Image description: Two dive tenders from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lisa Macchio and Tim Siwiec, take solid phase microextraction devices from diver Brent Richmond. Richmond is diving at a Superfund site to see if the cleanup is working.
Superfund is the federal government’s program to clean up the nation’s uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Learn more about the Superfund program.
Photo by Sean Sheldrake, EPA
Many people think that having an environmentally friendly house means spending thousands of dollars on solar panels or planting a garden on the roof to keep the house cool during the summer time.
That’s not really the case. There are many things you can do to help the environment without having to transform your home, or even spend too much money. In fact, you might end up saving hundreds of dollars per year in the process.
The following tips will help you get started.
Refrigerators. Microwaves. Air conditioners. Heaters. Dishwashers. These are the appliances that eat up more than half of the $2,200 an average family spends in energy costs per year. However, you can do your part to help the planet and also save up to 30 percent of the electricity bill by using energy efficient products that have the ENERGY STAR symbol.
To enjoy some of the benefits of appliances with the ENERGY STAR symbol,
The ENERGY STAR website has tips for saving energy and finding ENERGY STAR products.
An easy way to reduce damage to the environment is to use cleaning products that are biodegradable and have low toxicity levels. These products could also make your home safer, as the lower toxicity might reduce the chance of accidental poisonings.
To use eco-friendly cleaning products:
You can also clean your house by using simple, non-toxic household substances such as white vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and borax. However, be careful because these substances don’t work well on all surfaces.
The Environmental Protection Agency says that recycling is one of the best ways to help the environment. But beyond recycling, it’s important to properly dispose household items like cleaning products, oils, batteries, pesticides and other products containing hazardous components that can harm both humans and the environment.
Your local government recycling program can give you more information on which products can be recycled and how to dispose of dangerous household items.
Image description: This hand colored glass lantern slide is of the rose gardens at “Newmar,” Senator George Almer Newhall house, Hillsborough, California in spring 1917.
A lantern slide is a small glass transparency, typically 3.25 x 4 inches, designed for use in a projector that casts an enlarged image on a wall or screen. This slide was created from a black-and-white photograph taken by noted American photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952). She was a dedicated advocate of the garden beautiful movement in the early 1900s and slides such as this were used to illustrate her popular lectures for garden club members, museum audiences, and horticultural societies from 1915 until the 1930s.
View more garden slides on Flickr.
Image from the Library of Congress.
Earth Day is April 22nd. Here at the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) we’d like to invite you to participate in a variety of fun projects.
Help us capture the moment of Earth Day 2012. As part of our ongoing photo project, State of the Environment, we’re launching Environment in a Day to collect photos around the world, taken within the twenty four hour period of Earth Day. To participate, take a photograph where you are on April 22nd, upload it to Flickr, and share it with our State of the Environment group. One photo from each state and U.S. territory will be featured on an interactive map of the moment.
Our Planet. Six words. Ready go! We’re working with SMITH Magazine and asking you to write a six- word essay on the environment. Learn more about this project and read some of our six-word essays at our blog and share your Six Words for the Planet at SMITH Magazine.
Like to explore? Then Greenquest is for you! Test your knowledge about the environment, solve a puzzle, learn about things you can do, list your name on the wall, and enter the prize drawing to be a guest blogger on EPA’s It’s Our Environment blog.
Look beneath the surface and join the conversation! We’ve created a place for you to talk about environmental issues and share environmental tips you use every day. Watch the video, then start a discussion or join an existing one.
Find more information on Earth Day and how you can become involved.
Image description: This photo from the U.S. Department of the Interior shows Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California. From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches to its open grasslands, brushy hillsides, and forested ridges, Point Reyes National Seashore offers visitors over 1,500 species of plants and animals to discover.
Photo by Nick Chill, National Park Service
