7 Ways to Go Green for Earth Day

In 1969, a blowout on a Union Oil Company platform stationed off the California coast dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the sea. Images of tar-covered seabirds and dolphins with clogged blowholes horrified the nation.

Gaylord Nelson, a senator from Wisconsin, wanted to mobilize this reaction to raise environmental awareness. In 1970, Nelson founded Earth Day.

Twenty million Americans participated in rallies that first year. Now April 22 is celebrated as Earth Day in nearly 200 countries around the world.

To get you in the Earth Day spirit, here are 7 easy tips for going a little greener.

• Celebrate with a bike tune-up. If you have a nearly forgotten bike tucked away in the garage, drag it to a local bike shop for professional advice. If you’ve used your bike in recent memory, make sure the tires are pumped up and the brakes work. A little less time in the car and a little more time on the bike would be good for the health of both body and environment. According to the EPA, leaving the car home two days each week can reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by about two tons per year.

• Summer is definitely hot. But do you really need to turn the thermostat down to 60 degrees Fahrenheit? See if you can live with it set at 75. You could also consider upgrading to a smart thermostat that can cut energy usage when it’s not needed.

• Going into spring and summer, you probably won’t be using your fireplace too much. So this is a good time of year to make it as efficient as possible. A heat-air exchange system maximizes efficiency by blowing warmed air back at you. Make sure the seal on your flue damper fits snugly to keep that valuable a/c cooled air inside your home where it belongs. Since this is off-season, you might even get a good deal on your annual visit from the chimney sweep.

Quick Earth Day Tip:

Spring and summer are good times to decorate your hearth with candles or plants like our Calias Mantel shown below.

• Do less laundry. Wait until you have a full load, then wash your clothes in cold water.

• Instead of washing steps and driveways with a hose, conserve water by sweeping them.

• Have you replaced all your bulbs yet with more energy-efficient compact fluorescents? If not, start with your five most frequently used lights, and expand from there.

• Have you been considering installing a new fireplace? Consider a gas fireplace box, which is up to 70% more efficient than wood-burning fireplaces and still looks gorgeous surrounded by a cast stone mantel from Old World Stoneworks.

We hope you celebrate Earth Day in a meaningful way. If you want to talk mantels – or get more fireplace efficiency tips – give us a call.