Good for You: They consume about 75 percent less electricity and last up to 10 times longer (10,000 hours as opposed to 1,500). Replace one 75-watt incandescent bulb with a 25-watt CFL and save up to $83 over the life of the bulb. Good for You: Unplug appliances and electronics that glow and you could save $200 a year. Good for You: The average American household has three cell phones stashed in a drawer. Sell unused cell phones to greenphone.com. You’ll receive about $35, and the phones will be refurbished and resold. If 1 million people recycled one cathode-ray tube TV this year, we’d keep 4 million pounds of lead out of the ground. Good for You: On average, an energy audit shows how to save up to 30 percent on utility bills. Good for You: To find farmers nationwide, visit localharvest.org, sustainabletable.org, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture at www.ams.usda.govfarmersmarkets/map.htm. Good for You: Repair a leaky toilet and you can save $30 a year, which may not sound like much until you realize it means 73,000 gallons. Good for You: Save money by letting grass clippings remain on your lawn; it adds nitrogen to the soil and discourages weed seeds from germinating. You’ll need less fertilizer and herbicide. Plus, leaving clippings on lawns means less in landfills; in 2005 Americans disposed of more than 12 million tons of yard waste. Good for You: A household with Energy Star products uses about 30 percent less energy than the average household – an annual savings of about $570. Good for You: Wash two fewer loads of clothes and one fewer load of dishes a week and save up to 4,500 gallons of water a year. Good for You: To understand which backyard insects are garden friends, visit garden.org and click on Pest Control Library for photos.
