Green Apple Tips

Unplug chargers and appliances when not in use. In the average home, 40% of electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off but still plugged in.

Walk or take public transportation. You can eliminate 1,600 pounds of greenhouse gases a year just by leaving the car at home twice a week.

Recycle your glass, metal, paper and plastic. The average New York City resident discards nearly four and a half pounds of waste each day - that's more than three-quarters of a ton per year. You can help reduce this waste by following the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Bring your own cloth bag to the grocery store. Petroleum is used to produce the millions of plastic bags consumed in the City each year. Each cloth bag you use has a potential to eliminate an average of 1,000 plastic bags in its lifetime. Making the simple switch to cloth bags will reduce our nation's oil consumption and lead to a cleaner environment.

Switch to paperless bank statements and online bill paying. Log on to your bank's website and enroll in their paperless banking program. If every home in the US viewed and paid bills electronically, the country would save 18.5 million trees and avoid 2.2 billion tons of toxic air pollutants.

In the living room...switch off all unnecessary lights. Dress warm: don't turn up the furnace. Raise shades on winter days and lower them in summer. Reverse your fans for summer and winter operations as recommended.

In the kitchen...set the refrigerator temperature between 38 F and 42 F and set the freezer temperature between 0F and 5 F.

In the dining room...use cloth napkins as well as washable plates, cups and silverware. Serve condiments from recyclable containers and provide personal glasses for drinks.

In the laundry...wash and dry only full loads. Wash with warm water instead of hot and rinse with cold water instead of warm. Also on nice days, hang wash out to dry.

In the bathroom...shut off the water while brushing your teeth. Install a low-flow shower head and reduce the volume of water in your toilet tank.

At school . . . copy bulletins and exams on both sides of the paper. Make notes and drafts on scrap paper and when possible, reuse textbooks and school supplies.

Pack a Waste-free Lunch ...one kid's average school lunch generates 67 pounds of waste over a year. When you pack your lunch, put sandwiches, small fruit, snacks, and other food in reusable containers put juice or water in a reusable bottle; and put metal utensils, a cloth napkin, and your food and drink in a long-lasting reusable lunch bag or box.

Use ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They use less than 25 percent of the electricity standard bulbs use and last 10 times longer. If every home in New York City replaced 75 percent of their regular light bulbs with CFLs, we would save enough energy to run all the subways and light all the train stations.

Consider energy efficiency when buying new appliances and electronics. While energy-efficient products may be more expensive to buy, over their life, they can save you about 30 percent on your energy bill.

39% of NYC's waste is organic material, like food scraps and yard waste. This can be composted instead of buried in a landfill. Compost is a nutrient-rich, soil-like material made from broken-down (i.e. recycled) organic material and is a cost-effective, better-quality alternative to chemical fertilizer.

Greenmarket brings money to neighborhood businesses. In peak season, the Union Square Greenmarket draws 60,000 shoppers a day; in a recent survey, 82% cited Greenmarket as the primary reason for their visit, and 60% spent up to $50 in area businesses.

Transporting food long distances uses tremendous energy: it takes 435 fossil-fuel calories to fly a 5 calorie strawberry from California to New York. Fossil fuels contribute to global warming, acid rain and smog. Local foods travel short distances and use dramatically less energy.

Air conditioners are one of the largest consumers of electricity. Be sure to shut off your air conditioner when you're not home and manually set the thermostats and timers found on newer models. Also, using shades to help cool your home substantially reduces the amount of time your air conditioner needs to run.

HELPFUL WEBSITES:
WWW.CENYC.ORG
WWW.CONED.COM
WWW.BBG.ORG
WWW.NYC.GOV/PLANYC2030
WWW.ENVIROSTUDIES.ORG
WWW.UNIONSQUARECAFE.COM
WWW.NYC.GOV/SANITATION
WWW.METS.COM
WWW.SIMS-GROUP.COM
WWW.NYCGOVPARKS.ORG