Green Tip of the Month Archive

November 2011

CEES Tip of the Month
November 28, 2011
Read by Dr. Randy Bruce


With the holiday season in high gear, consider the following tips to save money and lessen your impact on the environment:

Buy energy-saving holiday lights - LED holiday lights can use up to 80% less energy than conventional holiday lights, last longer and save your family money on energy bills during the holiday season! LED lights are available at many retailers and come in a variety of colors.

Plan ahead - Consolidate your shopping trips to save gas, shop locally or skip driving altogether by shopping online.

BYOB - Bring your own tote bag to carry gifts, avoiding the waste of paper and plastic bags.

Use creative gift wrapping - If each American household wrapped three gifts in reused materials, enough paper would be saved to cover 45,000 football fields. Reuse old wrapping paper, gift bags or boxes, use Sunday comics, or make cloth gift bags. In addition, avoid metallic wrapping paper, holiday cards, boxes or bows – anything metallic can’t be recycled.

Add organic and local foods to your holiday feast - Support local family farmers who grow sustainable meat and produce.

Give a gift that gives back - Rather than purchasing a material gift, consider making a donation in a friend or family member’s name to their favorite charity.

Recycle your Christmas tree - Each year, 10 million Christmas trees end up in the landfill. Recycle your tree this year by dropping it off at the east end of the Glen Oaks Country Club parking lot, located at 30500 West 13 Mile Road. Drop-off is open seven days a week from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm December 26 through January 20.

Recycle your old electronics - Electronic gadgets are popular gifts, but don’t just throw your old cell phones and other electronics in the trash. Many stores now offer electronics recycling. To find a place that will take your electronics and other recycleables, try www.recyclechicken.com.

For more tips, go to www.sustainablefh.com. Happy Holidays!

October 2011

Green Efforts Committee Tip of the Month
October 24, 2011
Read by Barry Brickner


It’s heating season, which not only means beautiful fall colors, football, chili, and pumpkin pie, but higher natural gas bills.

Did you know that you can save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat back 10°–15° for eight hours. You can do this automatically without sacrificing comfort by installing an automatic setback or programmable thermostat.

Using a programmable thermostat allows you to set a schedule where you don't operate your heating and cooling equipment as much when you are asleep or when the house is not occupied.

Programmable thermostats can store and repeat multiple daily settings that you can manually override without affecting the rest of the daily or weekly program. When shopping for a programmable thermostat, be sure to look for the ENERGY STAR® label.
And don’t forget about the many rebates and tax credits available through Consumers Energy, DTE and the federal government. Save on new appliances, windows, insulation, furnaces and so much more.

August 2011

Green Efforts Committee Tip of the Month
August 22, 2011
Read by Barry Brickner

Looking to save some money? Try these 10 Quick Tips to help improve fuel economy by an average of 24% and help stretch your budget.
1. Slow down and watch speed - Drive 55 miles per hour instead of 65 to save fuel. EPA estimates a 10-15 percent improvement in fuel economy by following this tip. Also, aim for a constant speed.
2. Accelerate and brake smoothly - Accelerating smoothly from a stop and braking softly conserves fuel.
3. No idling - Today's engines don't need a warm up. Start the car immediately and gently drive away. Don't leave your car idling. Prolonged idling increases emissions and wastes fuel.
4. Check your tires - Keep tires properly inflated to the recommended tire pressure. This alone can reduce the average amount of fuel use by 3-4 percent.
5. Be kind to your vehicle - Maintain proper engine tune-up to keep vehicles running efficiently.
6. Travel light - Avoid piling a lot of luggage on the roof rack. The added frontal area reduces aerodynamics and will hurt fuel economy, reducing it by as much as 5 percent. Remove excess weight from the vehicle.
7. Minimize use of heater and air conditioning - Use heating and air conditioning selectively to reduce the load on the engine. Decreasing your usage of the air conditioner when temperatures are above 80 degrees can help you save 10-15 percent of fuel.
8. Close windows at high speeds - Don't drive with the windows open unless you keep your speed under 50 mph. Driving with the windows open at highway speeds increases aerodynamic drag on the vehicle and lowers fuel economy.
9. Choose the right oil - Use good quality, energy-conserving oils with the viscosity grade recommended in the Owner's Manual.
10. Consolidate trips - Plan ahead to consolidate your trips. This will enable you to bypass congested routes, lead to less idling, fewer start-ups and less stop-and-go traffic. Whenever feasible, share a ride and/or carpool.

July 2011

CEES Tip of the Month
July 25, 2011
Read by Barry Brickner

Did you know that you could be eligible for rebate money if you make energy efficiency improvements?

You can receive up to $3,500 in rebates through Consumers Energy’s Home Performance Program. Or you can receive $40 from DTE Energy by turning in that old refrigerator or freezer – and they’ll even come pick it up for free! And yes, there are still federal tax credits available of up to $500 for qualified improvements, such as insulation, water heaters, and furnaces.

Are you looking at renewable energy? Through 2016, renewable energy projects such as geothermal heat pumps and solar energy are eligible for a 30% tax credit with NO ceiling! For more information, go to: www.consumersenergy.com/eeprograms, www.dteenergy.com or www.energystar.gov.

Don’t have the cash for improvements right now? Consider Michigan Saves, it’s a nonprofit organization dedicated to making energy improvements easy and affordable. The Michigan Saves Home Energy Loan Program provides financing for all kinds of home energy efficiency improvements—from deep energy efficiency retrofits to quick replacements of old or failing equipment. Homeowners can either choose from a list of pre-qualified measures or get a home energy assessment. The program is available only through a Michigan Saves authorized contractor. For more information, go to www.MichiganSaves.org.

You can save REAL money through energy efficiency improvements. Federal tax credits and utility rebates will sweeten your return on investment.

As always the Commission for Energy and Environmental Sustainability invites you to visit www.sustainablefh.com, the City’s sustainability website. 

March 2011

Turn off the lights and explore the cosmos with the Farmington Hills Nature Center and the Commission for Energy and Environmental Sustainability on March 26, 2011 in recognition of Earth Hour. Earth Hour is a global hour of action to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Project Darksky will explain light pollution while the Warren-Astronomical Society will teach us all about the stars and their legends. Kids will create and learn to use a star wheel and there will even be a telescope on hand to view the starry night!

Turn the lights off and bring the family out to Heritage Park for One Starry Night from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm. The cost is only $5.00 per person. For more information or to register stop by the Costick Center or go to recreg.fhgov.com.

If you cannot make it, please join the millions throughout over 126 countries and 4600 cities around the world in turning your lights off for 60 minutes on March 26, 2011 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.