Where to Recycle Just About Anything!

Vali Heist, Certified Professional Organizer and owner of the Clutter Crew, talked about ways to get rid of clutter in your home last week at our Green Drinks event. She had handouts about Green Organizing - emphasizing the environmentally-friendly principles of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose, and Remix". Click here to view the handouts in PDF format.

Energy Savings Checklist

Here is a checklist for energy saving tips, courtesy of Jim Kurtz, General Manager of Reading Electric Renewables.

To Do Today
• Turn down the temperature of the water heater to the warm setting (120 degrees).
• At night and whenever you leave your home, adjust your thermostat to save heating energy in the winter and cooling in the summer.
• Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescents or LED bulbs.

To Do Within a Month
• Purchase a water-heater blanket, low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators.
• Caulk leaky windows.
• Insulate hot water pipes and ducts wherever they run through unheated areas.
• Use energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and clothes dryer. Replace old machines with new high efficiency rated models.

To Do Within the Year
• Insulate. If your walls are not insulated, have an insulation contractor blow cellulose into the walls. Replace or add insulation as necessary to your attic.
• Schedule an energy audit for expert advice on your home as a whole.
• Reduce your air conditioning costs by planting shade trees and shrubs around your house especially on the west side.

Green Resolution Winners Announced!

Thanks for all of the great posts to our blog last week. Good luck with your New Year's resolutions.

We randomly selected the winners of the blog:
Kristina D.
Michele
Nancy K.

Winners will receive a $10.00 Gift Certificate for the Berks Conservancy store.

WINNERS: Please email Kim Lewis at the Berks Conservancy at kim.lewis@berks-conservancy.org for complete details on how to redeem your certificate.

Thanks to all who participated!