If you want to add green meaning to online searches, head on over to WebEcoist, the new and extremely groovy green sister site to WebUrbanist, to be spoilt for choice. They’ve compiled a list of the greenest search engines, 27 of them in total, and explain what exactly makes each individual search engine green.
If you’re not looking to search, go and visit WebEcoist anyway, because they’re new and exciting. And if you’re not already familiar with it, check out WebUrbanist too, one of my favourite blogs ever.
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I was approached by my office landlord to put together a few ideas for him to save money by going green. It doesn’t matter what your motives are, as long as you’re doing something to reduce your energy consumption. And because we can all benefit from a little reminder of how we could be saving some more energy from time to time, I’m sharing my list with you. Being kind to the environment will definitely help reduce water and electricity costs whether you’re a tenant, homeowner, landlord or office manager.
Electricity
1. Light-bulbs – look for the energy rating on the packet and go for A only. Energy saving light-bulbs are a bit more expensive than the regular old ones, but they last for 5-10 years and save up to 70% of energy used, so it’s a false economy to buy cheaper bulbs.
2. Switch off standby – this device is on sale at the moment and you don’t need an electrician to install it. It’s like a remote control to switch off all non-essential power supplies in an office or home.
3. Motion sensor lights – these are great, especially in offices and communal areas in flats or house-shares. If possible, look out for LED bulbs as these use hardly any energy but do tend to be used more for atmospheric low-lighting conditions.
4. Appliances – in the home situation, when choosing cookers, fridges, washing machines etc. always look for the energy rating. AAA is best and G is the worst. If you currently have an old fridge, it’s possible to add a Sava Plug to it to improve energy efficiency.
Water
Considering that water rates have just gone up in the UK, it makes sense to save this resource too.
1. New toilets by law require a dual flush cistern, but if you have any older toilets, consider fitting a hippo into the cistern. This is a low cost way of using less water for every flush.
2. Add an aerator fitting to taps.
3. Stop all dripping taps.
Photo credit: thingermejig
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