1. Go camping: Take your family, a tent, and enough food to last the weekend and hike over to the edge of a lake and pitch your tent.  Your food will be in a cooler with ice, you’ll cook over an open fire, and you’ll tell ghost stories around the fire for entertainment.  Think of the bonding you’ll do with your family and the fresh air you will get.
2. Camp in your back yard: Put up the tent (borrow one if you need to) in the back yard.  Use your grill or fire pit to cook your food.  Putting all of your food for the weekend into a cooler is an option, but one you may want to skip since you are at home.  Play games and tell stories to entertain the kids.  Take a nature walk and see what cool things you can find.
3. Camp in your living room: Pull out the sleeping bags and have everyone find a spot in the living or family room.  Start a fire in the fireplace and use that for heat and to cook over.  Other food that is not cooked over the fire is to be consumed cold or room temperature.  If it’s cold outside you can keep your food outside for the weekend, just be sure to put it in a cooler so the animals don’t get into it.
4. Stay in a cabin: There are plenty of rustic areas where you can go stay in a cabin.  Bring a lot of candles since you will need them to see by.  Make sure everyone brings a book to read and non-electronic games to play.  Cook over a camp stove or open fire.  Hiking in the woods, going swimming, exploring the area are all great things to do to unplug for the weekend.  Make sure to bring plenty of water too.
5. Black out: No TV, no computers, no electronics and no lights for the entire weekend.  You eat by candlelight, you read by natural light or candlelight, and you play games the same way.  Back in the old day’s people didn’t have electricity so just try to think of what kind of things they did.  Do you need your soccer shorts washed?  Put them in a bucket of water with some soap and wash them by hand and hang them out to dry.  Remember you don’t have a washer and dryer for the weekend.
6. Solar power: If you are looking into getting off the grid, or even just trying to save money, investing in solar panels will allow you to harness the power of the sun and store that energy into batteries.  You can run your home off of those batteries for a long time if you conserve energy.
7. Lighting: One of the main things to worry about if you lose electricity or want to stop using it is to have a source or sources of lighting.  The cheapest source of light is candles.  Then you can move up to kerosene lamps.  They also have lanterns that you can charge the battery by cranking it by hand.  If you buy the Aladdin lamp it runs on kerosene and has a much brighter light that would allow you to read or do handwork by it.  Rechargeable batteries that can be charged with solar power are a great option for flashlights.
8. Cooking: Another important thing when going without electricity is figuring out how to cook your food.  Grilling, campfire, or propane camp stove are very easy methods and readily available.  If you are really adventurous you can make your own solar oven.  Paint a cardboard box black on the inside.  Then cover the insides of the box with foil.  Using a piece of glass on the front will allow the sunlight to come into the box.  The black insides and the foil will keep the heat in the box.  Make sure to keep turning the box every 30 minutes so that it’s faced toward the sun.  You can make additional foil covered panels to attach above the sides to reflect more sunlight into the box.  The inside temperature will reach over 325 degrees.
9. Water: Unless you live by a lake, stream or river you need to make rain barrels to collect water.  This allows you to capture the rain that runs off your house and store it.  You can use this water to flush your toilets, water your garden, and even drink it if you filter and boil it.
10. Use the wind: It’s also possible to harness the power of the wind with a windmill and store that energy in batteries.  You can run your house on the battery power and have clean energy.  This would allow you to go a lot longer than a weekend without electricity, but you’d still be able to do all the things you love.

1. The federal government offers incentives that help offset the cost of installation, so that a consumer can realize energy savings more quickly. This means lower energy cost in a shorter time frame.
2. Solar panels can be used to generate a portion of your home’s power in order to reduce your dependency on traditional power sources. For instance, you can install panels to provide electricity just for appliances or lighting, to reduce your dependency on the utility company, as well as lower your bill.
3. With solar panels as an alternate power source, you can negotiate a more favorable rate with your local electric company in many cases. Since your consumption will be lower, and your home is more energy efficient, you may qualify for lower rates.
4. Feed-in tariffs, which are government-induced incentives for energy providers to switch to alternative, renewable energy sources. This can include homeowners, which means you can sell surplus energy generated by your solar panels back to the electric grid.
5. Power Purchase Agreements (PPA’s) allow homeowners to lease equipment from a private company for use in generating electricity, and the company then sells surplus electricity to its customer at a lower price than the local utility. This also gives the homeowner an option that alleviates the expense of installing his own equipment.
6. Net Metering is another policy that works to the advantage of homeowners using solar power. Electric meters will measure your electricity production as well as your consumption, and calculate the difference. So as you generate electricity with you solar panels, you are in essence banking credit with you local electric company.
7. While not a direct savings on your electric bill, there is another financial benefit from solar powering your home. The resale value of your home will increase by as much as 20% with the installation of solar panels.
8. Heating bills can be reduced by using your solar panels to provide the power to your home heating system. Your savings on heating costs versus using conventional electricity can reap you substantial financial rewards.
9. Another option is to connect your water heater to the solar panel array you’ve installed. You’ll have the added benefit of knowing that you can still take a hot shower, in your comfortably warm home in the event of a winter power outage.
10. There are numerous DIY kits available to consumers which will guide you in building your own solar panels with surprisingly little effort or expense. This can greatly reduce your initial cost, which in turn brings you to profitability that much sooner.

1. Compare – Use a price comparison website like WhiteFence or ChooseEnergy, to find the best deals in your area. Make sure you’ve determined whether those prices are based on fixed, variable, or indexed rates before choosing.
2. Compete – Once you’ve determined all of the rates for each available service provider, you can of course leverage offers from competing utility companies against one another in order to get a better rate. Competition gives you control over rates to an extent.
3. Bundle – Consider bundling your services whenever possible. Some utilities offer more than one service, and are usually cheaper when the consumer elects to purchase a package deal over just one service.
4. Bonus – Look for Rewards or Referral programs you can leverage to get a better than advertised deal also. You may be able to garner some wiggle room if you can earn some energy conservation points or refer a neighbor.
5. Efficiency – Some energy providers will give discounted rates to consumers whose homes have a high energy efficiency rating. If your home uses less energy, this can earn you a better price for it from your utility company.
6. Co-op – Co-op utilities in some areas offer advantages to their members. When a utility is essentially owned, or subsidized by’ a co-operative of members, that means the rates will vary based upon usage. When members have conserved energy, they receive compensation.
7. Bargain – Negotiate with the salesperson. Often the advertised rates have a good deal of wiggle room. If you know how to dicker and have done your homework on pricing, you can negotiate rates significantly lower than those advertised.
8. Join together – Deal with the utility companies as a collective of homeowners if you live in a subdivision. A homeowners association will have much better leverage working together than an individual consumer shopping alone.
9. Online – Online marketplaces like CurrentChoice can help you find the best deals available. They can often find competitive prices that consumers aren’t aware of, plus they coordinate the switch to the new service provider for you – free of charge.
10. Green – Switch to a renewable form of energy if possible. Renewable energy is less expensive and, because of its green factor, is typically loaded with incentives for the consumer who chooses it over non-renewable energy options.

There are always ways of saving money if you look for them. Do a little research and see if you can find a way to save money on your electricity bill.

1. Separate Charges for Supply and Distribution – The deregulation of the energy industry in the Nineties led utility companies being allowed to make separate charges for your energy distribution and your electricity supply, effectively charging consumers for both. Because this is split into two separate billing items, it can create confusion for those trying to figure out the source of their rising energy costs.
2. Billing Riders – Depending on the company that provides your electricity, there may be mysterious charges labeled as “riders” on your bill. These are the charges that regulatory authorities allow the energy corporations to pass on to their customers in order to recover “special expenses.” These fees are used for the repair and maintenance on service lines, among other things.
3. Too Much Information – One of the simplest explanations for the mess that is an electricity bill is the sheer amount of information. The itemization is intended to keep consumers informed about what they’re paying and why, but in most cases, it only serves to confuse people more.
4. Billing Formats Can Differ – If you do manage to decode your bill, it’s not a good idea to move out of the utility district; billing formats can differ widely from one district to the next. You could find yourself back at square one with a new electric company.
5. Contract Options – Another bewildering aspect of utility billing is that there are so many different plans and contract options available. Choosing one can be difficult, but figuring out the nuts and bolts of your selection by examining your monthly bill is usually even more complicated.
6. Non-Standard Meters – Just in case your billing and wasn’t difficult enough to understand, there are also no standardized meters in most places. Depending on the contractor who built your home, you may have an interval or time of use meter, two rate or controlled load.
7. Peak and Off-Peak Hours – During the early days of cellphones, most providers billed more heavily during “peak” hours. While they’ve almost universally abandoned this idea in favor of more simplified billing options, many electric companies do still cling to this business model.
8. Unfamiliar Abbreviations – The abbreviations that your electric company uses aren’t likely to be familiar if you’ve never worked within the industry; trying to figure out what each shortened term means can be a headache in and of itself. Often, there’s a dedicated section for familiarizing yourself with these abbreviations; the best possible way to eliminate this source of confusion is to find it.
9. Seasonally Differentiated Billing – Much like “on-peak” and “off-peak” hours, seasonally differentiated billing can cause energy rates to hike during certain months. Even if your basic usage is the same, it could still cost more; most of this is dependent upon the type of plan you have.
10. What is a KWH? – One of the abbreviations that you’ll see on every bill is kWh; a kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy that virtually all utility companies use for billing. Depending on your plan and your provider’s policies, you may be charged baseline allowance per kilowatt-hour. Exceeding this usage allowance can cause higher billing rates per kilowatt-hour for the rest of the billing cycle.

No one said that bills had to be easy, but learning more about what you are reading can help. You’ve just read an entire page worth of explanations regarding the confusing nature of electric bills. That, in itself, serves to prove the point, doesn’t it?

1. He saved the forests,  and kept that old recliner until the legs fall off.
2. He encouraged vegetarianism by demonstrating a low tolerance for meat-heads.
3. Archie protected an endangered species, and married a dingbat.
4. Energy Conservation Tip #1: Let someone else bring you your beer and slippers.
5. Energy Conservation Tip #2: Anytime a bulb lights up in your head, for crying out loud, put that thing out.
6. Archie was very concerned about the population explosion among homeless pets: ”I was readin’ an article about the animal population. There’s millions of pets explodin’.”
7. As a corrective measure to help with reducing the number of homeless pets, Archie was a strong proponent of International Spade The Cat Week.
8. Not to mention his understanding of geography, geology and seismology:  
   Archie: California is the home of where is gonna occur the world’s worst catas-trophy, sittin’ on a shelf out there. There’s three states on that shelf there: California, Oregon and Missouri. The day of the biggest earthquake, those three states are gonna be shoved right off o’ that shelf there. They call that the “Continental Divide.  
   Mike: What? 
   Archie: Yes, yes … the Pope knew about this years ago. He said it was Saint Andrew’s fault.
9. Archie also recognized a previously unknown link between agriculture and volcanic activity:  Volcanoes erupt hot guava.
10. Marine Biology, Bunker-style:

ARCHIE: Hey, little girl, does your fish ever so often come out of water and lay on a rock?
GLORIA: No.
ARCHIE: Then he’s dead.

1. Inspection. Taking a few minutes once a month to examine your appliances will help to reveal any possible problems. Look at things such as the electrical cords to see if they have any cracks, and also check for any other obvious damage.
2. Batteries. If you have an appliance that runs off of batteries, such as small radios or the remote for your television, it would be helpful to keep some kind of list to let you know when you last replaced them. That will save you picking up the portable radio and finding out it needs new batteries.
3. Cleaning. It is so easy for dust and dirt to collect on appliances. Too much dust collecting on something like refrigerator coils can affect how well it works.
4. Replacing Filters. If you’re appliance has some kind of filter, then replacing them when needed can help them to function correctly. Like batteries, it is something helpful to have on a list.
5. Checking Surge Protectors. A surge protector is a wonderful option to use in order to help avoid the risk of a power surge affecting your appliance. This is very important when you are talking about things like televisions and computers. Checking them to make sure they are really working properly can spare you the loss of the appliance if a power surge happens.
6. Upgrades. Sometimes we rely upon an appliance that is outdated and consuming a great deal of energy. It can save us money on electrical bills by replacing them with a more efficient model.
7. Checking Outlets. It is a good idea to periodically test outlets to make sure they are working correctly. If one stops working or is faulty it can affect your appliance.
8. Turning Off Appliances. Making sure we turn off something, like a computer that is not in use, can save energy and cut down on possible problems from it being on for too long of a period, when not in use.
9. Read All The Manuals. This is often something we fail to do. We just plug in some appliance and don’t bother to read the instructions. It can lead to missing out on instructions that help to maintain the appliance properly.
10. Pick Appliances With Care.  It is very important, especially with something like a washing machine, to pick one that fits your needs. Buying a washing machine that you can easily overload is likely to cause problems that can lead to it breaking down.

It is necessary to invest the time in maintaining your appliances to keep them running properly. It is easy to get out of that habit, and it can be costly when we do.

That might make sense at a family reunion, or a church dinner, but every day at home use, when we all have dishwashers that do the work for us – why oh why are we still using disposable dinner ware?  I’m sure I don’t have an answer, and I will quickly add I only use throw-away items on occasion, for that reason.  I have a dishwasher.  Sometimes it is my husband, and then the next time it is me.  And loading it with a few items here and there I may get a load of dishes in a couple days and that’s when we turn the DW on.  OK, there are only two in my house until the children come home for a visit, but even then I find it a joy to be in the kitchen with my daughters again like we once did.

So let’s look at what we overuse that would save the environment if we stopped using, or using less of anyway.  I know.  I agreed earlier that it is easier, but think of the money we would save if we started using the appliances we have.

• How about paper plates
• Napkins – I have collected cloth napkins to have enough for a dinner party.  They may not match, but I know we will be washing clothes/towels the next day.  Just toss them in with the rest.
• Plastic utensils
• Stop using paper towels to dry dishes or your hands.
• How about diapers?  For sure they are convenient, however disposable diapers are one of the worst things you can put into a landfill,
• Bottled water.  I’ve calculated my husband and I spend $548.00 a year on bottled water.  He insists he can drink better and the water also taste better from a bottle.  My refrigerator has a water filter in the door.  At 24 bottles in a case x 3 a week x 52 weeks = 3744 bottles we are contributing to the landfills.  (I may show this to hubs and see if I can get my point across!!)  Staggering when I look at in writing.
• Then there is the Ziploc or glad bags.  I usually have two boxes in the island drawer for my convenience.  Instead let’s try using plastic re-usable containers.
• Grocery bags – the plastic kind.  There are cloth-reusable bags on the market now, the size of the plastic grocery bag, and yet we continue to use the grocer’s bags without thinking.
• Here is a new one.  Hasn’t been on the market long, in fact I just got one.  The Swiffer!!  Oh yes you talk about convenient, just place one of the disposable cloths on the Swiffer and then throw it away when the job is done.  Have you noticed the price of the replacement cloths?
• AA batteries.  Here is one I must start doing.  For a few cents more than what I pay for several packs of AA batteries, (which every remote in my house uses) I could get rechargeable batteries.  What can one do with dead batteries but to throw them in the trash?

“What’s the moral of the story here?  You save money (often pretty quickly) by buying stuff that’s reusable instead of stuff that’s disposable.  Plus, you are helping the environment which simply can’t hurt in the long run.

While I learned that many people do recycle, and have very few items they do not recycle, I did learn from some who had suggestions that had escaped me and hopefully will give you information you didn’t have before.

Coming from an era in my early childhood that found something useful to do with most anything; here are some things maybe I ought to have thought about.  However I’ll confess my recycling is very simple.

I have a niece who took worn jeans, sweat pants and other fabrics and made her daughter a quilt.  I love the idea, even if I don’t feel as original as she, I’m proud to say we share the same blood line.

Have you thought of cereal boxes, and other card board?

Something else I was reminded of is motor oil.  It is probably something that is recycled at Wal-Mart supercenters that have an automotive department.  However our own lawnmowers or even changing the oil in our own automobiles is an idea we should consider.  It may take some research to learn who accepts the recycled oil.

My father was known for his joy of fishing.  I remember him changing his finishing line occasionally; however I’m sure he did not know of recycling the old fishing line.

There is a market for copper, and aluminum.  It isn’t something we would normally have around the house, but a thought in case on a rare occasion you may come across some.

Light bulbs or propane bottles may fall into another category but they can be recycled.

Another thing I’d have never thought of would be prescription bottles.  This could turn into a great debate, however it was suggested to me as a possibility I’d like to pass on.  With plastic filling our sanitation dump sights, it might make sense to be able to return your bottle to the pharmacy to have it refilled with the same medication that was in it first.

Have you ever wished there was someone who could use all those eye glasses you’ve been saving, not wanting to throw them away, yet knowing NO ONE who would even want them?  Well I do have a suggestion.  Missionaries visiting third world countries take eyes glasses all the time.  In visiting Central America in the 80’s I was able to take several pairs.  I was pleasantly surprised as I was told by the ministry there is always someone who can wear your old prescription glasses. Also, many Eye doctors have a way to dispense them to needy people in the US or foreign countries.

I am told there are people who take our old cell phones off our hands and recycle them.  I need to learn more about this, as I have upgraded a few times over the years and have some I need to pass on to their next appointment.

Have you ever turned old bath towels into dish rags?  Just cut them into dish wash clothes size, hem them if you want.  Take the bigger pieces of the same towel and make drying cloths.  They also make for wonderful clothes to wash the car, or for wiping up the floor when there is an accidental spill.

One thing above the list, but is very important is composting.  Using our table scraps, old newspapers, grass clippings, anything that is biodegradable, can become fertilizer to our next year’s vegetable garden.

This has been an enjoyable task, writing about things we could recycle but as a rule we do not.  I realize that some of these things are already being recycled by some of you, but don’t worry, there is someone out there who haven’t thought of it before now.

1. Check windows and doors – The first item on the agenda should be to check all your windows and doors for leaks that will cause heat loss. Now is a good time to caulk any cracks because the caulking material will not adhere as well in freezing temperatures. Install storm windows where appropriate or cover them with clear plastic. Replacing any leaky windows and doors with more energy efficient ones may be a big upfront expense, but will pay for itself in the long run by decreasing your heating bills.
2. Furnace checkup – Fall is the best time to give your furnace a thorough checkup. Be sure to change filters and check all your ductwork for blockage, damage or leaks. Also make sure the furnace is vented properly. The more efficiently your furnace runs, the lower your heating bills will be.
3. Check your home exterior – Another important step to prevent unnecessary heat loss is to check your homes exterior for any way that heat can escape. Gaps around chimneys, pipes, wires and vents need to be insulated or caulked. Replace any damaged siding and check for cracks in the foundation. Making these minor repairs now will save on your energy costs throughout the winter months.
4. Window blinds – Heat is lost through the glass of even the most energy efficient windows in your home. Insulated window blinds or curtains can give you some added protection for those cold winter nights. Open the blinds during sunny days to get all the heat you can from the sun and then pull the blinds at night to keep all that free solar warmth inside your home.
5. Insulate – Any money spent on extra insulation is a good investment that will give you big returns on your winter heating bills. Start with your attic to make sure it’s at least an R30 and that it’s vented properly. Your walls should be at least an R11 and any homes built before 1950 may need blow in insulation. Also check crawl spaces to make sure they’re adequately insulated including pipes and ductwork. Insulating basement walls is a must to prevent heat escaping through the ground around your house.
6. Programmable thermostat – Installing a programmable thermostat can really help keep your heating bills low while keeping your home at a comfortable temperature. You can program the thermostat to keep the temperature low when nobody is home and at night when everyone is snuggled into bed. The heat can be set to increase before you get up in the morning or when you get home from work. This keeps your furnace running consistently and efficiently instead of constantly turning the heat up or down and wasting precious energy.
7. Firewood – If you’re fortunate enough to live in an area where there’s an abundance of firewood available, you can really save on your winter energy costs. They say that firewood provides you with heat several times over during the process of cutting, splitting, hauling and stacking it. Even though the physical work can be tough, it pays big dividends on your heating bills. Check your wood burning furnace or fireplace before the winter months to make sure it’s working properly and get the chimney cleaned.

Winter weather is always unpredictable and we can never count on a mild winter season. Taking the extra time now to be prepared will pay off when the first cold temperatures arrive. Winter storms with icy roads and piles of snow to shovel will give you plenty to worry about when it happens. The last thing you need in the dead of winter is higher than normal heating bills. With a little timely preparation, you can enjoy the winter snow outside and then warm up in your cozy, energy efficient home.

1. There is a proposal before the United Nations for environmental justice, in order to save the planet. Said justice calls for legal representation on behalf of the environment – plants, animals, insects – against us pesky humans, with the power to seek financial compensation for damages.
2. This one is a bit of a touchy subject. Though the thought is in the right place, the evidence seems to suggest that the concept wasn’t entirely thought through. The push to replace incandescent light bulbs with CFL’s (compact fluorescent lamps) would indeed conserve energy. However, they contain significant levels of mercury which, without any safe means of recycling them, would introduce unsafe levels of mercury back into the environment.
3. In an effort to safeguard the sanctuary of indigent marine wildlife, the city of San Diego is set to enact laws that would ban birthday parties at local parks within the vicinity of said wildlife.
4. As a means to harness human energy and transform it into useable energy, the concept of the human-powered floating gym came into being. Imagine, if you will, dozens of sweaty fitness-minded bodies, powering their way upstream in a bubble, and you’ve got a vague idea of what this truly wacky project is all about.
5. Here’s another idea that someone pulled out of their, um … notebook: The basic premise is that the methane produced through cow flatulence is a major contributor to greenhouse gases (14%) and needs to be stopped. The answer? Kangaroo farts. Apparently their marsupial mates are methane-free down under, and possess a bacterium that it is suggested to be injected into cattle.
6. Based on the cooling effect that the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo had on the planet 20 years ago, scientists had the brainstorm idea of triggering other volcanoes in the hopes of having similar results. We can only hope that our tax dollars don’t literally go up in (volcanic) smoke, and ash.
7. The Eco-Kettle is supposedly the answer to a question we have no idea why anyone would even ask: namely, sparing our precious globe from the bane of our existence known as (wait for it) boiling too much water (gasp!).
8. Asus came up with this gem a while back as a solution to excessive use of plastics in consumer product manufacturing: the bamboo laptop. We would love to have seen this sold as part of an office starter package, with a tiki torch desk lamp and margarita mixer.
9. Pig pee for plastics. The idea here is to reduce the use of petroleum in the manufacture of plastic plates. The urea in pig urine would act as a bulking agent in its place. Trouble is (among other things -ugh!) is that when these pig-pee plates are discarded? You guessed it, they will emit methane. Maybe we first need to cross-breed these pigs with kangaroos. Yeah, that’s the ticket: pigaroo plates.
10. And finally, a supremely sage environmental observation by none other than the Wizard of Wit himself, former Vice-President of the United States of America, Dan Quayle:

“It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment. It’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.”