What Can You Do Right Now?

Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.

 

Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)

 

Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)

 

Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.

 

Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.

 

Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.

 

More Tips »

 

Green Articles

* 07/04/2008

Senator proposes lower national speed limit
An influential Republican senator suggested Thursday that Congress might want to consider reimposing a national speed limit to save gasoline and possibly ease fuel prices.

* 07/03/2008

Is offshore drilling environmentally safe as proponents claim?
Speaking to Houston oil executives, Republican presumptive nominee for president John McCain called for more drilling in the Gulf, claiming drilling was environmentally safe, even in the face of major storms. Those statements were not necessarily accurate.

* How cheap is it to drive green?
Going green with a hybrid vehicle that gets 40 to 50 miles per gallon may sound great. But after you factor in the cost of the car, maintenance and insurance, are hybrids really saving you money?

* 07/02/2008

Wal-Mart branches out into locally grown produce
Wal-Mart stores in Arizona now stock Grand Canyon sweet onions while aisles in New York display state-grown eggplant, as the world's largest retailer says it's become the nation's largest buyer of locally grown fruits and vegetables.

* 07/01/2008

Scientists say ailing penguins signal sea problems
Penguins may be the tuxedo-clad version of a canary in the coal mine, with generally ailing populations from a combination of global warming, ocean oil pollution, depleted fisheries, and tourism and development.

* Auditing home energy use could save you
With gas and grocery prices going up, almost everyone is looking for a way to save money. Getting your house an electricity audit may help.

* 06/30/2008

8 ways to green your Independence Day
The Fourth of July: summer’s most famous holiday. Fireworks, barbecues and a day off to enjoy the sunshine. But can you make America’s birthday Earth Day as well? Here’s eight steps for an eco-friendly Fourth.

* 'It's hybrid hysteria' for buyers seeking the hard-to-find Prius
With fuel prices hovering around $4 a gallon, scores of people are snatching up every Prius they can find and driving up prices at some area Toyota dealerships by as much as $5,000 over window sticker.

* New breed of CFLs focus on bulbs' aesthetics
Switching to efficient bulbs saves energy, but it also can create a design challenge. Swirly compact fluorescents stick out visually, don't work with traditional clip-on shades and can cast different colors of light than their incandescent counterparts.

* 06/26/2008

Lighten up to get better gas mileage
Airlines are reducing weight to save on fuel, but you can do it to your vehicle as well.

* 06/25/2008

Report: Global energy demand to grow 51% by 2030
Despite persistently high oil prices, global energy demand will grow by 50 percent over the next two decades with continued heavy reliance on environmentally troublesome fossil fuels, especially coal and oil, the government predicted Wednesday.

* 06/24/2008

NASA warming scientist: 'This is the last chance'
Exactly 20 years after warning America about global warming, a top NASA scientist said the situation has gotten so bad that the world's only hope is drastic action.

* McCain calls for energy efficient government
Republican John McCain said Tuesday the federal government should practice the energy efficiency he preaches, pledging as president to switch official vehicles to green technologies and do the same for office buildings.

* 06/23/2008

High gasoline prices changing lawn-mowing habits
Sales of manual — or push reel — mowers with the cartwheeling blades are on the rise this year.

06/22/2008

Schools pull plug on wasted energy
Across the state, public school districts are passing plans to reduce energy consumption. It’s an effort to comply with a state law passed in 2007 to help the state reduce the amount of power placed on the energy grid, especially during peak demand periods.

* 06/23/2008

Opposition mounts to clean air change affecting parks
Critics fear the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will adopt a rule in the waning days of the Bush administration that will make it easier to build coal-fired power plants near national parks.

* McCain offers $300 million for new auto battery
The presumed Republican nominee on Monday proposed a $300 million government prize to whoever can develop an automobile battery that far surpasses existing technology.

* 06/19/2008

New lighting tech beats fluorescents, maker says
Organic light-emitting diodes, a technology that is being hailed as the future of home lighting, have surpassed fluorescent lights in energy efficiency, according a New Jersey company.

* 06/18/2008

Bush to Congress: Embrace energy exploration now
With gasoline topping $4 a gallon, President Bush urged Congress on Wednesday to lift its long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, saying the United States needs to increase its energy production.

* 06/17/2008

Want a lower electric bill? Start shopping
Plenty of residents complain they are seeing triple digits on their thermometers and electric bills. The surging heat and the price surge on the bills that come with the summer are hitting some residents particularly hard.

* 06/16/2008

Organic alcohol sparks new cocktail trend
Call it hedonistic environmentalism. Or maybe just eco-conscious imbibing. Either way, those who want their dirty martini to be a little cleaner are increasingly pouring organic spirits into their glass.

* Veganic farmers work without animal fertilizers, byproducts
Farmer Don Bustos said the tradition of working the land in northern New Mexico's Espanola Valley had been passed down from his Spanish ancestors who tilled the same soil centuries before.

* List of most fuel-efficient cars released
Consumer Reports has just come out with a listing of the best fuel-efficient vehicles on the road. It's based on the price paid divided by overall miles per gallon.

* Companies get OK to annoy polar bears
Less than a month after declaring polar bears a threatened species because of global warming, the Bush administration is giving oil companies permission to annoy and potentially harm them in the pursuit of oil and natural gas.

* 06/13/2008

Group: New vinyl shower curtains hazardous
The Center for Health, Environment and Justice says studies show a new vinyl shower curtain releases scores of dangerous chemicals into your home.

* 06/10/2008

G-8 to fight oil prices with efficiency, tech
Faced with record-high oil prices, the world's leading economies and oil consumers Sunday pledged greater investment in energy efficiency and green technologies to control their spiraling thirst for petroleum.

* 8 ways to green your wedding
For many people, getting married is one of the biggest events of their lives. There’s lots of planning involved, and lots of resources used in the process.

* Green gossip: The reusable bag
Green Gossip is an exclusive Earth 911 series that lets our writers talk about their experiences with everyday green issues. In this episode, Brandi Powell discusses her battle with the reusable bag.

* 06/06/2008

Clean the Bay and keep it green for future generations
What happens on land is going to impact water quality -- from the trash you throw on the ground to the oil that leaks from your car.

VIDEO

* Vote on climate bill is blocked in Senate
Senate Republicans on Friday blocked a global warming bill that would have required major reductions in greenhouse gases, pushing debate over the world's biggest environmental concern to next year for a new Congress and president.

* 06/05/2008

Disposable water bottle alternatives
The availability and popularity of water packaged in convenient single serving bottles, has made it easier for us to hydrate while on the go. Several companies are doing their part to reduce the impact of disposable plastic bottles.

* 06/04/2008

CFL bulbs may trigger migraines
Compact fluorescent light bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than traditional bulbs. They save money on electric bills, but are they good for your health?

* 06/03/2008

Best Buy testing free e-waste recycling program
Under pressure to help dispose some of the electronic waste it helped create, Best Buy Co. is testing a free program that will offer consumers a convenient way to ensure millions of obsolescent TVs, old computers and other unwanted gadgets don't poison the nation's dumps.

* 06/02/2008

Tax credit seen vital for wind industry growth
Renewal of federal tax credits expiring at the end of the year is critical to U.S. investment in the wind-energy industry, executives and officials said Monday.

* Detractors say anti-pollution bill before Senate could lead to $8 gas
Legislation requiring a reduction in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from power plants, refineries, factories and transportation is set for debate in the Senate starting Monday.

* 05/28/2008

Ethanol fuel may be harming your vehicle
It is bad enough that gasoline is hovering around $4 a gallon, but the ethanol blend of gas pumped into many cars - containing up to 10 percent of ethanol - is also causing problems.

* 05/23/2008

Report says nation's wildlife refuges underfunded
America's wildlife refuges are so short of money that one-third have no staff, boardwalks and buildings are in disrepair, and drug dealers are using them to grow marijuana and make methamphetamine, a group pushing for more funding says.

Man says solar panels save him $840 each year
A Myers Park man says installing solar panels on his roof has saved him hundreds of dollars in electricity costs.

* 05/21/2008

Harrison Ford waxes his chest to make a point
The 65-year-old star winces in apparent pain as a strip of hair is yanked from between his pecs for a PSA for Conservation International to raise awareness about the effect of deforestation on global warming.

6th graders learn about protecting the environment
The NOAA B-WET Program provides hands-on watershed education to students and teachers to foster stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay.

VIDEO

* 05/20/2008

Debate rages over safety of BPA in everyday plastics
In the past month, the debate about one of the most commonly used chemicals in America has moved quickly from biotech experts and government regulators to moms and dads shopping in their neighborhood grocery stores.

* Critics: Polar bear plan must fight global warming
Conservation groups returned to court to challenge Bush administration efforts to help save the polar bear, saying federal officials' refusal to include steps against global warming violates the Endangered Species Act.

* Turn right, save gas
UPS trucks are everywhere, racking up thousands of miles every year — and burning thousands of gallons of fuel, too. What is their gas-saving strategy? It's a simple turn of the wheel.

* 05/19/2008

Recycling options lag the compact fluorescent push
It's a message being drummed into the heads of homeowners everywhere: Swap out those incandescent lights with longer-lasting compact fluorescent bulbs and cut your electric use.

* 05/14/2008

U.S. lists polar bear as threatened species
The Interior Department declared the polar bear a threatened species Wednesday, saying it must be protected because of the decline in Arctic sea ice from global warming.

Researchers in Hampton studying pollution's effects on our planet
"The idea is to improve our models that we use to understand climate change because only models are going to allow us to predict future climate change," says NASA Langley scientist Chris Hostetler.

VIDEO

* 05/09/2008

President signs Wild Sky Wilderness bill
Nearly six years after it was first introduced, a bill to create a Wild Sky Wilderness near Sultan, northeast of Seattle, has become law.

* Salt water tested as fuel source
After much speculation, a process that converts sea water into a possible fuel source is gaining legitimacy.

* 05/08/2008

Making the digital switch eco-friendly
In case you haven’t heard, the TV world is changing on February 17, 2009. Television stations will begin broadcasting only in digital format, and analog TV users will have some adjustments to make.

* 05/07/2008

Sleep green on organic bedding
A Norfolk company is selling the products made from Kapok to organic cotton and wool. They're completely renewable and sustainable.

Video:Organic Bedding

WVEC.com:Project Green reports

* 05/06/2008

How to keep cool without going broke
You don't have to pay through the nose to keep cool this summer. Here are some steps you can take to lower your bill, improve comfort and help save the planet.

* 05/02/2008

Major Arctic sea ice melt is expected this summer
The Arctic will remain on thinning ice, and climate warming is expected to begin affecting the Antarctic also, scientists said Friday.

* 05/01/2008

8 ways to green your technology
Technology is a HUGE part of our daily lives. We carry around cell phones and media players, work all day on a computer and come home to watch television.

* 04/30/2008

Sam's Club starts online electronics recycling program
Sam's Club warehouse stores are starting a new online recycling program for electronics that will pay for some of the items that customers want to discard. Under the program announced Tuesday by Sterling, Va.-based NEW Customer Service Companies Inc., Sam's Club will help its members dispose of older small- to medium-size electronics.

* Tourism industry struggles to shrink environmental footprint
Citing green hotels, coconut oil fuel for airlines and even recyclable golf tees, executives in one of the world's largest industries say they are urgently trying to shrink tourism's oversized environmental footprint.

Granby students go green to help the environment
"One of the main goals of 'Granby Go Green' is to get better recycling in school, said club founder Kelsey Seate.

VIDEO

* 04/29/2008

Earth-friendly options available for rebuilding
Several manufacturers have realized the market potential of changing their practices to make products that look no different from their old materials. And while no company is perfect, at least the options exist.

* Losing more plastic at Whole Foods
Instead of the usual plastic, cardboard, or styrofoam (gasp!) containers found in most supermarket self-service food sections, Whole Foods customers now pile their ready-made salads and other such sundries into completely compostable containers.

* 04/23/2008

Donate cell phones to plant trees
Cell phone recycling company iRecyclePhones.com has partnered with American Forests to plant a tree for each cell phone donated starting Earth Day, April 22.

* 04/22/2008

Government fuel economy plan targets 31.6 mpg by 2015
Transportation Department Secretary Mary Peters outlined the plan on Earth Day, setting a schedule that was more aggressive than initially expected by industry officials.

* Awareness building of inefficient plastic recycling
As more communities and retailers consider phasing out the use of plastic bags, more people are understanding how hard they are to dispose of. A look at the problem and how to fight it.

* Panel: Link between smog and premature death clear
Short-term exposure to smog, or ozone, is clearly linked to premature deaths that should be taken into account when measuring the health benefits of reducing air pollution.

* Dalai Lama speaks on environmental responsibility
The Dalai Lama said Sunday the need for environmental responsibility dovetails with Buddhist teachings on valuing human life, whether that is one person or the world's entire population.

* 04/21/2008

Eco-books share tips on living 'green'
With Earth Day fast approaching, books on "living green" are covering bookstore shelves like kudzu – everything from the encyclopedic Green Living for Dummies to tips on doing the right environmental thing from actor Ed Begley Jr.

* U.S. hybrid sales up 38 percent in 2007
Hybrids made up just 2.2 percent of the U.S. market share for the year, but they were growing steadily even as overall sales declined 3 percent.

* 04/18/2008

How it works: Earth-friendly paint labeling
As manufacturers are required by the government to cut down on additional solvents by either reformulating or discontinuing their paint, more low- and no-VOC paint is popping up on hardware store shelves, putting it on the average consumer's radar. Here's how to find the right paint for your home.

* 04/17/2008

Watchdog: Organic baby formula uses banned ingredients
A Wisconsin group claims organic baby formula commonly uses ingredients that are prohibited by federal regulations and wants the government to stop the practice.

* 04/16/2008

Bush revises strategy on curbing greenhouse gases
Revising his stance on global warming, President Bush on Wednesday proposed a new target for stopping the growth of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

* Government raises safety questions about chemical in plastics
A chemical used to make baby bottles and other shatterproof plastic containers could be linked to a range of hormonal problems, a preliminary government report has found.

* Muir Woods celebrates a century of conservation
There was a time when these trees came close to feeling the bite of loggers' saws. But stout efforts by early preservationists turned the area into a national monument in 1908.

* Organic gardening starts with seeds
There are the differences visible only to the practiced eye between conventional seeds and their organic equivalents. The variations can make all the difference in your garden.

* 04/15/2008

Group finds 6 million pounds of trash on world's beaches
Volunteers scoured 33,000 miles of shoreline worldwide and found 6 million pounds of debris from cigarette butts and food wrappers to abandoned fishing lines and plastic bags that threaten seabirds and marine mammals.

Outlook for Houston solar power: Cloudy
If we told you your electricity-provider would give you $10,000 for certain home improvements, you might not believe us. Well, it’s true -- but not for us.

* Bush plans Wednesday speech on climate change
In a speech Wednesday, President Bush will outline the way he thinks the United States can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and challenge lawmakers on climate change legislation up for debate in June.

* 04/10/2008

Stay beautiful and help the Gulf with Aveda's Earth Month
Do a good thing for yourself and the Earth by bidding on services at an Aveda salon in April! All proceeds benefit the Gulf Restoration Network.

* 04/09/2008

What do you do with that old cell phone?
According to a study done by Strategy Analytics, 1.1 billion cell phones were sold in 2007. With a current world population of about 6.8 billion, that puts a cell phone in one of every 6 people’s pockets.

* 04/08/2008

Preservation group: Before you tear down and rebuild, consider the environmental costs
Americans love tearing down buildings. We rip our homes up to the studs, scrape them down to their foundations, and are riveted by the ultimate demolitions: imploding skyscrapers.

* States using drug 'recycling' programs to help cure budget ills
The struggle to keep soaring medical costs in check is feeding an increase in state programs that collect unused prescription drugs to give away to the uninsured and poor.

* 04/03/2008

Stay green in style at these eco-savvy lodgings
Hotels are now doing the water-saving themselves: installing low-flow fixtures, recycling gray water in landscaping, even solar-heating your shower.

* 04/02/2008

Kids can turn trash to treasure with Earth Day crafts
To honor Earth Day in kids' crafting, one really needs to think trash. That is, "What can I rescue from the garbage bin and reuse?"

* 04/01/2008

Eco-friendly gardening is easy with a few simple steps
For the most part, creating an eco-friendly garden involves returning to the Earth as much as or more than what you've been taking out of it. And it can be done on the cheap.

* 03/26/2008

Company creates windpower for high-rise buildings
The company -- Building Turbines -- wants to harness wind power to help keep the lights on in some major commercial buildings.

* Environmentalists sue federal government over inaction on listing endangered species
Environmentalists claim promises to whittle down a backlog of plants and animals being considered for endangered species protection amount to "smoke and mirrors."

* Headliners announced for simultaneous Earth Day events
The Roots, Ricky Skaggs, Los Lonely Boys, the Neville Brothers and Mickey Hart from the Grateful Dead are among the headliners for eight simultaneous Earth Day festivals April 20.

* 03/25/2008

Western Antarctic ice chunk collapses
A chunk of Antarctic ice about seven times the size of Manhattan suddenly collapsed, putting an even greater portion of glacial ice at risk, scientists said Tuesday.

* 03/20/2008

Wal-Mart's latest green store cuts energy use up to 45 percent
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will open its latest generation of energy-efficient test stores this week with a Las Vegas Supercenter that uses new cooling technology to cut overall energy use by up to 45 percent.

* 03/19/2008

Global warming rushes timing of spring
The fingerprints of man-made climate change are evident in seasonal timing changes for thousands of species on Earth, according to dozens of studies.

* 03/13/2008

EPA tightens limits on smog
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency tightened the nationwide limit on ozone, or smog, but the decision didn't seem to please anyone.

* 03/11/2008

Making 'green' investments grow takes research and patience
The growing trend toward clean and alternative energy sources represents an investment opportunity for those who do it right.

* Beauty industry creates standards for organic labeling
The beauty industry has formed a new industry association to back standards for eco-friendly products.

* 03/06/2008

Sewage-based fertilizer safety doubted
It was a farm idea with a big payoff and supposedly no downside: ridding lakes and rivers of raw sewage and industrial pollution by converting it all into a free, nutrient-rich fertilizer.

* 03/05/2008

A little creativity brings new life to old things
Given fears of a recession and worries about overflowing landfills, there's new incentive to find second lives for many household items.

* 02/26/2008

Even your dog is getting green
Fueled by increasing popularity of environmentally friendly products of all kinds, the sustainable pet product industry is expected to grow to nearly $1 billion in sales by 2009.

* 02/25/2008

USPS approves reusable envelope line
Tired of all the paper associated with credit card bills and your electricity statement? You may soon have one less piece to worry about.

* 02/22/2008

Explaining the Recycling Symbol
You can find the chasing arrow symbol on many of your favorite products, issuing a call to action that you should recycle. But the symbol itself involves much more than just dropping off your products in a bin.

* 02/18/2008

Ted Danson presses for protecting the oceans
The star of the long-running hit TV show "Cheers" on Thursday called for better practices to protect the world's oceans from overfishing and mercury contamination.

* 02/14/2008

Generation Green taking on parents to help them save the planet
Say hello to Generation Green. They've been learning how to save the planet since toddlerhood, and they're taking on their parents to do more, do better.

* 02/12/2008

Easier options for cutting down on junk mail
There's nothing like a flood of holiday catalogs — followed by an even bigger flood of post-holiday sales catalogs — to make families think about trying to get their names off mailing lists.

* 02/07/2008

Old Crocs come back to live in needy places
Old Crocs are getting a second chance — and giving many needy people around the world their first pair of shoes.