Yes, Really, Unplug Your Electronics

I’ve written several articles now about saving energy (Save energy, Save the Earth—-sorry, I’ve been watching Heroes reruns lately…) and one of the simplest things we can do to save energy is to avoid the so-called “vampire” energy loss that occurs when our electronics and appliances pull power, even when powered off. According to some estimates, including the EPA, vampire loss can account for up to 15% of our total home electricity usage.

So, what is it? It’s the “standby” power that items like dvd players, computers, and televisions use when they’re shut off. It’s the power used to light up all of those little digital clocks on VCRs, microwaves, and coffee makers. It’s the energy that your cell phone charger pulls, even after you’ve unplugged the phone from the charger. And it’s all wasted, resulting in unnecessary greenhouse gases entering our atmosphere.

The simplest solution to the problem? Unplug any electronic or appliance that isn’t currently being used. If you have a bunch of stuff in one area, plug it all into a  power strip so you can just switch it “off” when you’re not using it. It takes a few extra seconds out of your  day, but it’s minimal when you consider what a positive impact it would have if everyone  started  doing it.

Back to those articles. A couple of  them have been submitted to Digg and Reddit, and it never fails to surprise me how much resistance this one simple step gets. I’ve seen comments ranging from “but then I have to  reset my VCR all over again” to “who has the time to do this  every day?”

The funny thing is that my mother-in-law, along with several of my aunts and uncles, do this anyway, and always have. It has nothing to do with being “green,” per se. It had, and still has, everything to do with saving money on the electric bill. My MIL’s been doing it her whole life, and it’s second nature. I’ve never once heard her complain about all the time and effort she wastes unplugging. It’s such a silly argument. The problem is, really, that it’s a different way of doing things, and we humans are, if nothing else, resistant to change.

So, today’s tip: Unplug your unused electronics! Give it a chance. It’s not nearly as onerous or time-consuming as some people make it out to be. And you can feel good knowing you’re preventing all of those greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere. If nothing else, saving money on the electric bill never hurt anyone.

Blog Action Day: The Power of Simple Actions

The most depressing thing I can hear someone say is “why bother?” Why bother changing lightbulbs, turning down the thermostat, using “green” cleaning products, and buying local when our government has failed to take the vast, far-reaching actions needed to spur global environmental change? The ice caps are melting, and we are losing species at an alarming rate. What does it matter how one person lives their life in the face of all of the work ahead of us?

My response to this is that it matters more than you can imagine. One person’s simple actions, when compounded and repeated by millions of people across the country and the world beyond, have the power to change the world. One person recycling and refusing to dump chemicals on their lawn and garden becomes an example, and even an inspiration, for others to do the same. And, in our own lives, one simple change leads to another, and that leads to another, and small changes can lead to bigger changes along the line.

That’s the whole point of green:easy—we have to start somewhere, and the only person we have control over is the one wearing our clothes, living our life. There is no such thing as a “small action.” Change a lightbulb, reuse a jar, wash your clothes in cold water instead of warm. Simple actions, surely, but these simple actions can change the world.

This was my contribution to Blog Action Day—I am one of over 15,000 bloggers uniting today under one cause, the environment. To participate, visit the Blog Action Day website to get started, or to find out which other blogs are involved.