What are you willing (and not willing) to do to use less energy and fewer resources?

I'll ride a bike! - Photo of a bicycle road sign.
United States
December 25, 2006 12:59pm CST
My 22 year old son and I recently had a great discussion about petroleum and other sources of energy and what we're willing and not willing to do to help reduce consumption of energy. Here are a few things I either do or have plans to do: Dry clothes on clothesline Hand wash small amounts of clothing Cook/bake more than one item when the oven is on Turn off lights when not being used Turn off main breaker for at least one 24 hour period a month Consolidate errand trips to use less gasoline Put a water filled milk jug in the toilet tank to conserve water Ride a bike or walk when distance makes it feasible (exercise is an added benefit) There are other things but that's a good starter list. What are YOU willing to do to use less energy and fewer resources? And what are you NOT willing to do and why are you not willing?
4 people like this
32 responses
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
25 Dec 06
All those things are wonderful!!! I think it is great that you are doing your part to conserve energy! I am not willing to turn off the main breaker once a month. There is food in the fridge that could go bad and that would not be good! I can not hand wash clothes because there I have seven kids and an insane amount of laundry. So, that can't happen. When the flapper on our toilet went bad, I found a system that operated the water level on a water pressure level instead of the little floater. So, I have ben ble to adjust it to use less water. It's great and cheap! I walk my children home from school instead of driving. It is only a mile and is good exercise. We often turn off the lights when we are watching tv or a movie because lights are not necessary at that time. The thermostat is currently set at 72 degrees during the winter and 78 degrees during the summer. So this helps to conserve also. We also try to use the microwave more often than the gas stove because I would think that 2 minutes in the microwave is probably better than 20 on the stove. :) Faster can be better that way too. :) I don't use a blow dryer either. Because a blow dryer takes an insane amount of energy. I know this may sound strange also...but given we use a lot of hot water, you will understand the following. We turn the hot water heater up a little higher. Then, we do not drain the hot water heater completely. We use more cold water in the shower because the water is hot enough for a little and nine people showering...it will last through us all. Also, it takes more gas to reheat an entire water heater when drained than it does when it is sustaining a temperature. Thanks for posting this discussion! I think it is a great way to encourage energy conservation!
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Dec 06
Well, with as large a family as you have, I imagine you do well! How old are your kids, by the way? Food doesn't last a long time around here (bet you know how that goes!) so things like eggs and mayo go in a cooler during that 24 hour period. But yes, that won't work for everyone. Good deal on walking the kids to school, turning off lights, using the microwave, etc. I use our micro quite a bit, too, but probably not as much as I could. I don't use a blow dryer, either. Thanks for sharing your ideas with us all. :)
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
26 Dec 06
yup youre right cant turn off that breaker that would cause you to use more gas to go buy more food to what got ruined
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Dec 06
Ahh, but you can turn off the breaker if you do as I do and plan it so that the food that should stay refrigerated is either put in a cooler or just left in the fridge without the door being opened. Most food will be fine if the fridge doors aren't opened. I do it with a fridge and freezer full of food with no problem. :)
@timou87 (1638)
• Singapore
26 Dec 06
I'm willing to take public transportation instead of private cars, or walk if possible. And recycle everything that is recyclable. And take quicker baths. And to shower without the heater on.
1 person likes this
• United States
28 Dec 06
Public transportation is great! We don't have it where we live but if we did, I'd use it in a heart beat! Good suggestions, thanks.
@abhisree (520)
• India
26 Dec 06
thumbs up to you. you have mentioned most of the things that i will do to save energy or use less resources. here are a couple of more - i will use car pools where ever possible - i will reduce the number of my long drives now what i will not do is turn off my air conditioner because i sweat a lot
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Dec 06
It gets dangerously hot here in the summers and because of health conditions, a couple members of our household need to stay fairly cool. We do turn the thermostat up, though, and use fans. We need to get ceiling fans for every room, also. Thanks for your suggestions!
@serenetee (380)
• Singapore
26 Dec 06
What I'm willing to do to conserve energy and water: Use fan instead of air-con to keep cool (it's hot and humid all year round here) Water plants with water that was used for washing vegetables Avoid opening the fridge door unless you need to Make sure the washing machine is fully loaded before using Use a cup when washing face or brushing teeth When taking a bath, use the shower faucet instead of filling up the long bathtub with water Reduce bathing time
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Dec 06
Good suggestions, thank you! Here it gets so hot and for health issues, we need air conditioning at a certain point. We used to have an attic fan but the motor burned out. We need to replace that so we can use it again. it really helped a lot. I particularly like the idea of using a cup when brushing teeth or washing the face. I use just a dab of water. And when I shower, I jump in, get wet, turn the water off, soap up, scrub, turn the water back on, rinse off, turn the water off, soap my hair, turn the water back on, etc. It helps a lot!
• India
26 Dec 06
wash the clothes by hand cook on wood and coal go to college walking
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Dec 06
Thanks for your suggestions. I'd love to have a wood stove but right now I have propane and I use it for cooking. I do have an outdoor grill and use it, too.
@indy181 (10)
• United States
26 Dec 06
I moved close to my work so i dont have to drive my car.I recomend we all do this, when we dont need petrol anymore everyone will be better off.Fossil fuel consumption is one of the largest causes of polution.And many other problems i can mention.If you like.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Dec 06
That's a very good idea! Our work involves quite a bit of driving in our area so there's no one place we can move that would help. We just manage it, though. :) Thanks for sharing your suggestion!
• India
26 Dec 06
i have to agree with the ideas u have mentioned..we are living in a world where the resources we have are deteriorating faster and thus it become essential for us to contribute whatever little we can to preserve and save such vital resources..and for that matter even I do small things like switching off lights and fans when not required or when leaving home..using the car only when distance is significant..promoting car pooling..and so on..
1 person likes this
@scorpius (1792)
• India
26 Dec 06
i am willing to do the following: 1.reuse the same plastic bag everytime i go to a department store and not use a new one. 2.i am willing to use less paper and try and see if any written materials can be consoldated. 3.use match sticks and not lighters. 4.recycle glass,plaastic trash[actually i gt paid for doing this so the benefits are 2 fold] 5.recycle used news papers.
1 person likes this
@deep1608 (321)
• India
26 Dec 06
I dont knw if you would believe thator not but i do all of this as a matter of habit.My mother n father had really built all this as a part of my habit.... My parents were quite strict with me alwys about not wasting anything... I guess all parents should be like them so that things start changing as a habit and is not required to be forced upon....
1 person likes this
• India
26 Dec 06
WILL TO WALK .. WILLING TO CYCLE.. WILLING TO POOL CARS FOR JOB.. AND TURN OFF THE LIGHT WHEN NOT REQUIRED
1 person likes this
@shyam4uall (1002)
• India
26 Dec 06
There are many such little steps which can preserve a great amount of energy. such as:- 1)Switching off the light when not in use or switching less number of lights when the light is not the main requisite of the act you do. 2)We should use oven or other heavy energy comsumption gadgets when we need to prepare dishes at a large quantity. 3)We can also use better electronic gadgets which consume less power and hence less energy. 4)We should not keep the water tap open when not in use such as while brushing we usually open the tap and brush our teeth ..so we should efficiently utilize every drop of water.
@rackback (121)
• United States
25 Dec 06
Those are all good ideas. I used to do the toilet thing, but I used bricks instead of a milk jug because they fit in the bowl better. Myself, I'm going to make sure my next vehicle is more fuel economic, and when I buy my house make sure it's well insulated. I'd like to have the more energy saving appliances too, even though they are more expensive. They will pay for themselves in the long run.
• United States
25 Dec 06
Yes, bricks work well, too. Part of our home isn't well insulated and that's one of the things on my 'to do' list. Our refrigerator and washer are energy efficient but I'd like appliances with a higher rating. Thanks for your reply and letting us know the things you'd like to do. :)
• India
26 Dec 06
1. I have already replaced all the incandescent lamps with CFLs. 2. I have replaced the chokes in the fluorescent fixtures (the copper wound ones) with electronic chokes which give instant start to the tubes and consume negligible power. 3. I use an aircon with an electronic control which has a sleep mode. 4. I keep my refrigerator free from clutter so that there is a good circulation of air inside. 5. I switch off all the appliances instead of keeping them in standby mode.
1 person likes this
• India
26 Dec 06
i use a cycle for trnspot,candle for light,and use the things which take in solar eneegy
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157027)
• United States
27 Dec 06
I use microwave or toaster oven if I do not need the large oven. Make more than one thing in the large oven. When I use the dryer I do loads in a series, so I do not use the heat. In my climate you cannot line dry all year.At this time we have the heat shut off to our upstairs, hot air rises anyway, so why pay and use an inefficient furnace to heat it. It is a little cool, so we heat the bed with a heated mattress pad, much less energy used. I used to collect water in the shower, by standing a small bucket to the back, to water my plants, and need to do that again. I turn down the heat, and wear sweaters at home. Turn down the heat when no one is home. I will use a small appliance over a large one any day. In the summer instead of cooling the entire upstairs we only cool the bedroom. In addition we use cool packs to cool ourselves, so we can get by with just a fan most of the time. Good discussion, I look to read more.
@GardenGerty (157027)
• United States
27 Dec 06
I did not include that because my husband has long commutes, and so do I we use a fuel additive that increases our mileage per gallon by a considerable amount, and we drive carefully, using overdrive, and maintaining level speed below 60 mph. I drive halfway to my actual work site, and then I catch a school bus, as a monitor, and ride to the building I work in. That has made a big difference in my gas useage. PM me if you want a link for the fuel additive.
• United States
26 Dec 06
I try to do many of the things listed but I know that many people do not even think about doing any of them. One thing that I am consistent with is making sure the dishwasher is full and my loads of laundry are completely full.
1 person likes this
@kyle930 (763)
• United States
26 Dec 06
I will do it if it is something that can be done easily without changing my life much. It would become a problem to me if it was a hassle, there is so much that can be done just by making little changes i dont want to go to the effort of making the bigger changes.
1 person likes this
@raasha (109)
• India
26 Dec 06
Great thought there! I'd be willing to do most of the lsit except for turning off the main breaker for 24hrs. I need to use the comp, can't do without it for 24hrs.
• Pakistan
25 Dec 06
hmmm ur suggestion are awesome hope evry boddy understand how much importent there are thr resources we should reduse the consumption of energy
1 person likes this
@ais_nedla (162)
• United States
26 Dec 06
i am not about to give up lifes conveniences just to save energy. who am i saving it for exactly? human beings are pretty resilient. im sure we would invent something to replace energy and our resources.
1 person likes this