Eco-Profiles: Because Saying You've Gone Green Isn't Enough

Mitch (Michelle) Hedlund Mound, MN, United States

Recycles - Do you recycle all of your standard recyclables such as paper, plastic, glass, cardboard, tin and aluminum ... and do you recycle additional materials such as compact fluorescent lighting, electronics and batteries (to authorized CFL, electronics and battery recyclers)?

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF RECYCLING: According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (April 2008) less than 35% of households and even fewer businesses recycle (glass, aluminum, plastic, paper, electronics, batteries, fluorescent bulbs). When the number of people recycling reaches 75%, it will be the equivalent of removing 33 million cars from the road in the United States. Recycling is within everyone's capabilities and it can be one of the most important actions we can do for the environment and our future. Ask businesses that you support if they recycle and if they don't encourage them to. When you are out and about and you have something to recycle, bring it home if you can't find a recycling bin.

FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF RECYCLING: Most cities and communities offer recycling programs and some even offer a discount in your garbage hauling bill if you choose to recycle. Also, check on organic recycling through your city. When you separate your food and food related paper waste for organic recycling you can often get greater discounts from your garbage hauling. If your city or town does not offer recycling, contact your local goverment officials to find out when they will contract such services and in the meantime, where you should bring your recyclable materials.

Click on the video below to learn more about the importance of recycling!

We recycle everything that can be recycled in our community (including all of our batteries, CFLs, electronics, ink catridges). We also compost all of our food and food-related paper waste through Vintage. Our main recyclables are hauled away by Allied/Republic Services. We send our used clothes and household goods to ARC Veterans Services.

Lighting - Do you use compact fluorescent light bulbs, LEDs or Energy Star rated lights in at least 75% of your light fixtures?

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF ENERGY STAR PREFERRED LIGHTING: If each household changed one incandescent or halogen lightbulb to a CFL it would be the equivalent of removing 1 million cars off the road in the U.S. each year. If an incandescent were replaced with an LED, it would be the equivalent of removing 9 million cars off the road a year in the U.S.

FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF ENERGY STAR PREFERRED LIGHTING: ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. Save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb’s lifetime. They produce about 75 percent less heat, so they’re safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with cooling. High effiency light bulbs are available in different sizes and shapes to fit in almost any fixture, for indoors and outdoors. Currently many states and energy companies are offering rebates and refunds to homes for changing their lighting. These rebates and refunds will not be available forever so make sure you take advantage of the opportunities that currently exist.

PROPERLY DISPOSING OF FLUORESCENTS: Please click on the ENERGY STAR logo in the RESOURCES button or contact Service Lighting or any reputable lighting company to learn about proper disposal and recycling of fluorescents. Consider starting with ENERGY STAR's informative website to learn more about this subject and to learn about the risks associated with mercury.

Yes we use CFLs in 90% of our light fixtures and solar powered lights in our landscaping lights.

Favorite Green Products - Do you purchase organic, natural, sustainable & renewable products (saying yes means that at least 20% of your consumables fall under these categories)?

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF ORGANIC, SUSTAINABLE, RENEWABLE, NATURAL: By increasing useage and demand of sustainable, natural and/or organic products we reduce dependence on non-renewable resources which tend to be harmful in their production and cause numerous harmful by-products. Organic and natural products have been shown in a number of studies to contain more vitamins, nutrients and cancer-fighting antioxidants than processed or synthetically enhanced ingredients. These products are good for the environment and good for our health. If manufacturers, private enterprise and government are not making long-term environmental sustainability a priority, there will be no bailout package that can help an environmental recession or environmental depression that could result. In some situations in life, proaction is the only viable option.

FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF ORGANIC, SUSTAINABLE, RENEWABLE, NATURAL: There are increasing demands for healthier products and that demand is making the prices for such products more competitive. The market for 'greening' products is increasing faster than any other category in the marketplace. The future of our economy resides with a balance between "good for the environment and good for the pocket-book", now more than ever. With the advancement of this emerging 'green' industry comes new jobs and a reduced reliance for off-shore suppliers ... while never losing sight of the global economy. It is the quintessencial sustainable economic stimulus package of our time, if we capture it. Hopefully consumers, private enterprise and government will begin to invest in long-term sustainability versus short-term profitability. We have all just learned the painful lesson that short-term profitability goals are self-defeating and far too expensive in the long run.

Yes, we purchase as much organic produce, cereals, chips and meats and cheese as possible as well as green cleaning products (Terracycle, Method and Kirkland green cleaning products from Costco) We buy organic sheets and Aveda hair products. But we're always looking for new quality eco-products to increase the amount of eco-products in our lives!

Buys Recycled - Do you purchase and/or use post-consumer recycled waste products, whenever possible?

Click on the video below to learn more about the importance of buying

post consumer recycled paper!

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF POST CONSUMER RECYCLED PAPER: On average it requires 60% less energy to produce paper from recycled stock than from virgin materials. Producing a ton of virgin paper requires 20 trees and 7,000 more gallons of water than a ton of 100% recycled paper.

FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF POST CONSUMER RECYCLED PAPER: Work toward a reduction in paper use in your home to offset the sometimes higher costs of post consumer recycled paper and in regard to home office equipment, to also reduce the expense of toners, ink, equipment, repairs, and disposal. When possible, double-side the paper used in your printers, copy and fax machines and look for equipment that provides that feature automatically. Find recycled household waste papers and if you having a difficult time sourcing recycled household waste paper products, send a message requesting that product to your favorite household paper products company asking them to start offering it. And use cloth rags for cleaning when appropriate versus paper products.

We intend to do a lot more as new products become available or as we become aware of recycled products. Currently we use 100% post-consumer recycled paper. We use our plastic containers from food purchases (such as our hummus packaging) for our plastic food storage containers. We go to Cartridge World to have all of our ink cartridges refilled for our printers and copiers.

Temperature - Do you use a programmable thermostat & adjust the thermostat 2 degrees each season - 68Ëš maximum in the winter & 80Ëš minimum in the summer?

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATS: Less need for heating and air conditioning during non-occupancy or sleep times can have a dramatic measurable impact on the environment. And this simple change doesn't require additional effort after installing the thermostat. Set properly each season, ENERGY STAR rated programmable thermostats are effortless environment savers.

FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATS: Managing your heating and air conditioning with programmable Energy Star rated thermostats and setting your temperatures for greatest energy efficiency during peak and non-peak hours can save your home 15% or more in overall energy costs. Installing and properly maintaining high efficiency Energy Star rated furnaces, air conditioners and appliances can save your home hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year.

Yes, in the winter we keep our thermostat at 68 and if we have the air conditioning on in the summer, we set it at 80. Additionally in the winter we set our programmable thermostat down to 64 at night and when we're not in the house. Most often we don't use the air conditioner in the summer thanks to some large trees and good cross breezes. We planted large trees on the west facing side of the house about 5 years ago which is creating better shade in the afternoon.

Transportation - Do you use public transit, carpool, drive a hybrid and/or use non-motorized transportation.?

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF NON-MOTORIZED OR LOW CO2 TRANSPORTATION: The Department of Health, Education and Welfare has estimated that automobiles account for approximately 48% of the carbon monoxide, 32% of the nitrogen oxides, and 59% of the hydrocarbons in the atmosphere. None of which are good for our environment or our health. A bus with as few as seven passengers is more fuel efficient than the average automobile used for commuting. The fuel efficiency of a fully-occupied bus is six times greater than that of the average commuter's automobile, while the fuel efficiency of a fully-occupied rail car is fifteen times greater than that of the average commuter's automobile. A single person who commutes via a transit system instead of driving alone will save 200 gallons of gasoline per year. A 10% nationwide increase in transit ridership would save 135 million gallons of gasoline per year. This fuel efficiency results in personal savings and in a cleaner environment for all.

A car occupied by one person produces on average 2.06 grams/passenger-mile (g/pm) of nitrogen oxides for work trips. A fully occupied transit bus on the other hand, produces approximately 1.54 g/pm, while a fully occupied rail transit system produces only .47 g/pm for the same distance. Similarly, the car occupied by one person produces 15.06 g/pm of carbon monoxide and 2.09 g/pm of hydrocarbons. The bus produces 3.05 g/pm and .2 g/pm of the same pollutants, respectively. From an environmental point of view, trains and electric powered mass-transit is the best form of motorized transportation while of course, walking and biking are the ultimate forms of transportation for our health and our environment.
Choosing fuel efficient cars ... If each car in the U.S. had improved mileage by 2.7 mpg, we would eliminate our dependency entirely from Persian Gulf oil.

FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF NON-MOTORIZED OR LOW CO2 TRANSPORTATION: Biking or walking versus driving promotes a healthier lifestyle which results in less time off work, fewer medical expenses and it helps keep expenses related to wear and tear on the car and the cost of fuel down. Most cities and towns are becoming increasingly bike-friendly. Public transportation and car pooling can also significantly reduce your transportation costs.

I have a VW that gets approximately 30 mpg and my husband has changed his work vehicle going from 17 mpg to 24 mpg. When he doesn't need a larger car for his work anymore he intends to get a hybrid.

Reusable Bags - Do you use reusable bags when shopping to avoid unnecessary plastic bag and paper bag production and waste?

90% of the time we use our reusable cloth bags or bring our own boxes when we shop. On rare occasion we don't have the bag with us and we then take paper. I have a key chain for the car with a bag packed into a tiny keychain which makes it nearly impossible to not have a reusable bag.

Hibernate Computers - Do you set your computer monitor(s) to hibernate after 5 minutes and your hard drives to shut down after 30 minutes without use. (National authority on this recommendation: U.S. Energy Star)

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF HIBERNATING/SHUTTING DOWN YOUR COMPUTER: Although this is a business example you can see the difference it makes when volumes of people or households choose to hibernate or shut down their computer: Five hundred computers set to hibernate after 5 min and shut down completely during non-working hours will prevent 72.5 tonnes of CO2 from emitting. (It takes 51,000 adult trees to offset 72.5 tonnes of CO2 ).

FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF HIBERNATING/SHUTTING DOWN YOUR COMPUTER: The scenario stated above would save $24,000 electricity/yr ($.10/kwh) for the business.

Yes, we hibernate our computers at home but I need to be better at shutting it down at night. That it my pledge starting today!

Green Energy - Do you use alternate energy sources in the home such as, solar electricity, wind power and/or a geo-thermal temperature moderation system?

Solar would be nice but we had our home evaluated and we're not a candidate.

Unwanted Mail - Do you remove your name from junk mail lists, cancel all unnecessary catalogs, eliminate the delivery of unused phone books and continue to ensure your name stays off the junk mail lists?

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF REDUCING OR ELIMINATING INCOMING UNWANTED MAIL: More than 100 million trees worth of bulk mail is received each year. That’s the equivalent of deforesting the entire Rocky Mountain National Park every four months. (And most is never opened)

FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF REDUCING OR ELIMINATING INCOMING UNWANTED MAIL: There aren't direct financial benefits, however you will not have so much to recycle. And in the long run, every decision we make has a direct or indirect cost associated. With the trillions of unwanted mail peices that go out to households and businesses, there is a unnecessary waste of natural resources, chemical release, and CO2 emissions into our environment. The next generation lives online ... it is a good evolution to have companies focus on creative and beneficial online promotions versus 'in mail' promotions. ALSO, make certain all of your desired and necessary mail comes to you electronically, such as your bills and don't forget to pay online!

Yes, we have removed our name from almost all of our unwanted mail. So coupon books continue to come even though we've contacted them to cancel. Plum Coupons is the worst ... we can't seem to get rid of them! We have removed our name from unwanted catalogs and flyers which cut down the amount of paper that comes in our mailbox dramatically. Also we have almost all of our bills come in electronically.

Conserves Water - Have you installed aerator faucets & maintain our plumbing fixtures to prevent leaks, drips & running water in toilets throughout the home?

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF MAINTAINING PLUMBING AND CHOOSING EFFICIENT FIXTURES: One dripping faucet can waste 2,000 gallons a year. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that at least 36 of the 50 states will experience local, regional or statewide water shortage by 2013. The average American spends 100 to 176 gallons of water every day. In many countries people survive on less than 5 gallons per day.

FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF MAINTAINING PLUMBING AND CHOOSING EFFICIENT FIXTURES: Maintaining plumbing to prevent drips, leaks and running toilets can help a household save the expense of wasted water, increasingly problematic plumbing and related issues such as; damaged sheet rock, structural decay, tile, mold, health issues. Consider installing low flow/high pressure fixtures to conserve the water and your dollars even more. The rate of return is generally quick and worth the investment Don't forget to recycle old plumbing fixtures and hardware. TIPS: Turn off water while you brush your teeth, while you lather or shampoo and at all times when you are not using it. Pay attention to wasted water when cooking and cleaning. You'll be amazed at how many ways you can prevent wasting this precious resource.

We maintain all of our plumbing ... no drips, leaks or running toilets. As needed each plumbing fixture has been replaced with a high water efficiency fixture. We don't allow the water to run when we wash dishes or brush our teeth unless we are using the water at that moment. We take 3 minute showers and shut off the water when shaving and lathering.

Bottled Water - Do you prevent PET plastic bottles from entering landfills?

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF RECYCLING PLASTIC BOTTLES: Five plastic bottles (PET) recycled provides enough fiber to create one square feet of carpet or enough fiber fill to fill one ski jacket. Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. Recycling one ton of plastic bottles saves the equivalent energy usage of a two person household for one year.

We stopped buying bottled water 5 years ago. We use reusable water bottles. With all of our plastic bottled products we recycle the bottles.

Promotes Progress - Whenever possible, do you choose to support businesses and organizations that are transparent in their environmental actions and have published an eco-profile ... and have you sent requests to companies and organizations asking them to publish their eco-profile?

I intend to do much more of this now. We will reach out to more businesses and organizations that we frequent asking them to create an Eco-Profile to show us what they are doing environmentally.

Energy Audit - Have you had an energy audit within the past 24 months to help ensure maximum efficiency in energy usage throughout our home?

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS: Your local energy company can provide ways to conduct a self-audit on your home and look for easy opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions include replacing seals around doors and windows, cleaning the furnace and air conditioning filters. Greater CO2 savings can be maximized with increased insulation, replacing faulty windows and doors, replacing older appliances and heating/air conditioning equipment with ENERGY STAR rated equipment.

ENERGY AUDIT - THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS: Audits often detect many energy saving opportunities that haven’t been realized by the business and can often find energy savings in excess of 15-20% for each company.

We did an Xcel Energy self audit a couple years ago. Time to do it again.

Giving - Do you donate and/or volunteer for social and/or environmental betterment organizations?

ECO & SOCIAL BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING & DONATING: It's a good thing to put on the rose-colored glasses as your guide every once and a while to see what you want the world to be. Each person, regardless of their size, age, gender, color, ethnicity, education, financial status, professional status or geographic area, has the ability to change the world ... one smile, one word, one hug, one act of kindness, or one act of heroism at a time.

Each moment we interact with people and the world around us we have an opportunity to create a positive, simple, selfless experience that can have exponential effects, often leaving others elevated and conduits to "pass it on". Simple acts of respect, courtesty, compassion, integrity practiced daily with your family, your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers and strangers, can go a long way and have the ability to change the world in bite-size pieces. These simple acts are often under-valued and forgotten about. In other words, you don't always have to take out the checkbook or donate your time in order to make a difference. If each of us made a conscious effort to apply the golden rule without condition, and to break hurtful and harmful habits we might have been taught, improvement will come quickly. And the beauty is ... when you begin to consistently apply the golden rule with others (even strangers) those actions have just as much positive impact on you, your day and your life as it does on the benefactor. With the golden rule, don't pick an audience ... apply it to everyone, even those that you have preconceived notions about. Live it, display it and teach it to your children.

For those who can afford the time and/or money to go above and beyond that daily code of conduct, there are many options for giving. Pick your passion ... focus on the category of life you'd like to improve and go for it, using whatever means you can afford. Use the Charity guides to learn how about all of your choices and determine which organization is best to help you achieve your "giving goals".

HOW YOU BENEFIT FROM VOLUNTEERING & DONATING: The golden rule is the most valuable assset all of us can employ in our lives ... It's free and often it is reciprocated beyond your wildest imagination. Also a great combatant to depression or loneliness is reaching out and volunteering time or services to help others less fortunate than you.

We give to Goodwill, Red Cross and to the Environmental Advancement Foundation

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Packaging - Do you choose products and packaging wisely to prevent waste and harm to the environment?
Yes stamp

We are working on this more as time passes. We buy concentrated liquid cleaning products and we purchase in bulk at Costco. We try to purchase products packaged in materials that can be recycled. Fruits and vegetables are the most challenging because our recycling hauler won't accept clamshell plastic packaging.

Reducing Waste - Do you choose products that reduce waste?
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Green Goals - Do you have a strategy in place to significantly reduce your carbon footprint (in addition to what you are currently doing) in the next 2-5 years?
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Packaging - Do you reduce or reuse packaging when possible and make efforts to minimize unnecessary packaging?
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Alternative Energy - Do you incorporate use of ultimate efficiency or renewable &/or sustainable energy resources within the home and in the garden?
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Green Squeeze - Whenever possible, do you choose to support companies and organizations that are working on improving their impact on the environment?
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EcoTree ( 2 )
1. Recycling
2. Lighting
3. Fav Green Products
4. Buys Recycled
5. Temperature
6. Transportation
7. Reusable Bags
8. Computer
9. Green Energy
10. Unwanted Mail
11. Conserves Water
12. Bottled Water
13. Promotes Progress
14. Energy Audit
15. Giving
Extras
Certifications

Mitch (Michelle) Hedlund Mound, MN, United States

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