The most influential way to help make our world a greener place is by voting with your wallet. When you buy items from light bulbs to appliances to cars to even your new home, you can make a big difference.
Always look at the energy consumption and remember that even a little bit makes a big difference over a long period of time - for example a 20 watt difference between light bulbs may not seem like much, but assuming you use that light 4 hours a day every day, that equals:
- Buy only what you need - do you really need a huge fridge or a 5,000watt stereo? Size your purchases to your needs
- Check out the
EnerGuide rating - they are listed on every appliance and show how they stack up against similar models in terms of efficiency - Buy light bulbs that are low wattage and install dimmer switches
- Save water with low flow shower heads and toilets that use the least amount of water per flush
- Do your research - go online and see what people say about the products you're interested in. Ask the sales person lots of questions