Go Green at Home

Book excerpt: The central idea of this book is that saving energy and water saves the households money and simultaneously help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. It also aims to give readers better understanding of the green concept to enable informed participation in the current discourse pertaining to environment and climate change. The first chapter reviews environmental issues confronting the world in general and the U.S. in particular. Chapter 2 discusses federal energy efficiency programs that relate directly with energy saving and resource conservation efforts in households. Chapter 3 focuses on measures of saving energy at home including use of compact fluorescent lamps, taking advantage of residual heat in electric stoves, energy-efficient ways of using kitchen appliances, informed choice and use of home heating and cooling systems and others. Chapter 4 deals with conserving water inside and outside homes including use of high-efficiency toilets, low -low shower heads, etc. The economics of energy and water use efficiency, covered in Chapter 5, quantifies the savings derived from most of the measures discussed in Chapters 3 and 4. The goal is to show in dollar terms how much households could save by following green practices at home. The challenges of dealing with solid waste from households are examined in Chapter 6. Particular focus is given on "Pay-As-You-Throw" (PAYT) scheme in waste collection systems and fees as well as the three Rs in waste management - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Recognizing the impact of children on energy and water use at home, the author devotes Chapter 7 on educating and engaging children in green practices. Two framework proposals aimed at enhancing sustainability of green movement in the country are presented in Chapter 8 including establishment of green camps and providing tax incentives for going green at home. Proposal for establishing green camps is directed to private business sector or non-profit organizations and the government while the tax incentive proposal is directed solely to the government.