News Archive

Week Of	Past Tips
29-Jan	Last week was Chinese New year... Celebrate by dining on your favorite Chinese foods this week, but make sure you walk, bike or carpool to the restaurant!
22-Jan	January 23rd is Measure Your Feet Day! Take that one step further by measuring how many feet you walk instead of drive this week! Taking the stairs instead of the elevator counts too! Make it a friendly challenge with your co-workers, friends or family.
15-Jan	Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is on Facebook! "Like" the DNR's page to partake in conversation about enjoying Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation.
8-Jan	Who wants to go outside in the cold anyway? Bring your lunch to work instead of driving to a restaurant for lunch today. You can stay warm and reduce vehicle tailpipe emissions!
1-Jan	Resolution Time! Stay true to your New Year's Resolutions and do something good for the air! Start biking to work or taking the stairs at the office instead of the elevator. Taking the stairs uses less energy and is also good for your health.
25-Dec	Get ready to start the new year right by making some green resolutions. This year keep reusable grocery bags in your vehicle. Forgot to bring them in the store? Go back to get them. Soon it'll be a habit you always remember. Find more shopping tips at www.epa.gov/osw/education/pubs/shopping.htm.
18-Dec	Holiday baking is upon us, but resist the urge to keep peeking into the oven. Every time you open the door, the temperature drops 25° F and more energy is burned bringing the temperature back up.
11-Dec	Those holiday gifts need batteries? Save resources and buy recyclable batteries this year.
04-Dec	Did you know the first Christmas lights went on sale in December 1882? Today's lights are more efficient though...Replace conventional holiday string lights with light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. LEDs use up to 95% less electricity, last longer, and are safer because they produce very little heat.
27-Nov	This year, plan your holiday shopping and errands well in advance to combine trips and reduce the number of miles you drive. Be like Santa and trip-chain, combining all your errands into a single, well-planned trip.
20-Nov	Show your thanks to Wisconsin's food growers and get as much of your Thanksgiving spread as possible from local farmers. Many of the traditional foods are grown right here. Buying local really reduces the fuel used in shipping food across the country and world.
13-Nov	Get recylables out of your trash -- toilet paper rolls, junk mail, many plastics, glass. Reusing these resources saves energy and raw materials. November 15 is America Recycles Day.
06-Nov	Welcome to pre-holiday catalog season! Stop junk mail to reduce waste. To stop receiving paper catalogs for free, go to www.catalogchoice.org. To stop junk mail, go to www.41pounds.org or www.stopthejunkmail.com.
30-Oct	Happy Halloween -- go out and hunt vampires, those electronics -- like phone chargers, coffee makers and TVs -- that drain energy even when not in use. Unplug electrical devices to cut down on vampire energy use.
23-Oct	Rake your leaves this fall instead of using a powered leaf blower. Compost them or save them in bags to use as mulch on next spring's gardens rather than purchasing bag mulch that has been shipped in from elsewhere.
16-Oct	Buy smart. Look for Energy Star and Water Sense labels when buying new appliances. And don't buy larger units than you need… a half empty freezer or refrigerator wastes energy.
09-Oct	Take your own, reusable and insulated cup to the coffee shop to avoid using disposable cups, lids and cup wraps. Your beverage will stay warmer, many shops give discounts for using your own mug and you avoid the energy used to make disposables.
02-Oct	October is Energy Awareness Month. Have an energy audit done to identify ways to save money and energy all year long. Some of the measures may quality for tax rebates. Focus on Energy provides a home assessment tool and can also help you find a home energy consultant.
25-Sep	Autumn is here, winter won’t be far behind. Install a programmable thermostat before winter so you can automatically set the temperature lower when you are asleep or away from home for work or school. Then set it to warm up starting 30 minutes before you get out of bed or back home.
18-Sep	September 22nd is Car Free Day… a great opportunity to look for options to driving. Bike, take the bus, walk for short trips.
11-Sep	Clean and replace air filters -- on exhaust hoods, vacuums, clothes dryers, cars, furnaces, etc. Clogged filters will make these units run less efficiently and will take more fuel.
04-Sep	Idling gets zero miles per gallon. Turn off the engine while picking up kids at school, chatting with your neighbor, waiting at a railroad crossing, or in line at the drive up. Cars and buses waiting and idling at schools can cause local air pollution problems, especially for the young lungs of students. Excessive idling can damage your engine too. Waiting more than 30 seconds -- turn it off!
28-Aug	Heading back to school or to work after vacation? Rather than buying overly-packaged lunches, bring food from home in your own reusable containers.
21-Aug	Reduce cooling costs with a few simple stragies. Use the microwave or outdoor grill instead of the oven. Keep blinds and drapes closed when the sun is shining in. Turn off electronics you are not using. Keep your air conditioner's condenser and filter clean and keep debris away from the outside condenser.
14-Aug	Argghhh! September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day. Stop standing in front of the fridge with the door wide open or walk the plank, you scurvy dog.
07-Aug	If you need to water your yard or gardens, remember it takes lots of energy to get that water to your hose so be smart and water only as much as you need and only what you want... Don't let your sprinklers water the sidewalk, driveway or street.
31-Jul	Turn your compost pile. Not only does periodic turning help the material break down more quickly, it also reduces odors and the production of greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide.
24-Jul	Use ceiling or other fans, even with air conditioning. Fans help reduce energy costs by circulating cooled air and by allowing you to feel comfortable even at warmer temperatures so you can set your air conditioner at a higher temperature or turn it off completely.
17-Jul	During the hotter dry days of summer, mow your lawn less and set your mower higher when you do mow. It will not only save gas, but will also help keep your lawn from drying out, thus saving energy and water from sprinkling.
10-Jul	Check the seals on your refrigerator and freezer doors. Leaky and loose seals mean harder work and more energy use by the cooler. Close a dollar bill in the door and then try to slip it out. If you can move it, the seal is not tight enough and the seals or the refrigerator/freezer need to be replaced.
03-Jul	Want to avoid the traffic jam before and after the 4th of July activities? Take your bikes or a bus and avoid the road hassles while reducing emissions and saving money.

Last Revised: Friday February 03 2012