Going Green: Small Changes with Big Impacts
April 22, 2020 Category: Pop Culture
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Happy 50th birthday, Earth Day!
Founded in 1970, Earth Day has become an annual event designed to bring global communities together to create a positive impact on our world through minimizing resource consumption and to use our collective voice to demand change.
This year, Earth Day is moving to the digital world with 24 hours of action in which people around the globe can participate. With tons of resources available online, like quizzes, toolkits, tips, and live streams, there’s plenty to keep you busy this Earth Day.
But what about the rest of the year?
With these tips on going green, you can practice more sustainable living all year round!
Go Paperless
Virtually every business offers electronic receipts, billing, and payment options, which means it’s never been easier to go paperless. From telecom and hydro providers to video and music streaming services, everyone is looking to the digital future.
Gone are the days of having to wrestle with bursting filing cabinets or toppling stacks of bills and envelopes! Misplacing a bill or a receipt can be nerve-wracking, but electronic options eliminate that worry. With e-billing and online payment options, you’ll always have a record of your documents and activities that can be easily and neatly organized in your email folders.
Of course, going paperless isn’t just better for the environment; it helps support physical distancing practices during this time to keep both you and essential workers safe.
Execulink is proud to offer its customers options for viewing and paying bills online: visit MyExeculink, make payments through your personal online banking, or contact our Customer Care Team to pay with your credit or debit credit card and/or set up pre-authorized payments. We also recommend e-billing as an eco-friendly solution that prevents unnecessary face-to-face contact for you and our postal workers. It’s so easy, you can make the switch today!
Eliminate Energy Waste
Energy waste is what it sounds like: a waste of electrical energy. If you stop and think about all the different appliances and electronics you have plugged in at home, it may surprise you. Chances are that a lot of these things aren’t used every day, which means leaving them plugged in slowly zaps the electrical charge.
Alliance to Save Energy lists leaving electronics plugged in as one of the 10 biggest energy-wasting habits at home, stating that appliances and electronics use energy even when they’re off! Saving energy and money can be as easy as unplugging these devices – like phone chargers, game consoles, and food processors – when they’re not in use.
Let There Be Energy-Efficient Light
Electricity is a game-changer. We use it to light our homes, businesses, and recreational spaces all the time, but we’re not always using the most efficient types of lighting to get the job done.
The traditional incandescent lightbulb has been the go-to for ages, but newer and more energy-efficient bulbs are paving the well-lit way to greener living.
Halogen incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are ENERGY STAR certified and use between 25% and 80% less energy. They also have lifespans of up to 25 times longer than the standard incandescent bulbs, according to Energy.gov.
Better yet, these energy-saving alternatives are available at your usual hardware and home stores or even online, making them an easily accessible solution! You’ll buy fewer lightbulbs in the long run and enjoy paying for 25% to 80% less energy consumption while creating a positive impact on our environment.
Okay, Let There Be Light, But Not TOO Much Light
Electricity allows us to do so much and has become so integral to our daily routines that sometimes it may be taken for granted. If you forget to turn the light out in just one room when you leave for two hours every day for a month, that’s an additional 60 hours of light and energy that’s been wasted and paid for!
It’s not always easy, but it’s absolutely possible to break the habit of leaving the lights on.
For those living with others, you can make a game out of turning off the lights. Maybe it’s as simple as having to put money into the Energy Jar if you’re caught leaving the lights on, or perhaps the person who remembers to turn them off most often gets a prize. Whatever you choose, a team effort is the best effort!
If you’re really struggling to remember to turn off the lights, you could use a Smart Home monitoring system to control the lights in your home from your smartphone, computer, or voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa or the Google Home.
Go ENERGY STAR
Did you know that appliances can account for 20% of your electric bill on average? That’s a lot of usage over a lifetime!
Switching to energy-efficient appliances where possible cuts down on energy consumption by 10% to 50% depending on the appliance. With electric rates increasing year over year, ENERGY STAR appliances are an investment in long-term savings. There are even rebates in place to help you make the switch!
It turns out going green for the planet can also mean a little more green in your wallet!
At Execulink, we strive to live by the Keep it Simple principle by removing all complexities and waste. You can learn more about our Values here.
