Use Thermal Camera Imaging to Look for Leaks
Thermal imaging makes the otherwise invisible world of heat energy visible to your eyes. Everything around you either emits or reflects heat energy. These cameras help you reduce the energy being wasted in your home.Raised Garden Beds for Your Yard
Are you exploring the idea of getting rid of your lawn, and growing perennials or vegetables? Imagine this: you can be dressed for work or play, and come home and
Compost Food and Yard Trim
All of your non-meat food waste and much of your lawn waste, can be turned into rich compost for your lawn and garden. It’s easy to do and saves money on fertilizers and other amendments.
Replace Your Windows
Replacing your windows should be the final energy efficiency projects for your home, as it has less bang-for-the-buck then other DIY energy projects.
Mosquito Prevention Starts at Home
Jackrabbit starts, accelerating toward stop lights, going a little (sometimes a lot) over the speed limit — we all do it sometimes, and these actions take a real toll on gas mileage.
Recycle clothes, shoes, and other textiles
As you decide what to keep or throw in your wardrobe, we recommend not just disposing your old clothes into the trash. There are other things you can do with your textiles that will keep you in-style and eco-conscious.
How to Get Rid of Your Lawn
A lawn won’t spontaneously turn into a garden or meadow — it is much more than throwing away your lawn mower.
Gift Differently
Gifting green means thinking about the impact to the environment of what we buy, as well as, how we buy our gifts.
Recycle Your Lawn Mower
Montgomery County makes it very easy for you to recycle your old lawn mowers!
Switch to Organic Lawn Care
Organic lawn care isn’t difficult — in fact, it can save time and money, while protecting you, your family, your pets and the environment.
Dormant Seed Your Lawn
You still can prep your lawn for spring once the soil cools down. Overseeding your lawn is one of the best ways to prevent weeds and improve grass coverage.
Install Motion Detectors on Outdoor Lighting
On when you need them, off when you don’t — that’s the beauty of outdoor lighting controlled by motion detectors. And they can be a great deterrent for thieves.
Install a Rain Garden
Rain gardens are a beautiful way to use your landscape to soak up and filter excess rainwater and keep it from entering storm drains or going directly into streams.
Keep Your Storm Drain Clean
Water that washes off your property into the storm drain — stormwater runoff — doesn’t go to a treatment plant. It often goes straight into our streams.
Clean Your Coils, Ducts & Filters
A little light cleaning goes a long way to keep your systems running smoothly and efficiently.
Switch to Clean Energy
In Maryland, you have a choice as to where your electricity comes from. If you choose a renewable energy source, your utility will add clean energy to its grid to power your home.
Create a Conservation Landscape
Conservation landscaping can help protect air and water, manage stormwater, conserve energy, and provide a more beautiful, healthier human environment. By using native plants and low-input designs, you’ll reduce water, pesticide and fertilizer use.
Choose Energy-Efficient Products
They look and work just like any other appliances, windows, air conditioners, furnaces or electronics. But when you use these products, you also save energy and money.
BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag
We all know it’s better to use reusable bags than ask for paper or plastic. In fact, Montgomery County has a 5 cent tax on disposable bags, because of how damaging they are to the environment.
Install a Programmable Thermostat
Running the AC or heater when no one’s home is like burning money. And since heating and cooling accounts for 48% of household energy use, you’re talking real money.
Stop the Junk Mail and Use Paperless Billing
How much of the mail in your mailbox do you really want to look at, and how much goes straight to the recycling bin? The average American receives 41 pounds of junk mail every year.
Install High Efficiency Faucets and Shower Heads
You can save a lot of water and hardly notice the difference if you install new low-flow faucet aerators, shower heads, and toilets. If you have an older home and haven’t upgraded, you’re due.
Recycle Everything! (Well almost)
Heating or cooling a house when no one’s home is like burning money. And since heating and cooling account for 48% of household energy use, you’re talking real money.
Use Water Filters and Reusable Bottles
A 2012 study found that on average, bottled water costs about $1.22/gallon nationwide and 300x the cost of a gallon of tap water.
Schedule a Quick Home Energy Checkup
Most homes have areas where energy is wasted or overused — and wasted energy costs money you could be keeping in your pocket. You could try to search your home for energy saving projects yourself, or you could call in a professional.
Install Rain Barrels
Rain barrels are often the starter project for those interested in helping to reduce stormwater pollution and protect our streams.
Install & Use Power Strips
TVs, computers, stereos, chargers — if the light is glowing, it’s using power, even if it’s turned off. This “phantom” standby power helps them to turn on quickly, but also quickly adds up to a lot of unnecessary energy usage.
Change Your Appliance Settings
Raising your refrigerator’s temperature setting from 35 to 38 degrees and lowering your hot water heater temperature to 120 degrees can save energy and money. It’s just a few degrees that you won’t even notice.
Maintain Your Car
Car owners are always looking for ways to save a few bucks behind the wheel. Heard of Gas Buddy?
Know Your Water Use
Every drop counts! Whether you’re on public water or have your own well, the benefits of conserving water add up.
Be a Better MPG Driver
Jackrabbit starts, accelerating toward stop lights, going a little (sometimes a lot) over the speed limit — we all do it sometimes, and these actions take a real toll on gas mileage.
Conduct a Home Waste Audit
The first step towards making positive environmental changes is to first understand what you are currently contributing to the waste stream. Create a baseline – a one-week snapshot of what you consume, what you throw away, and what gets recycled.
Use ENERGY STAR® Lighting
Did you know there is a simple project that you can do at home today that will save you money and requires only one trip to the store?
Maintain Your Heating and Air Conditioning Equipment
On average, half your energy bill goes to heating and air conditioning your home. If your units are not running in top form, they’re wasting your money.
Green Your Commute
How many times a week do you hop in the car to go someplace that’s a walkable or bikeable distance away? Or fight traffic to go somewhere that’s right on a Metro or bus route?
Telecommute One Day a Week…or More!
Washington, DC is consistently ranked as one of the top ten worst cities for traffic. This is one good reason to leave the car parked one day a week or more if possible!
Inspect & Repair Leaks
You usually know if a faucet has a major leak, but slow leaks in the bathroom or toilet often go unnoticed. Leaks can account for 13% of a home’s water use, which can also drain hundreds of dollars per year from your pocket.
Choose Green Cleaning Products
Have you taken a deep look at cleaning products in your home? If you read the labels, we bet they range from bleach, to products that are flammable or lead to indoor air pollution.
Shop a Farmers Market, Join a CSA
Farm-fresh food, smiling faces, a sunny sky (hopefully!) — what better way to stock up for your week’s meals?
Wrap Your Water Heater and Hot Water Pipes
Keeping your water hot is a full-time job for your water heater. Even when you’re not using hot water, the water in the tank loses heat to the cooler outside air.
Plant a Tree
Trees, especially large trees, offer a long list of benefits besides their natural beauty, such as helping to clean air and water, absorb stormwater, reduce runoff and more.
Meatless Mondays
The concept isn’t a new one. It became popular during World War I and II when the U.S. Food Administration urged families to reduce consumption of meat to aid the war effort.
