101 Ways to Save Energy and Environment – for Mother Earth

“The struggle to save the global environment is in one way much more difficult than the struggle to vanquish
Hitler, for this time the war is with ourselves. We are the enemy, just as we have only ourselves as allies.” – Al
Gore

Saving environment is one of the most-liked content here at OCAAT. I am happy to see such awareness for
environment. Also I tend to think that social media is actually spreading good habits in masses, making this planet
a better place to live. Once I posted on Facebook about buying reusable shopping bag for grocery it went viral and
amidst 20 likes and 17 comment I think at least a couple got inspired and bought reusable shopping bags.

A few months ago I posted 25 ways I am contributing towards saving the environment everyday. While I am at it
constantly, I tried listing the possible ways I can help save environment. The topic is such serious that I decided to
write about it again, even though OCAAT is a personal finance blog.

There are some energy-and environment saving tips that if followed to the latter will go a long way in reducing the
amount of energy you spend in your home. You will save yourself a lot of money in the long run as well. To add to
that, you will be contributing to saving the earth by using the little energy available for a longer period

1. Use fluorescent light bulbs as they use less energy than standard light bulbs.
2. Light your rooms only when you need, not all rooms need the same amount of lighting.
3. By arranging the amount of lighting depending on the amount or light needed, you will choose the right kind
of fluorescent light bulb and save energy.
4. Rather than have several low wattage bulbs in a room, get yourself a single high-wattage bulb and
5. Do not exceed the recommended wattage for a fixture.
6. Ensure you are aware of the recommended wattage for every fixture
7. Be sure to switch off the outdoor bulbs when they are not needed.
8. Long life incandescent light bulbs waste a lot of energy, so be sure to keep off them.
9. Clean your bulbs appropriately and as often as they get dirty to improve their efficiency.
10. Paint your house with white colors so that they can reflect the light from the lighting fixtures. This will mean
you will only use lower wattage bulbs.
11. Use small appliances to cook smaller meals, e.g. microwave
12. Remove the frost from the fridge as often as possible.
13. Clean your fridge at least twice in a year to remove the dirt and dust and to enable it to run more efficiently.
14. Set your fridge at a temperature slightly lower than room temperature-enough to maintain the food items in it
for some time.
15. Place your fridge away from the sunlight or any direct heat as this will make it use a lot of energy.
16. Always make sure your dishwasher is full before turning it on to wash the dishes.
17. Do not clean your dishes for longer than necessary.
18. Clean your home using manual tools as much as possible, a simple brim vs. vacuum cleaner helps a lot when
you have time.
19. Ensure your appliances are well maintained so they cost less energy.
20. When using a cooker, let the food simmer until it is fully cooked, do not always cook on full heat as it will use
more energy.
21. Turn off the heat before the food is fully cooked, the food will cook with the retained heat. This is lesson I
learned from food network.
22. Prepare all your ingredients before you turn on the heat to cook
23. Cover the pan when cooking to allow the steam to cook the food as well. This will save energy.
24. Don’t open the door of the oven when the food bakes as it will reduce the energy and it will take a lot more
energy to increase it.
25. Cook using the right pan size, a larger pan will waste heat as the whole of it will have to be heated
26. Use a washing machine that you can control the water level, this will save you a lot of energy since you can use
less water when you want to
27. For those machines you cannot control water levels, make sure you have washed clothes only when you need
to.
28. Line dry your clothes outside in the summer months to save energy
29. Use cold water for rinsing to save energy, rather than heating water to rinse them
30. Clean the lint filter in your washer to ensure that it runs efficiently and saves a lot more energy
31. Make sure you air conditioner has a fan to reduce your energy costs. Your air conditioner will not work harder
than it has to when you have a fan
32. Use ceiling fans for cooling the rooms during the hotter months.
33. Maintaining the fans and air conditioning systems accordingly will help reduce the operating costs and reduce
the energy you have to pay for.
34. Power on your PC, printer and fact only when you need them and switch them off when you have finished
working with them
35. Buy water heaters that save a lot of energy (they may be expensive but worth it in the long run)
36. Buy the right size of heater. One that is too large will heat a lot of water which may not be used so it will waste
energy
37. Water heaters should be close to kitchen so that it does not have to travel through a long distance of pipe and
lose its heat
38. Insulate water pipes to prevent loss of heat of hot water
39. Repair any leaks in water heaters and tanks to prevent loss of water and energy
40. Low-flow shower heads will save you a lot of water and energy in the long run
41. Water softener will remove minerals from water that make it hard therefore, it will be easier to boil water,
hence saving energy
42. Use thermostat for your air conditioner.
43. Use an air conditioner with varying fan speeds
44. Locate your air conditioning in a central part of your home.
45. Seal an air conditioner to prevent warm air from getting in
46. Start the thermostat at low or medium, not high
47. Place the air conditioner in a cooler part of your home
48. Get an energy-efficient model of air conditioner; one that has a SEER ratio of more than 13
49. Determine the size of air conditioner needed for your home before buying
50. Repair air conditioners to maximize efficiency.
51. Keep the thermostat clear of heat generating appliances.
52. Clean and replace air conditioner filter as needed.
53. Change the thermostat settings of your air conditioner appropriately.
54. Close window blinds during the day to keep your house warm so that your air conditioner isn’t overworked.
55. Do not cool the rooms you do not need
56. Reduce the heat in your household so that your air conditioning doesn’t work extra hard
57. Turn off appliances when you do not need them-they produce more heat
58. When driving, avoid quick breaking and starting as it decreases mileage
59. Don’t start the car before settling well in it. Read more on gas saving tips.
60. Avoid as much as possible getting stuck in traffic jams as they also decrease mileage
61. Keep your tires properly inflated-under-inflated tires will reduce mileage
62. Use premium unleaded gasoline because it is more efficient, although it’s debatable.
63. Use air conditioning only when it is necessary
64. Open window or close them to adjust the heat instead of using the air conditioner.
65. Park in a shade to prevent your car from overheating and reliance on air-conditioning
66. Service your air conditioner to ensure it works efficiently and it does not leak CFC’s
67. Do not turn off your engine if you are stopping for less than 30 seconds
68. Drive slowly, my mile-per-gallon indicator runs at highest efficiency at 55 mph speed on high ways.
69. Use the right oil for your car
70. Take your car for regular maintenance
71. Take used oil to a recycling center, don’t drop it in your trash can.
72. Remove luggage racks if you do not use them
73. Travel light, don’t carry excessive luggage, a lighter car consumes less gas.
74. Buy a vehicle that is energy efficient
75. Combine your errands rather than making a trip every time you need something
76. Drive only when you must, carpool when you can.
77. Use smaller vehicle while driving alone
78. Use scooter/bike for small errands
79. Be sure of where you are going, no need to get lost and use more fuel
80. Don’t overheat the swimming pool
81. Use solar energy to heat the swimming pool,
82. You can actually go solar energy route for all your energy need, if you have money for the equipment upfront.
83. Trees will protect your home from the heat hence reduce energy spent in cooling
84. Heat your swimming pool only when necessary
85. Don’t idle in your car, you may have to turn on the air conditioning
86. Put vinyl foam covers in your hot tub to save energy
87. Plant trees to protect your home from winds
88. Use rain water for watering plants to reduce reliance on pumped water
89. Take advantage of gravity when collecting and pumping water outside your home
90. Water lawns in the morning. Read more on saving water.
91. Don’t water lawns in the rainy season
92. Use drip irrigation instead of sprinklers
93. Use less plastic, use reusable shopping bags.
94. Reuse and re-purpose your tools and containers. Here’s 30 ways to reuse bottles.
95. Use emails and eGreetings and try to reduce the usage of physical mails and letters to save paper.
96. Use less fertilizer, use more of organic compost
97. Mulch your plants to retain moisture
98. Sweep sidewalks, don’t use a hose-it wastes energy
99. Organize planting events in your neighborhood.
100. Believe it or not, BBQ pollutes the air, I feel the pain when there’s some steak burning nearby, I feel sick inside.
Does every body needs to smell it?
101. Check your hoses and connectors for faults that may lead you to using more energy

SAVING OUR ENVIRONMENT:

THE MAJOR CAUSES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE:

1. Human beings are created maintain status quo. However, we believe that we are created to progress eternally.
2. We are supposed to determine the status of an man from his average skill. This would give a low status and low
income to every individual, thus preventing damage to environment. However, we determine the status of a man
from his skill in just one activity. This gives him a exaggeratedly high status. His exaggerated income has to come
from nature.
3. We use reasoning instead of logic. According to logic any one who earns huge amount of money is responsible
for damage to environment. According to reasoning timber lobbey chops of trees and this results in destruction of
environment!
4. we are supposed to lead an eternal way of life. However, we are modern. Therefore, we discard everything after
a single use. This use and throw culture causes enormous damage to nature.
5. According to Hinduism, progress is the previlege of people at the bottom. However, in the modern way of life
even people people at the top progress and that too at an astronomical rate.
WAYS TO SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT:

The farcical approach that we are using to save our environment wouldn't even reduce the rate at which our
environment is degraded.

We can save our environment

1. By believing that we are created to maintain status quo.
2. By determining the status of a man from his average skill
3. By using logic instead of reasoning
4. By leading an eternal way of life
5. By making progress the privelege of just the people at the bottom.