June 2015 Green Tip: Sustainable Choices to Make in the Check-Out Line

Do you wonder how to make green purchasing decisions? Below are some amazing sustainable products that are perfect for making your dorm, home, and office a greener environment this summer.

LIGHTBULBS: Choose LED over CFL

Top 10 Benefits of LED Lighting:

1. Long Life - life time expectation of up to 100,000 hours (11 years of continuous operation)
2. Energy Efficiency - 80-90% Energy Efficiency compared to conventional lightbulbs; this means 80% of the electrical energy is converted into light and the rest is lost and converted into other forms of energy such as heat
3. Ecologically Friendly - free of toxic chemicals and are 100% recyclable
4. Durable - resistant to shock, vibrations, and external impacts; excellent for outdoor lighting
5. Zero UV Emissions - produces little infrared light and close to no UV emissions, so highly suitable for foods and materials that are sensitive to heat
6. Design Flexibility - can be combined into any shape to produce highly efficient illumination; can be dimmed!
7. Operational in Extremely Cold or Hot Temperatures
8. Light Dispersement
9. Instant Lighting and Frequent Switching
10. Low-Voltage

Top 10 Problems with Fluorescent Lightbulbs:

1. Frequent Switching Causes Early Failures
2. Fluorescent Bulbs Contain Mercury
3. Fluorescent Lights Give Off Ultraviolet Light
4. The "Buzz" On the Fluorescent Ballast
5. Power Quality and Radio Interference
6. Not as Efficient at High and Low Temperatures
7. Fluorescent Lamp Shape Cause Retrofit Problems
8. Most Fluorescents are Not Able to be Dimmed
9. Contaminants Cause Disposal and Recycling Issues
10. Light from Fluorescent Bulb is Non-Directional

Did these benefits of LED lighting convince you? LED lighting has even more benefits and advantages, so make sure you go LED and save both the planet - and your money!

REFILLABLE PROPANE CANISTERS

Every year in North America, 40 million disposable one-pound propane cylinders are used, with over four million in California alone. Because of limited, expensive recycling options, the empty cylinders are often disposed of improperly in landfills, dumpsters, household trash, campsites, on the roadside or in recycling containers.

ReFuel Your Fun, a company, has created refillable propane canisters. The new valves on the refillable one-pound cylinders work exactly the same except they can be refilled and reused hundreds of times for up to 12 years. On the other hand, disposables are costly…not only to the environment but to your pocketbook as well.

So, the next time you go camping this summer, remember to bring your refillable propane canister!

SOLAR OVENS

With solar ovens, the sunlight is converted into heat that is retained for cooking. Check out SolarCookers.org for information on why to use a solar oven this summer when your cooking.