As we move into warmer weather, if you need to buy a new air conditioner, purchase the most efficient model, one with an Energy Star rating. Make sure it is the correct size for the amount of space you're cooling. Then install it in the shade to reduce its workload. If it has to be in the sun, build a protective shade over it without blocking air circulation. This will increase the unit's efficiency by 5-10%, saving you money and reducing your use of energy.

To reduce your carbon footprint, purchase local food products at local farmers markets or participate in community-supported agriculture. You might also wish to grow your own food.  Buying local or growing your own food can reduce the energy needed to transport produce by 1,000 miles or more.

Two excellent ways to conserve our resources are to carry reusable bags and a reusable mug with you.  Then while shopping you can forego using both paper and plastic bags and use your bags over and over instead.  Having the mug along will allow you to purchase a take-out beverage without using a plastic or paper cup that so often ends up in our landfills.

America's TVs consume the output of 21 large power plants.  Even when they are shut off, they still use the output of one power plant.  Many other types of home appliances use electricity when turned off as well.  The common mix of appliances in a home uses about 50 watts of electricity 24 hours per day.  Over a year, that produces over 600 lbs of CO2.  To reduce your CO2 output and save money, turn off the power to your appliances whenever they are not in use. Power strips are your friend - you can shut down many things at once. Newer ones even have an outlet that stays live for you "Tivo" or other recording devices.

Typical electric clothes washers and dryers generate 5 pounds of CO2 per washer/dryer cycle.  For laundry washed in hot water, 90% of the energy goes to heat the water, while only 10% powers the machine itself.  Washing in cold water creates substantial savings in CO2, about 2 pounds/load, and in most cases gets the clothes just as clean.  To create even greater savings in energy and to reduce the water used per load by about 50%, buy a front-loading machine when it is time to replace your current one.

Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.  They cost a little more, but they will last about 10,000 hours compared with 1,000 for the typical incandescent bulb.  So you will get your investment back in energy savings.  Using compact fluorescents instead of incandescent bulbs in rooms where lights are on for at least 4 hours per day saves 100 pounds of CO2 annually per bulb.

Air leaks around doors, windows, and electrical outlets; through the fireplace; in basements (between the foundation and the frame); and especially in attics lose as much heat, in the typical home, as leaving an average-size window open all winter long.  The extra heating fuel required to compensate for these energy leaks represents up to 800 pounds of CO2 emissions annually.  You can cut these emissions and keep your home warmer by using weather stripping, outlet insulators, caulking, insulating foam, window putty, and door sweeps to plug these leaks.

Heating your home in our climate typically generates about 8,800 pounds of CO2 emissions annually.  Changing your thermostat habits and setting your thermostat to 65-68 degrees F when someone is active in the house and 55-58 degrees F at night and when everyone is out of the house will lead to an annual CO2 reduction of 1,400 pounds.  And since home heating accounts for over a quarter of your energy bill, you'll save money as well.

One of the most important things you can do to save energy is to regularly tune up your furnace.  Up to 50% of the energy you use in your home goes to heating it.  And a heating system can waste up to 50% of the energy it uses if it's not operating efficiently. This can represent as much as 3,750 pounds of CO2 wastefully going into the air each year.  So tune-up your oil furnace once a year and if your furnace is gas, tune it up at least every two years.

Seal all joints in your warm-air ducts with mastic or duct tape that meets UL-181 specifications, and insulate all the heating ducts that pass through unheated areas such as crawl spaces.  These two actions can improve the efficiency of your heating system by as much as 30% and reduce your CO2 emissions by 800 pounds annually!

US residents drive an average of 10,000 miles per year per capita.  For a car that gets 20 mpg, each mile equals a pound of CO2, which means the emissions add up fast.  Reducing your amount of vehicle miles traveled is one of the most high-leverage actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint.  With planning, most people can achieve reductions of 20% (1,650 pounds of annual CO2 reduction).  Create a plan, and see how much you can reduce your CO2 emissions from this one action.

To reduce your vehicle miles traveled (VMT) each week and reduce your carbon footprint, start a non-commuting trip diary for your family, noting each trip's destination and mileage.  Combining shopping trips, making lists and pre-mapping your trips, and buying in larger quantities can reduce your VMT by as much as 50% a week.  Carpooling with other parents for your children's activities can drop your VMT by another 20% to 80% per week and also save lots of gas and money.

Every gallon of gasoline used in your car generates about 20 pounds of CO2.  Keeping your car in tune can improve your fuel efficiency as much as 30%. Make sure your tires are inflated to the pressure that is printed on them.  Both of these actions will reduce CO2 emissions & fuel costs.

A person with a red meat diet emits the global warming equivalent of about 5,000 pounds of CO2 a year more than a person with a vegetarian diet.  This is because livestock are inefficient at converting grains into useable food, with beef requiring 16 pounds of grain just to produce a pound of meat.  Add to that the resources used for producing grain, transporting meat to market, and packaging.  So one of the most important actions you can take to reduce your CO2 emissions is to broaden your diet and become less dependent on meat.

The primary cause of global warming is carbon dioxide emitted through the burning of gasoline, coal, oil, and natural gas, which we use to power our cars and homes and to produce the goods we consume.  Each day we can make choices in our lives to reduce the amount of CO2 that we personally produce.  Let's renew our efforts to make wise choices and to "live like everyday is Earth Day" to create a better future for our children and grandchildren.

A dirty filter makes your furnace work harder, so cleaning or replacing yours monthly can save energy and cut your heating costs by as much as five percent. Beyond the savings, clean filters keep dust and mold spores out of your house, helping reduce allergy symptoms. They can also prevent more expensive maintenance work or even the failure of your furnace.  A high-quality permanent filter that can be cleaned will cost more, but over its lifespan it will save far more than you would spend purchasing disposable filters, which also saves resources.