The GreenPath Company

In our June newsletter we included some “green” tips on ways to improve your gas mileage and in this day and age with the price of gas rising daily, it seemed appropriate. Our tips are simple and cost next to nothing and if done on a regular basis can save us $.94 per gallon. Seems like we should all do our best to incorporate these into our “routines”, especially now, and IF the price of gas goes down to more reasonable levels, say below $3.00 (ha ha) we will be the big winners in this. If you are skeptical about the savings I read an article this week in the local paper from a Consumer Watch reporter who tested some similar tips over the course of 2 tanks of gas. He drove his “normal” way to work for one week and his normal way was 5 miles over the speed limit, accelerating quickly when lights changed and not paying attention to the lights as he approached them. Then he followed his own advice for one week and one tank of gas and tried the following:

1. He drove the speed limit 2. Accelerated slowing from a stopped position up to the speed limit. 3. Payed attention to the traffic lights and slowed down sooner when the light ahead changed to red and tried to time it so he did not have to stop as often.

The results were about a 10% increase in his gas mileage from 21.5 mpg to 24 mpg. He estimated that this would save him about $250 per year or about $10 per month. If you combine these savings with the ones outlined in our tips below it can add up in a hurry. Here are our tips:

1. Air it out - keep your air filter clean and improve gas mileage by up to 10%. You can do this by using an air hose to clean it out or replacing it when you can’t see through it. Estimated cost savings: $.28 per gallon

2. Straighten up - if your tires are out of alignment it forces your engine to work harder and will reduce fuel economy by up to 10%. Keep them aligned and save another $.28 per gallon

3. Stay in Tune - regular maintenence, including tune ups can improve gas mileage by up to 4% and save another $.11 per gallon.

4. Keep up the pressure - make sure the air pressure in your tires is up to manufacturer’s standards and improve gas mileage up to 3% and save about $.08 per gallon. I do this monthly and it takes about 10 minutes.

5. Take it easy - a 5 mile reduction in driving speed can improve fuel consumption by up to 7%, especially on the freeway. If you drive 65mph Vs 70mph you can save up to $.19 per gallon.

I know all of these take effort, but come on how hard is it really? Try these tips and the tips on city driving mentioned above and test them for your yourself. I am.

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Here’s a Jeopardy question for you… What weighs 200 million tons? The answer: the amount of electronic waste that goes into our landfills every year. Computers, monitors, cell phones, DVD players, copy machines, TV sets… you get the picture. Most, if not all of this electronic waste, contains hazardous chemicals like mercury, lead and chromium that end up leaching into our ground water from landfills or being emitted into the air from incinerators causing a GROWING environmental and health crisis. This problem is fueled by the fast pace growth of new technology that renders electronic products obsolete long before their normal lifecycle ends and the fact that most people do not know how to properly dispose of these types of products. In fact, most don’t know that these products can be recycled and reused.

But discarded electronics can be properly disposed of or recycled and it is easier than most people think. Tons of companies have programs that allow you to donate usable electronics to churches and schools, and other companies will recycle usable components, raw materials and materials like plastics, glass and aluminum. Many cities also have e-waste pick up as part of their hazardous waste pick-up programs. You can even take advantage of tax breaks when you donate your unwanted electronics. The 21^st Century Classrooms Act for Private Technology Investment allows large companies to donate used equipment to public and private schools for tax breaks and donations to nonprofits can be written off. You will need to check with each nonprofit organization regarding its particular documentation for your tax returns.

The environmental benefit to donating or recycling used electronics goes far beyond just keeping harmful chemicals out of our landfills; it also helps conserve our precious natural resources. It takes approximately 530 pounds of fossil fuel, 50 pounds of chemicals and 416 gallons of water to produce one desktop computer. Recycling electronic components can help preserve these resources and can also help use far less energy than the production of new components. Mining of aluminum, for example, uses 20 times the amount of energy it takes to recycle the same amount of aluminum from electronic components. Last year alone, electronics recyclers recovered over 100 million pounds of materials like aluminum, steel, glass and plastic which was reused.

Now that we know the benefits of e-cycling let’s, figure out how to find an e-cycler in your area. You can start with the Electronic Industry Alliance . This site has an easy to use map that allows you to search for e-cycling by state and offers you several other helpful links to guide you through the process. You can also check with your city government to see if it offers e-cycling as part of its hazardous waste programs or with Goodwill industries . There are several additional organizations you can check that offer training programs that teach students and individuals how to refurbish used electronics which are then donated to local schools:

Students Recycling Used Technology (StRUT)

Learning and Information Networking for Community via Technology (LINCT)

Reuse Development Organization (ReDO)

Even Sam’s Club has an interesting program that runs in cooperation with N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc. Members of the organization who want to recycle computers, LCD monitors, printers, camcorders, digital cameras and MP3 players, can log onto the program’s website and print a FREE shipping label to have the products mailed to N.E.W. Those members will receive a Sam’s Gift Card for the value of the donated item. All donated items are either refurbished or disassembled and the parts are used to rebuild electronics or recycled into raw material and reused.

The final pieces to this recycle cycle are personal data security and rethinking your purchasing habits. You need to protect all your personal data contained on computer hard drives and cell phones. Please make sure to remove ALL stored phone numbers and call logs from your cell phone and you may even want to remove the SIM card to insure protection. Cleaning up your computer may prove a little more difficult but is equally important. If you are unsure of how to do this you can find FREE hard-drive erasers through your favorite search engine. Type in “free hard-drive eraser cleaners.”

Although there are no laws governing the use of hazardous materials in electronics equipment you can help to encourage manufacturers to move in a “greener” direction by considering the following when buying your next piece of equipment:

Does the manufacturer use recycled materials in their products?
Are the products designed for easy upgrades and disassembly?
Does the manufacturer offer a lease or “take back” program?
Does the manufacturer use minimal toxic materials in their equipment?
Does the manufacturer use minimal or recyclable packaging?

The age of electronics is upon us and with the constant introduction of new technology, system upgrades and fancy new gadgets coming at us daily we need to be more conscious of what we do with our e-waste. Take the time to do the right thing, remember one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and you may be surprised at who would love to have your “old” computer.

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