How Green Are
You?
By Jennifer Bogo,
Realsimple.com
Check out Real
Simple's carbon
facts to see
exactly how your
(small) actions
can make a (big)
difference.
Your
Carbon-Saving
Equation
See how your
earth-friendly
measures make a
difference:
Simply add up
the pounds of
carbon dioxide
(CO2) next to
those actions
listed below.
For a more
tangible sense
of what that
number means,
work out whether
you have saved
enough to offset
the pollution
that one car
emits in a year
by dividing your
total by 12,037
(the pounds of
CO2 that the
average car
emits
annually).*
Action:
Recycle Aluminum
and Steel Cans
Why it’s
worth it:
Recycling
aluminum and
steel cans
directs valuable
metal into new
products, saving
95 percent of
the energy
required to
manufacture
aluminum from
scratch and 74
percent of the
energy needed to
make steel.
Your one-year
effect: 414
pounds of CO2
saved.
The effect if
everyone in the
U.S. did it for
one year: Equal
to 3,934,118
nonhybrid cars
taken off the
road for one
year.
Action:
Recycle
Newspapers and
Magazines
Why it’s
worth it:
Americans throw
away more paper
than any other
kind of trash.
Recycling the
pounds of
magazines and
newspapers the
average
household
accrues in a
year not only
saves trees but
also reduces
contributions to
air pollution by
95 percent.
Your one-year
effect: 581
pounds of CO2
saved.
The effect if
everyone in the
U.S. did it for
one year: Equal
to 5,511,566
nonhybrid cars
taken off the
road for one
year.
* All
calculations are
based on savings
per household
except for those
relating to
driving, which
are per person.
Action: Wash
Laundry on a
Cooler Setting
Why it’s
worth it: About
90 percent of
the energy used
to wash clothes
goes to heating
the water.
Assuming you
already wash
half your
laundry in cold,
moving the other
half from hot to
warm can save a
substantial
amount of
energy.
Your one-year
effect: 349
pounds of CO2
saved.
The effect if
everyone in the
U.S. did it for
one year: Equal
to 3,316,442
nonhybrid cars
taken off the
road for one
year.
Action:
Switch Five
Light bulbs to
Compact
Fluorescent
Light bulbs
Why it’s
worth it: A
25-watt compact
fluorescent
lightbulb (CFL)
provides the
same amount of
light as a
75-watt
incandescent.
CFLs use a third
of the energy
and last 10
times longer.
Switching five
bulbs could save
about $400 over
the CFLs’
lifetime.
Your one-year
effect: 500
pounds of CO2
saved.
The effect if
everyone in the
U.S. did it for
one year: Equal
to 4,751,350
nonhybrid cars
taken off the
road for a year.
Action:
Compost a Fifth
of Your Garbage
Why it’s
worth it:
Putting less
trash on the
curb reduces the
amount of fuel
required to haul
it away. Plus,
composting food
scraps, like
apple cores,
keeps them out
of landfills,
where they can
break down to
release a potent
greenhouse gas.
Your one-year
effect: 832
pounds of CO2
saved.
The effect if
everyone in the
U.S. did it for
one year: Equal
to 7,906,246
nonhybrid cars
taken off the
road for one
year.
Action:
Follow the Speed
Limit
Why it’s
worth it: It may
be tempting to
drive 120 km/h,
but sticking to
the 80 km/h
speed limit
improves fuel
economy by
almost 15
percent. That
will reduce your
car’s emissions
and help you
save about $200
at the pump.
Your one-year
effect: 1,500
pounds of CO2
saved.
The effect if
everyone in the
U.S. did it for
one year: Equal
to 28,121,158
nonhybrid cars
taken off the
road for one
year.
Action: Use
Power Strips
Why it’s worth
it: Is your TV
turned off?
Think again. A
percentage of
your home’s
electricity goes
to devices that
are not in use
but are plugged
in. To kill the
current and
lower your bill,
plug them into a
power strip and
flip the switch.
Your one-year
effect: 1,608
pounds of CO2
saved.
The effect if
everyone in the
U.S. did it for
one year: Equal
to 15,280,342
nonhybrid cars
taken off the
road for one
year.
Action: Drive
a Hybrid
Electric Car
Why it’s
worth it: The
most
fuel-efficient
midsize hybrid
gets a combined
mileage of 46
miles a gallon;
a typical
midsize car gets
25 miles a
gallon. By not
using as much
gas, you’re
saving 4½
barrels of oil a
year, plus about
$560.
Your one-year
effect: 3,660
pounds of CO2
saved.
The effect if
everyone in the
U.S. did it for
one year: Equal
to 68,615,626
nonhybrid cars
taken off the
road for a year.
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