Leadership Somerset 2008 Leadership Somerset Class Project -2008 Your own “Green” House Tips on how you and Somerset County can go “Green” together Highlights Green at Work 2 Green Volunteering 3-4 Looking at the world through Green-colored glasses Green your Pet 5 Going “green” is fast be- The Energy Council will how to save energy, New to Going Green? 6 coming a global fact and advocate for energy money and the planet Save on Trees 6 scientific evidence shows efficiency and conserva- that was all in one place that this generation will tion and promote public and geared to the every- Recycle your CFL’s at 8 have the greatest impact day consumer. Home Depot understanding of oppor- on the environment tunities and choices re- within the next 50-100 garding energy issues. Pros and Cons of Hybrid 10- years. There are many ways to Cars. 11 begin a green lifestyle, While the internet is full and not all of them have E-Zine Awards 37- Recently Somerset of energy saving informa- to be complicated or 38 County took the first step tion, Leadership Somer- costly. Pick out the ones in becoming a leader in set, Class of 2008, that suits your everyday helping with the growing thought that residents life and begin saving energy crisis with the for- money and the earth. E-Zine Contributors could use a source of in- mation of the Somerset formation with tips on Dale Artfitch County Energy Council. Kathleen Jones Harris Linda Levitt What you can do right now at no cost Michelle Luff The Freecycle Network™ Freecycle group. network that reduces Yumiko Mishima is made up of people who waste, saves resources Or, maybe you're looking are giving (and getting) and eases the burden on Tim Pino to acquire something. stuff for free in their own landfills while enabling Simply respond to an of- Kathye Quick towns. Each local group the members to benefit. fer, and you just might is moderated by a local Vilma Ramirez get it. After that, it's up To join the Freecycle volunteer and member- to the giver to decide who community to go Connie Richardson ship is free. receives the gift and to set www.freecycle.org put in Sandra Seeley When you want to find a up a pickup time for your town and hit enter. new home for something passing on the treasure. Claudia Shaughnessy -- whether it's a chair, a One main rule: Every- A list will be generated of Lynn Slifer fax machine, piano, or an thing posted must be free, local Freecycle networks. old door -- you simply Michael Sovak legal, and appropriate for Choose one to join. send an e-mail offering it all ages The mission of Javier Vasquez to members of the local Freecycle is to build a Your own “Green” House Leadership Somerset Class Project Page 2 Michael G. Sovak, Contributor We can compost and con- setting your computer item. Post employee manu- serve all we want at home. stand-by automatically, als and similar materials 8. Rethink your travel But as soon as we hit the while inactive (for 10min- online, rather than distrib- office, we turn into tripli- utes), can cut energy use ute print copies. They're Take the train, bus, or sub- cate-printing, paper-cup- by 70 percent. Remember, easier to update that way way when feasible instead squashing, run-our- screen savers don't save too. American companies of a rental car when travel- computers-all-night-so-the- energy. use 210 billion pieces of ing on business. If you paper for faxing or 17 mil- have to rent a car, some boss-thinks-we're-working earth-killers lion trees annually. Send or rental agencies now offer 3. Print smarter receive faxes on line. hybrids and other high mileage vehicles. The average U.S. office But a few changes of habit worker uses 10,000 sheets Videoconferencing and can save energy and re- 5. Ramp up your recy- of copy paper a year. Print other technological solu- sources at work. Following cling on both sides of copy pa- tions can reduce the are 10 easy tips: per, or use the back side of Make it a habit to recycle amount of employee travel. old documents for faxes, everything your company 1. Be bright about light scrap paper, or drafts. collects. Just about any Avoid color printing and kind of paper you would 9. Reconsider your com- Artificial lighting accounts print in draft or economy encounter in an office, in- mute for 44% of the electricity mode (selected from the cluding fax paper, enve- Make it a habit to carpool, use in office buildings. printer properties menu), lopes, and junk mail, can bike, or take transit to Turn off the lights when which useless ink, when- be recycled. So can your work, and/or telecommute you're leaving any room ever feasible. old cell phone, PDA, or when possible. If you need for 15 minutes or more and pager (see the Recycling Recycle toner and ink car- to drive occasionally, con- utilize natural light when Guide on the Site Portal). It tridges and buy remanufac- sider joining a car-sharing you can. is a company policy to use tured ones. According to service like Zipcar and the recycling bins near the Office Depot, each re- Flexcar instead of owning copiers and in your office. 2. Maximize computer effi- manufactured toner car- your own wheels. Call site services if these ciency tridge "keeps approxi- are not available to you. 10. Create a healthy of- Computers in the business mately 2.5 pounds of metal fice environment sector unnecessarily waste and plastic out of land- $1 billion worth of electric- fills...and conserves about 6. Close the loop Use nontoxic cleaning a half gallon of oil." products. Brighten up your ity a year. Purchase office supplies cubicle with plants, which and furniture made from absorb indoor pollution. Turn off your computer, 4. Go paperless when pos- recycled materials. monitor, and the power sible 7. Watch what (and how) strip it's plugged into— you eat when you leave for the Think before you print: day. could this be read or stored Bring your own mug and online instead? When you dishware for those meals receive unwanted catalogs, Otherwise, you're still you eat at the office. Use a newsletters, magazines, or burning energy even if refillable water bottle and junk mail, request to be you're not burning the mid- the company provided fil- removed from the mailing night oil. This is the cur- tered drinking water to re- list before you recycle the Sources listed on page 34 rent corporate policy. Also, duce bottled-water waste. Your own “Green” House Leadership Somerset Class Project Page 3 Green Volunteering - Michael G. Sovak, Contributor More than half of Ameri- TOP GREEN son more your thing? Con- by people who have been there before you; it will can adults -- and an even VOLUNTEERING TIPS nect with a GreenDrinks -- bigger percentage of teen- a global organization with help you pack light and be agers – volunteer for vari- Find the Time to Volun- hundreds of local factions culturally current. You can ous causes. In general, teer Your first reaction to where people get together also search the TreeHugger there is currently a trend the thought of volunteering over cocktails. (No Green- archives for special topics toward “downshifting, and your time may well be: Drinks near you? Volun- like environmental issues taking time out of their what time? But you can’t teer project found: Launch in disaster recovery, or re- busy lives to provide un- help others until you help a group lief housing options. And yourself. Do you need don’t forget to plan ahead paid service to others. Bring Your Best Skills to Many of these people are more time for fitness? to green your travel. Then volunteer to do some- the Table Look for oppor- taking their cue from the tunities that match your thing active. Would you Volunteer to See the National Downshifting interests and skills, and be Manifesto, which pro- invest some time in con- World “Voluntouring” is a tinuing education, building a little selfish (see tip 1 claims that individuals are above) so that you can be- growing trend. But take setting time aside for the skills or strengthening your special care in selecting resume? Volunteering can come selfless. You may be things that are important to opportunities to offer your expand your horizons and surprised to learn how them “for the benefit of my global and local environ- time and energy abroad. health, my well being, my help you build good con- mental concerns dovetail You could potentially be environment, and for those tacts. Not enough time with your family? Nothing with your day-to-day ac- taking a job away from a around me whom I dearly tivities, in your quest to love. brings people closer to- local person. Plus, exhaust- gether than working side- understand the whats and ing your money and re- whys of choosing the right by-side for a good cause. sources on international But finding the right match cause. But rest assured that between volunteer and Just remember: Don’t over- travel can get pricey, and commit, but ask yourself as a person with environ- charity is not always an mental interests, you’re those jet emissions could easy task. High-profile or- how volunteering could be perhaps be counterproduc- the value-added time you likely to be in demand. ganizations may be over- tive to your work.