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Green Energy for Home and Office
 There are a number of simple steps you can take at home or at work to reduce energy consumption and help grow the market for green energy.
1. Invest in energy efficiency
Save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save money. If it sounds too simple to be true, it's not. Energy efficiency is the fastest way we can curb our greenhouse gas emissions, decrease energy-related pollution, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
2. Choose green power
Many deregulated states offer green power options. Do your research to find the best options in your area. You can find information about green power at the US Department of Energy's Green Power Network site.
3. Reduce, reuse, and recycle
Most of us try to recycle whenever we have the option, knowing that it saves energy and resources. The aluminum recycling process, for example, takes 95 percent less energy than extracting new aluminum from bauxite ore. Plus, recycling reduces pollution and saves landfill space.
But in addition to recycling bottles and cans, there are other great recycling and reuse strategies to save energy and preserve the environment.
For example:
4. Buy carbon offsets
If green power is not available in your area, you can still offset the environmental impact of your energy use, while helping to bring more renewable energy online by purchasing green tags through Green America's partnership with NativeEnergy's WindBuilder program.
5. Buy local, organic food
By purchasing locally grown food, you'll help save energy—and oil—because you'll reduce the cost of transporting your food from one end of the country, or globe, to the other. Also, organic food isn't grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, so you'll save the energy required to make these compounds, too. In addition, you'll keep farmers and communities healthy, and ensure the ability of our land to continue to provide food. Find organic products in the National Green Pages™ »
6. Eat less meat
More than a third of all raw materials and fossil fuels consumed in the US is used in animal production, according to the nonprofit Compassion Over Killing. Vegetarian food requires much less energy to produce. Try taking meat off your menu every other day and you could help save close to 500 lbs of CO2 emissions each year.
7. Drive less
Start by replacing at least one short car trip a week with a walk or bicycle ride. Encourage family and friends to walk with you. Over time, you can ratchet up the number of car trips you replace to two a week, three a week, and even one a day or more. Learn more about green transportation »
8. Fly less
In case you needed another excuse to avoid the airport, a domestic flight contributes close to 1,700 pounds of CO2 to the atmosphere. If possible, try to go by train or other forms of mass transportation.
If flying is the only option, you can purchase carbon offsets for your travel through the Better World Travel Club. For business travel, encourage your workplace to create a travel-offset budget.
9. Speak out
Use your consumer and investor power to let the companies you do business with know that you want them to do their part to curb climate change and promote green energy.
10. Teach your children
Helping children understand how simple actions make a difference is a crucial part of creating a sustainable future. Take the steps on this list with your children. Explain to them why they are important for the health of people and the environment. And give them tasks they can do on their own, such as making sure all lights are turned off before leaving the house, taking recycling out to the curb, or putting kitchen scraps into the compost each day.
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What to Know
