Pays to Live Green's Articles
I am the lead writer and creator of Pays to Live Green. This blog started to spread the word that there are ways to go green and save money. Though I am not an environmentalist by day, I follow green practices in my daily routine. I enjoy reading and researching about the environment and green topics to help live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Ways to Reduce Shower Time
While I was recently in the shower, I was thinking of why it takes some people so long to take showers. Upon realizing that I was wasting time in the shower while doing so, I quickly finished my shower.
There are so many different ways while we are in the shower that contribute to it be longer than it should be. Here are some great ways to make those showers shorter and help reduce your monthly water and energy bills.
Don’t Zone Out
It sounds bad to suggest not to think, but thinking too much in the shower can cost you time. It’s so easy to lose track of time and just think about the things that transpired during the day or random thoughts. I tend to do this too often and I mentioned above. It’s one of those things that I avoid at all costs to keep my shower times short. Try you best to focus on the task and finish your showers without letting the calm noise of the water let you thoughts take over.
Cold Showers
Taking a cold shower can dramatically help speed the process. Think of every time the shower gets cold and how fast you move to get out of the shower. If the entire shower were cold, it would be difficult to even do anything but hurry along and get out. Beyond that, taking colder showers helps reduce energy bills and can even have positive health benefits.
Avoid Warming Up
So many people stand around in the shower just to warm themselves up, especially during the winter. A good suggestion to avoid this problem is to wear more clothing around the house during those cold months. Even if you do take a short shower that is hot, you will be warm by the end of it.
Only Shower
Showering is not the main priority when some people shower. I have heard of people brushing their teeth, shaving, sing and so many other activities. All of these only contribute to a longer shower and can easily be done outside of the shower without the need for water to be continually running.
We are all guilty of many of these things that keep us in the shower longer than we need to. Be conscious of each of them and hopefully you can reduce your shower time while saving a little cash in the meantime.
Hand Dryer or Paper Towels
Whenever visiting a public, I’m always left feeling unsure of which hand drying method is more green: a hand dryer or paper towels. Neither method is particularly environmentally friendly but a debate many of you have probably thought of at one point.
Hand dryers are usually consider to be the more environmentally friendly of the two. A single machine can last for up to ten years, but you still have to consider the other factors involved. The device itself is made from a variety of metals, all of which have an environmental impact. The biggest factor would have to be the energy use. Many traditional hand dryers use over 2000 watts of energy when in use, sometimes for as much as 30 seconds. With moderate use, that can add up to approximately 7,000 kWh of electricity over its ten year life span.
Just as with the paper towels in your home, those used in public restrooms are just as wasteful. They cannot be reused or recycled and are often less cost effective that a hand dryer. Even if the paper towels are made from recycled materials, they still require lots of energy to make and have shipped to the location. All those paper towels also have to go somewhere, adding to the already massive problem of landfill waste. One benefit over the hand dryer is that they require no energy to use.
Carbon Emissions
One factor for both methods that needs to be considered is how much carbon emissions are created for the entire lifecycle of the product.
As you can see from the above chart, using a standard dryer as compared with non-recycled paper towels emit about the same amount of carbon. Recycled paper towels do have much less emissions, but still amounts to a considerable amount of carbon emissions.
The Best Option?
Neither option seems great, but I would have to give the edge to hand dryers. As you can see from the left side of the chart, a high efficient hand dryer like the Excel XLERATOR uses a fraction of the energy that traditional hand dryers use. This is because they are over 80% more energy efficient as well as much more effective at drying.
The only problem is that many restrooms are not fitted with these advanced hand dryers. The next best option is to have a person hand towel that you take in the bathroom with you. This allows you to avoid both methods, while still being able to dry off your hands.
Green Widgets
If you hadn’t already noticed, I’ve added a new Green Widgets section onto my blog. These new widgets contain similar functionality to a few of the green calculators I currently have on my site, but are available for use on your site. Each widget is fully customizable with a variety of colors and sizes to make them match any site. They also can easily be added to any site by simply copying and pasting the html code below each widget.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, find any bugs with the widgets or have trouble putting them on your site. I am also open to making new widgets or adding new colors to custom fit your site.
ClearLite Safer CFL Lightbulbs
One of the biggest complaints about CFL lightbulbs is the major risk of being exposed to mercury if one breaks. Clearlite has come up with a solution that could help ease all our worries about CFLs called ArmorLite. This new compact flourescent bulb is designed with safety coating to prevent the leakage of toxins if a bulb were to break.
About Clearlite
Back in 2005, both Tom Irvine and Lisa Niedermeyer wanted to find a solution for those wanted to go eco-friendly with lightbulbs without the risks associated with CFLs. That’s when they formed the company and came up with a safer CFL that are liquid mercury free. They also created their ArmorLite coating that keeps your family safe from dangerous glass or toxins with the bulbs. The coating is made of a silicon composite that keeps all the internals enclosed within the bulb. Just as with normal CFLs, they last much longer than traditional incandescent bulbs and are fully recyclable.
Lets find out a little about ArmorLite directly from Clearlite:
How does it hold up?
Clearlite has done extensive testing to ensure that a little leakage occurs as possible. I did a little research to see what kind of reviews the company has received and if any tests were done to determine how well the bulbs hold together. Concrave did a great comprehensive review of their product along with a test to see how the light bulb would hold up:
Where to Buy?
Overall, Clearlite seems like a great company that are trying to make CFL light bulbs safer. Amazon has a great selection of their bulbs, but they are a priced a little higher as compared to other CFL bulbs. If you have a family with small kids, the extra cost seems well worth any exposure to mercury.
If you have used a Clearlite bulb, please share your experience with their products.
Toyota Prius Greenest Car in 2010?
Consumer Reports announced it list of top cars in various categories, including green. The Toyota Prius received the award for being the top Green Car in 2010. This is the seventh year in a row that the Prius has won this award in this category.
It’s still the most fuel-efficient car in our Ratings, getting 44 mpg overall. That distinction helped it earn our pick in this category for the seventh straight year, the longest of any current model. In addition, the Prius is a pleasant car to drive, with a roomy interior, a steady ride, hatchback versatility, and excellent reliability and crash-test results. The 2010 redesign also gave it a more solid feel and a dedicated EV mode that allows it to run longer on electric power at low speeds, an advantage mainly in slow, congested traffic.
I would question the reliability aspect because of the recent recalls, but it seems pretty apparent that the Prius seems to be considered the best “green” car by many, not just Consumer Reports.
I have not driven a Prius or driven in one, but I have not had good experiences with people I know who drive them. It’s great that people want to buy a car that uses less gas mileage and is more eco-friendly, but some people buy these cars like they do new electronic devices. Another thing that made me a little frustrated is the fact that some feel they can drive more just because they now have a more gas efficient car. This mentality negates the whatever benefit you are receiving from having a more fuel efficient vehicle.
My experiences are with some of the owners of the Prius, not the car itself. Overall, the Prius seems like a pretty good vehicle and great car to consider if in need of a new vehicle. I would still much rather have a full EV than just a hybrid, but they are still a few years away from hitting the market. It’s also good to find other ways than buying a new car to save on gas or avoid using a car at all. Some include biking, car pooling, public transportation and many other gas saving tips.
I decided to include a poll to get an idea of how you feel about the Prius being the top green car on the market.
Loading ...Marcal Giveaway Winner
The winner for the Marcal paper product giveaway Michael. He will receive a prize package of Marcal paper products including toilet paper, paper towels, napkins and more. Even if you didn’t win, be sure to check out all of Marcal paper products to find where you can buy their products in a store near you.
Thanks to everybody that participated in this contest. If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for my Email and RSS Subscription service to get all the latest articles, contests and news on my blog.
DoSomething.org Presents ‘Increase Your Green’
Do you or your kids want to make a difference in schools? Well, here is your chance. HP and DoSomething.org are teaming up to bring to you a national campaign called Increase Your Green. This program is urging all students, parents, teachers to take action and reduce the environmental impact of their schools. In the process, your school could win $5,000 and some HP laptops that have green technologies. Nick Cannon is the spokesperson for this campaign. Lets here what he has to say about Increase Your Green:
Though I am not a huge fan of Nick Cannon, it’s really great to see these organizations trying to connect with our kids to get the word out about going green. Their site provides some great idea sin which schools can go green, ranging from greening up events to saving energy in our schools. A few I mention here on my site are saving computer energy and using natural cleaners
How to Submit a Project?
To enter this contest:
- Setup a project around a school.
- Submit a proposal to the site I mentioned above.
- Submit more details about the final project by April 22nd.
I think regardless of who wins this contest, all schools need to take measure to make sure they are going green. It’s important to get our kids involved learning about ways they can not only make their schools more green, but also in their daily lives.
