Gone green: Secret, easy and cheap ways to save the environment

Seth Shulman is the senior staff writer at the Union of Concerned Scientists. The group is a science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and is based in Cambridge, Mass. Shulman is the co-author, with six other writers, of "Cooler Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living," which was just published last week.

Shulman's book challenges people to reduce their carbon emissions by 20 percent, but the advice is good for just about anybody. "You might not be convinced about global warming," he said, "but you might want to do some of these things just because they will save you a lot of money."

The greatest changes do not come from altering the way people act, Shulman said. "People think of shutting things off — turning off the lights," he said. "There is nothing wrong with that, but if you can get more efficiency out of what you do, it could have a much greater impact."

Take the example of shutting off lights. It can save money and energy, but if a person is using older incandescent light bulbs, the savings won't be anywhere near what that person would get using more efficient light bulbs.

Shulman said the newest LED light bulbs are about 85 percent more efficient than incandescent bulbs. This means that if a person tried to get the same amount of energy savings by just turning off the lights, the lights would have to be off 85 percent of the time. That would mean keeping the lights off for about three out of every four days.

Driving green

Shulman is practical about what car to buy. Transportation accounts for 28 percent of each person's carbon emissions, he said. "Better fuel economy is the biggest single thing you can do for global warming bar none," he said.

By going from a 20 miles-per-gallon car to a 40 miles-per-gallon car, Shulman said, people would reduce their carbon footprint by 17 percent in just one step. It also saves 4,500 gallons of gas over the 15-year lifecycle of the car — which, at today's prices is about $18,000.

But watch out for hybrid cars, Shulman said. A hybrid car does not do more for the environment than a conventional car that outperforms the hybrid's gas mileage. "When you get right down to it, it is about the amount of gas the car is using," he said.

Zehner said another thing to consider is the total energy cost of automobiles. He said most of the energy used by an automobile during its entire lifecycle is not the fuel, but all of the power used in the car's manufacturing process. This means the environmental damage caused by electric cars is greater than some conventional gasoline cars. "If you are going to drive a car," he said, "the best thing to get would be a small car with good gas mileage, not an expensive electric car. The expense of a car is a reflection of the energy that went into constructing it."

Green at home

Elvin looks at the energy use in homes and buildings as a way to help the environment and save money. One of the biggest things people can do for the environment is insulation. "It isn't the sexiest topic," Elvin said, "But if people want to do something for their pocketbook and the environment, they should look to better insulate their home."

Attics are often insulated well — and it is hard to retrofit wall insulation. But people can insulate in other ways. For example, caulking around windows and doors, Elvin said.

Green food

The Union of Concerned Scientists found eating only locally-grown food has little energy difference from transported food. Only 4 percent of the energy used in the production and distribution of food is transportation — most of the energy expended takes place in growing and harvesting the food.