Julia Rawlinson: Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
This book is incredibly sweet. A sensitive, little fox named Fletcher cannot understand what is happening to his beloved tree at the onset of autumn, and he tries everything in his power to keep the leaves on the tree. When he wakes up one winter morning to find his tree covered in dazzlingly beautiful snow crystals, it chokes me up every time. Although it's not about saving the earth, the book is a lovely tribute to nature and its seasons.
Diane Muldrow: We Planted a Tree
I love how this relatively new book (published in 2010) is charmingly illustrated in the same style as those Little Golden Books from the 1960's. In simple prose, the book explains what happens when you plant a tree and watch it grow, while enjoying the benefits of fruit, shade, budding flowers, and cleaner air.
Dr. Seuss: The Lorax (Classic Seuss)
This book is a classic for a reason. As I was reading it for the first time to my children, I could see the shock and sadness on their faces when the very first Truffula Tree was chopped down. Unlike the progression of The Curious Garden (see below), things just keep getting worse--all in the name of "progress." It ends with a powerful message: "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." Great for generating conversations with young children about caring for and protecting natural resources. Printed on recycled paper.
Peter Brown: The Curious Garden
First, I have to admit it: As a mom, I'm *slightly* bothered that a little boy is walking around a creepy city all by himself, and "stumbles upon a dark stairwell" which he decides to head up. However, this book is simply magical, so I'll chalk it up to "willing suspension of disbelief" and let it go. With each page, as Liam grows from a novice gardener into a Green Thumb Extraordinaire, the dreary city in which everybody stays inside becomes a green utopia that everybody enjoys. Liam helps the whole city to bloom, and changes the mindsets of its citizens, simply by taking the first steps and sticking to his mission--without any preaching whatsoever. My favorite parts are the multiple spreads with no words at all, which depict how the gray, dirty city is growing greener and cleaner with the passage of time, thanks to our hero. Printed on recycled paper.

Green Books for Adults

Beth Terry: Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too
See commentary in the post entitled The Myth of Throwing Things "Away", 1/17/13.
Elizabeth Royte: Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash
See commentary in the post entitled The Myth of Throwing Things "Away", 1/17/13.
Todd Christopher: The Green Hour: A Daily Dose of Nature for Happier, Healthier, Smarter Kids
See commentary in the post entitled "Time Out: How to Get Outdoors with Kids as the Weather Gets Colder", 11/21/12
Rebecca Cohen: Fifteen Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids
See commentary in the post entitled "Time Out: How to Get Outdoors with Kids as the Weather Gets Colder", 11/21/12
Michael Pollan: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
For commentary, see "Local Farm vs. Supermarket? No Contest" post in Green Places.
Lewis Blackwell: The Life & Love of Trees
Hands-down, this is my favorite photography book of all time. The collection of photographs, from close-ups of leaves to forest vistas, is simply breath-taking. It sits on my coffee table at home, and whenever I need a breather, it's there for me with its exquisite portraits of trees, accompanied by some poetic food for thought. I do find it odd that this, of all books, wasn't printed on recycled paper, but perhaps the publisher felt the photographic quality would be diminished? In any case, I forgive the transgression, because this book is a heart-breakingly beautiful ode to trees.
Richard Louv: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder
I feel like I grew up with Richard Louv. His childhood was so similar to mine, with a neighborhood full of children all outside, playing together, and exploring from morning until our parents called us home for dinner (and then back outside again after we ate). Louv makes some very compelling arguments for limiting technology and reintroducing your children to the powerful, healing effects of nature.
Henry D. Thoreau: Walden: A Fully Annotated Edition
Like many other Americans, I read this book in high school English class, but it means much more to me now, as an adult. Living in our "More! More! More!" society, it's always a good reminder that you can, indeed, exist quite happily with just the basics. I chose this edition for the interesting annotations, but also because the cover photograph of a small house in the woods is so tranquil, simple, and pretty--it sits on my coffee table to inspire me.
Ed Begley Jr.: Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life
Ed Begley, Jr. is a pioneer in the green movement (he's been eco-conscious since 1970), and he's one of my heroes. I can't live exactly like Ed (which I'll detail in another blog post in the future), but I love his approach: "You don't climb Mount Everest in a single day." He groups all of his suggestions into "Easy Changes" (which he calls "the low-hanging fruit"), "Not-So-Big Changes" and "Big Changes" (in which the biggest pay-offs require some up-front investments). You can pick and choose what you want to try. Have I mentioned that Ed is one of my heroes? Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.
Diane MacEachern: Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World
This book is a compendium of everything you'd ever want or need to buy--from food and clothing to toys and appliances--and how to make a greener choice in doing so. Printed on recycled paper.