Read 'n' Seed 3: Second Quarter of "Do One Thing Green"

For the second quarter I read the second section or part of the book.  This time the primary topic of discussion was regarding ‘A Green and Healthy Home.’  This section included chapter’s six to 10 and expanded from page 77 to 149.

The overall main topic, as I mentioned, was about maintaining a green home so each chapter tied into that category.  Chapter 6 focused on appliances, chapter 7 on lighting, chapter 8 on saving water, chapter 9 on simple green housekeeping, and chapter 10 on reduce, reuse, recycle.

After reading the second section of the book I would have to say there were 3 main pieces of information I found to be most significant and surprising.  

1.  Lighting accounts for 20% of our energy use.  When it comes to lighting I have always been a fanatic about making sure lights are turned off when no one's using them, though I never really knew how I could help conserve energy when it is necessary for light fixtures to be turned on.  In this particular section of my book I read about converting from incandescent bulbs to efficient compact fluoresent light (CFL) bulb and purchasing light-emitting diodes (LED) lamps and fixtures.  CFL bulbs shine ten times longer and are about 75% more efficient than regular incandescent bulbs, while LED bulbs illuminate 25 times longer.  These fixtures are so energy efficient that if everyone replaced just one standard light bulb with an energy efficient bulb consumers would save about $600 million and enough energy would be conserved to light 3 million homes for a year!  Can you imagine how much energy would be saved if all lights in our homes were CFL or LED bulbs? 

There are also color options for CFL bulbs to choose from.  There are clear bluish white colored bulbs to resemble daylight or yellow/red color that's comparable to the incandescent light.

2.  When it comes to washing dishes and wanting to save more energy and water, would you think hand-washing or dishwashing would be more eco-friendly?  I guessed hand-washing and I was incorrect in my assumption.  On average, using a dishwasher uses only half the electricity and one-sixth of the water than hand-washing does. 

A recent study conducted from Germany concluded that new dishwashers can save 4,300 gallons of water a year over hand-washing.  This was troubling for me considering the house I rent does not contain a dishwasher, though, again, the book pulled through for me and provided tips for those of us who do not own dishwashers.  To begin with, scraping dishes clean and allowing them to soak in the sink before washing will help.  When it comes time for washing them, scrub the dishes and whatnot and then stack them to one side of the sink, when rinsing, give them a quick pass under the faucet and wash utentisils by the handful, not one by one.  Finally, place the clean dishes promptly into the other side of the sink or into a dish rack.    One final precaution that may be taken would entail purchasing a low-flow faucet aerator, which releases .5 gallons per minute unlike standard faucets that release 2.2 gallons per minute.  Aerator faucests may be found and purchased at most hardware stores, if you're not sure when you get there, simply ask for help.

3.  Often when the subject of creating a greener home is discussed one topic that always seems to be mentioned revolves around cleaning supplies.  The purpose for using cleaning products is to create a clean and sanitary home, however, it appears that is not necessarily what may happen.  Most house cleaners release toxic ingredients, such as petroleum-derived insecticides, into the air along with distributing unhealthy fumes.   Now, with the help of this book, I will be able to make plant-based household cleaning supplies of my own from the DIY recipes listed.  Recipes listed are soft scrub, fume-free oven cleaner, glass cleaner, floor cleaner, disinfectant, stain remover, mold remover, deodorizer, carpet/upholstery spot cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, metal polish, and drain cleaner.  What makes me excited is knowing I can make these products using common household products such as baking soda and white vinegar, but I also feel more confident knowing these products are not emitting toxic fumes throughout the home and into the atmosphere.  If you would like a recipes let me know!

New Terminology - definitions and information provided in the link

1. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
2. Light-emitting diodes (LED)
3. Aerator