It’s summer time, which means running the air conditioning more, and fans, and the kids are all home from school charging their electronics, maybe watching tv, video games (hopefully playing outside too) and the whole family is under the same roof more often. That means we consume more energy! I was asked to blog about and join a great initiative spearheaded by ENERGY STAR, the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency program that helps people save money and protect the environment and our health through energy-efficient products and practices.
Why? Team ENERGY STAR is a great way for parents to encourage their families to live a more energy efficient lifestyle – which is better for the environment, and your WALLET. If you can talk your kids into turning off lights and unplugging electronics not in use on a daily basis your electric bill will go down and you will be contributing to a nationwide effort to preserve our climate. Climate changes will likely increase illnesses from increased pollution, extreme heat, storms, allergies and disease. My biggest concern is the increasing rate of pollution… there is already so much gunk in our air already.
“About 70 percent of the electricity we use comes from power plants burning fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels causes greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change – a real and urgent challenge affecting people and the environment, worldwide. Using energy-efficient products and practices reduces the amount of carbon pollution added to the atmosphere and can lessen the effects of climate change.”
Sure there needs to be bigger changes greater than turning off a few lights, but if we all try to be more energy efficient, it has to do something positive. Last year, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 41 million cars — all while saving $23 billion on their utility bills and reducing the pollution that contributes to heart disease, asthma and allergies.
I encourage you to Take The Pledge to make your home as energy efficient as possible. Along with Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax to make it fun for the kids to participate too, you’ll be well on your way! There are easy steps (like replacing some light bulbs) to help you and your family get there and start saving on your energy bill!
Please help us make a difference – you’re not just one person, you’re part of a huge movement to protect our environment. I joined… will you join me?
Kathy, You sure nailed it! Kids don’t even think about all the ways they waste energy, do they? Thanks for letting us know about Team ENERGY STAR and a stress-free way parents can get kids to turn off the switches that power their electronic lives.
i’ll definitely take the pledge! thanks for sharing:)
Great post! I think it really helps just to start the conversation early with kids, to teach them the environmental consequences of using up too much energy or water. I took the Lorax out from the library and my 3 year old instantly sympathized with the sick bears and birds!
Glad to be apart of the Energy Star Pledge .