Baby steps to getting green V

I finally took the plunge and invested in some rechargeable batteries. The initial investment is kinda steep, right around $50. But for that I now have 4 AAA and 8 AA batteries along with 2 chargers.

The 2^nd charger is pretty handy, as I keep it at work to juice-up the batteries for I use for my wireless keyboard and mouse. (I now feel much less guilty for using those.)

I went with Duracell, mostly because they were (nearly) giving away the chargers and they were reasonably priced.

I steered clear of Energizer because of bad reviews online. Duracell got decent reviews online, but Rayovac got higher marks. I saw all brands available at Target this weekend. Though I got the deal on the chargers at OfficeMax.

So far they are working very well. But having had them for just over a week I cannot give good 'real world' assessment as they haven't run outta juice yet.

However, the coolest realization I've come to in making this move, is that most of the stuff I use daily (cell phone, laptop, mp3 player) already utilize rechargeable batteries. Which is cool because the same can probably be said for you. So this really is a baby step and should be a pretty easy move to make.

About the only items I own that need 'traditional' batteries are my TV/home theater remotes and Wii-motes. So the $50 investment should last me for quite a long time. And the prospect of never buying batteries again is pretty sweet...they always seem to be the thing you forget to buy until you are half-way home from the store.

One note, I do still have some non-rechargeable batteries laying around (I said these were baby steps). But I recently discovered that my office collects dead batteries for recycling. So take a couple minutes and ask around at your office to see if your company participates in such a program. If so, truck them into the office monthly, I know it helps me feel a little better about prior portable power transgressions.

*While on the topic of green and energy I thought I'd direct you to this web site: http://www.earthhourus.org/main.php Save this date: March 28, 2009 8:30 PM as a gesture towards acknowledging energy consumption and it's affects on climate change, I am encouraging you to take part in Earth Hour. All you need to do is turn-off your lights from 8:30-9:30 PM on March 28^th. I'll be doing so...I just signed-up online and tossed the date into the scheduler on my cell phone. 

Bags, bags...They're everywhere!

So I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of plastic bags.

I am not a small man. I probably eat more than my fair share, which requires grocery shopping, which brings me back to the plastic bags.

I have a drawer in my kitchen dedicated to storing the 10+ bags I bring home weekly from the grocery store.

So last week, I decided I needed to do something about this bag issue. As much for my sanity as the environment. So I bought a couple of those reusable bags on my last trip to Safeway.

I must say, those things are pretty tough and hold a lot more than I expected…in short, they are a more than viable alternative to the hoards of bags I used to bring home on a weekly basis.

Now I am not calling myself the second coming of Al Gore, but I just shared that story to illustrate how simple it is to do something that benefits the environment. Even if it’s just a little bit.

So my idea with this post is to see if you folks want to share any ideas/tips to make the world just a little greener.

I am a lazy man, so many of the changes I’ve made are simple and easy to integrate into my routine. Hopefully your suggestions will fit that mold.

Here are a couple more things I’ve done:
- Convert all lamps that take regular bulbs to Compact Florescent. Costco had a jumbo pack of CFL bulbs on sale for <$10 last time I was there. They also last much longer than regular bulbs, so less changing of bulbs to boot…a perk for a movement-averse fella like myself.
- Do all fidgeting in your car BEFORE starting the engine. This includes putting on the stereo face, making sure your Bluetooth head set is working, etc. This may seem small, but if you get in and out of your car as often as I do (and most folks do) that is a lot of time where you could be saving gas instead of wasting it.
- Close the door of rooms in your house that do not need to be temperature controlled. I don’t need my bathroom to be air conditioned or toasty warm. Closing the door means I have 15% less space to be temperature controlled.
- Use six-strip outlets that can be turned-off. Many of the gadgets that we have come to know and love, continue to sip the juice even when we think they are “off.” Flipping-off the power strip keeps that from happening.

I am far from the Poster Boy for a Greener Planet, but I think that’s why this is so cool. If someone like ME can make these changes then just about anyone can.

I am not talking about drastic life changes, just some little things that may even save you some money in the long run:
- CFL bulbs use 75% less energy then regular bulbs, that’s savings you will see every month in your electric bill.
- And being more efficient with gas is always smart, since it is money you actually burn.

Please post some of your ideas in the comment section and hopefully you can pick a few ideas up as well.