84 Ways You Can Help the Planet - The Boston Globe

84 Ways You Can Help the Planet - The Boston Globe: "SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. Energy conservation can be simple, but it has a big impact. If every home in the United States replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), the energy saved would prevent greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to taking more than 1 million cars off the road, says Arthur Rosenfeld, a physicist and member of the California Energy Commission. He also says that if Americans achieved a 2 percent reduction in energy use each year for the next 30 to 40 years - a feasible rate - we would be halfway to stabilizing our greenhouse-gas emissions. 'What many people don't realize is how easy conservation is,' says Rosenfeld. MAKE SURE 'OFF' IS OFF. Household electronics account for more than 25 percent of home electricity use, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Since chargers for iPods, cellphones, electric drills, and the like draw electricity even when not connected to their mates, these should be removed from sockets as soon as the devices are juiced. Anything with a standby light - TVs, for example - should be plugged into a power strip that is shut down when not in use. (Electronics qualified by the federal Energy Star program - a joint effort of the EPA and the Department of Energy - use lower wattage in standby mode"