LIVING GREEN IN LAS VEGAS Because of the way nature has designed Southern Nevada, it is in the best interest of every resident to "live green". Whether you live in Boulder City, Green Valley / Henderson, Las Vegas, Laughlin, Mount Charleston, Summerlin, Southern Highlands, or anywhere else in Southern Nevada, the actions you take every day impact the lives of your family, friends, colleagues - coworkers , and neighbors. By just slightly changing your day to day activities you can improve the quality of life for everyone in Southern Nevada. Living an environmentally friendly lifestyle will also save you money! VegasGreenLiving.com is dedicated to expanding the awareness of the benefits of living an environmentally friendly lifestyle ("living green") in Las Vegas and beyond. GREEN LIVING TIP OF THE WEEK Turn It Down! Your waterheater can be one of the most inefficient appliances in your home. It heats water, even when you're not using it. Start by wrapping your water heater with a thermal blanket. They are very inexpensive, and will save you quite a bit of money over the life of the water heater. Especially in summer months, turn down your water heater. With temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in Las Vegas during the summer, don't be surpised that you can turn down the heat in your water heater to medium or lower. And in doing so, you'll be saving money - and our natural resources! ...more LAST WEEK'S GREEN LIVING TIP Drink Tap Water! Bottled water has a huge impact on our environment. Just consider the fuel it takes to transport the water, and the glass or plastic to make the bottle, the packaging that holds the water bottles. Think Bottled Water is Safer? Think Again! Just because water comes in a bottle, doesn't mean that it is necessarily safer. The fact is, you may just be drinking the same water that comes out of your tap. Most cities are required to disinfect and test for parasites and asbestos - bottled water companies are not currently required by the Food and Drug Administration to do so. Your municipal water ("tap water") doesn't impact the environment like bottled water. There is no transportation cost, no bottling, no packaging. And it's less expensive! Use an in-house filtration system like Brita or PUR to improve the taste and quality of your water. I actually use both! I've installed a faucet mounted Pur water filtration system, which I use to fill my carafe style Brita water filter. I keep the Brita water carafe in my refrigerator, so I always have cold great tasting water on those hot days. And before I leave the house, I fill my reusable sports bottle. This saves me money, and helps protect our environment. For more information on the quality of water in Southern Nevada - including Las Vegas - visit the Southern Nevada Water Authority - www.snwa.com. Remember to consult your physician as well. ...more ARCHIVE Insulate Your Windows Insulating your windows is an easy way to conserve energy, and save money. Uninsulated windows release a tremendous amount of heat in the winter, and cold in the summer. Replacing your single pane windows with double paned insulated windows will save money and may increase the value of your home. A less expensive alternative is to tint the windows in your home. Gila manufacturers window film which reflects 70% of summer heat and retains 55% of winter heat. This window film saves energy and money, reflecting up to 99% of UV rays and blocks glare. Window film is easy to install - even on dual pane glass. For tips on installating insulating film on your windows - click here. ...more Start a Compost Some people think that starting a compost is fun. While we wouldn't go that far, composts are easy to maintain, and they are quite beneficial to the environment. Rather than sending your organic waste to the dump, you can recycle it into your landscaping. Eggshells, coffee, banana peels are good, ... but don't put meat in your compost! This saves the fuel of the garbage truck, saves space at the dump, and invigorates your landscaping with nutrients. For tips on creating your own compost - click here. http://www.ehow.com/how_3541_begin-compost-pile.html ...more Install Low Flow Faucet Aerators Las Vegas receives less rain than any other state. With water levels of the Colorado River falling each year, every Las Vegas resident must take steps to reduce their water usage. One good way to save water is to install low flow faucet aerators. Installing low flow faucet aerators is easy, and saves a lot of water! The average faucet flow is as much as 3 gallons a minute. This low flow aerator (shown to the right) allows only .7 gallons per minute, a savings of more than 50%. You can purchase low flow aerators at any home improvement store. They cost about $3 each - and take less than a minute to install. ...more Get Electronic Receipts / Statements Take all of your receipts for a month and put them in a pile. Now pull out all of your bank statements, credit card statements, ... anything that can be sent to you electronically. See all the paper you save! Not to mention the envelop to send the statement, the fuel to drive the postal truck to deliver the statement ... you get the idea! Pay your bills electronically and you'll double the savings! ...more Air Dry Your Clothes Las Vegas enjoys some of the lowest humidity levels in the United States. Especially in the summer months, you can dry your clothes on a clothes line either in your backyard or your garage almost as quickly as if you used a gas or electric dryer. Air drying your clothes saves you money several ways, including a lower gas / electric bill - and your clothes will last longer! ...more Take A Cold Shower! Heating the water in your house (and keeping it hot) takes up a lot of energy. You can save energy by finding ways to reduce the amount of hot water you use. Start by lowering the temperature of your water heater (especially when you are on vacation!). Another great way to save energy (and money) is to wash your clothes in cold water. And for the very brave, take cold showers. It takes a bit to get used to - but they are actually fun! TIP:Get your hair wet first, this takes most of the shock out of the cold water. If taking a cold shower is a bit too much for you, try showering while you are waiting for the hot water. This way you won't waste any water Remember - Las Vegas is a desert. Every drop of water counts! ...more ReGifting Is Good f you MUST send a physical greeting card, then don't write on the card. Write your note on a nice piece of paper, and put it inside the card. It looks just as nice, and allows the recipient to reuse the card for someone else. Re-gifting a card saves the environment! And when you receive a physical greeting card, make sure that you recycle it! ...more Cover That Pool! Did you know that just by covering your pool, you can save thousands of gallons of water lost to evaporation. The water you save in the first year can easily cover up to half the cost of a pool cover - and save as much as 15,000 gallons of water. The Southern Nevada Water Authority offer an instance online coupon, redeemable at participating pool-supply stores, that saves you money on your next pool cover. Visit www.snwa.com to print your coupon and save! ...more Just Send Cash Does someone you love have an upcoming birthday? Do them a favor - just send cash! Cash (or even gift certificates) are one-size-fit-all, and save the extra trip to the store to return your gift (let's face it, most gifts get returned!). Greeting cards are nice, but how long do you actually keep one. One week? Two, maybe? Next time send an electronic greeting card. After all, it is the thought that matters. Electronic greeting cards are low cost (if not free), and reduce the amount of paper we use, the fuel used to deliver the card, the resources to print the card...etc. ...more Turn Off Your Lights How many rooms can you be in at one time? That's right - one. So turn off the lights in the other rooms! And whenever possible, open the windows and use daylight instead! ...more Turn It Down! Your waterheater can be one of the most inefficient appliances in your home. It heats water, even when you're not using it. Start by wrapping your water heater with a thermal blanket. They are very inexpensive, and will save you quite a bit of money over the life of the water heater. Especially in summer months, turn down your water heater. With temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in Las Vegas during the summer, don't be surpised that you can turn down the heat in your water heater to medium or lower. And in doing so, you'll be saving money - and our natural resources! ...more submitted by Brilliant Light Studios Sierra Club Event May 25-28, 2007 Car Camping in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument RSVP to George McDonald (onecoolhike@yahoo.com or 808-3855) Panorama Towers Learn how you can contribute to saving the environment by living in Panorama Towers. Contact Michelle Lorenzo Today! Click To Email Michelle copyright 2007 - Epic Innovations, Inc.