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TerraPass blogArticles: Conservation tipsJanuary 8, 2008Reduce your footyprintThe English Football Association is helping soccer fans to reduce their carbon footprint with simple ideas — like going to the pub. Keep reading »October 12, 2007Turn the faucet off, save water and save energyThere’s a new water supply issue stirring in California. There may have to be a serious cut in supplies next year after a ruling in August designed to protect an endangered fish. Until an official resolution can be reached,… Keep reading »September 11, 2007A dubious conservation tip: buy your car in EuropeLet me begin by saying I don’t really believe what follows. But I can’t find any explanation. So please if you know, get in touch so I can sleep better. Thanks. A few weeks ago, while I was still… Keep reading »August 14, 2007Caution: Back to school carbon bump!Ah, labor day. The end of the summer, and the end of many parents’ blissful summer commutes. Mom walked. Dad took the bus. Now they’re both back in their (family-size) cars shuttling the kids around. EPA reports (pdf) show… Keep reading »August 7, 2007Bottled water - good for whom exactly?Tap water, well-traveled water and the TerraPass water bottle, free with every Dorm TerraPass A Heineken TV commercial shown here in the UK 20 years ago featured an elocution teacher instructing his young pupil to pronounce the phrase, “The… Keep reading »July 14, 2007Conservation tip: pasta di piselliIf you’re ever in Italy in the right season, be sure to order pasta di piselli when you have an opportunity. This is one of those deceptively simple dishes that Italians are capable of elevating to something sublime. And… Keep reading »July 10, 2007Conservation tip: prioritize organic over local for a caprese saladA yummy caprese salad. Local: good. Organic: Better. Local and Organic: Best We’ve all been there. You missed the weekend farmer’s market and are standing at the supermarket salivating for a caprese salad trying to decide between locally-grown non-organic… Keep reading »July 4, 2007Fourth of July recipe: peach sangria with mintI won’t even try to pretend this is a conservation tip. Perhaps you can lower your carbon footprint by substituting sangria for the traditional burger. Probably not a good idea, but it might make the fireworks more fun. It’s… Keep reading »June 18, 2007Conservation tip: eat more guacamoleBy now we’re all familiar with the concept of a low-carbon diet, consisting of food that requires less fossil fuel to produce and transport. Here’s a recipe that will help you put theory into practice. If people like this… Keep reading »June 12, 2007Save water to save energyWater systems use a whopping 19% of the electricity in California. Dry landscaping could save you 357 lbs a year, or about the same as 8 CFL’s Looking for a new idea to fight climate change? Maybe you’re just… Keep reading »May 25, 2007Conservation tip: carry a book with youIn the midst of this interesting back and forth about public transportation, Michael O’Hare offers an easily overlooked tip for ensuring that you never have to wait a single moment for a train or a bus: carry a book with… Keep reading »March 6, 2007Conservation tip: Measure your energy useReal time feedback in a car can change your driving patterns. What about your house? Many users of Prius’ and other hybrids report that simply having the fuel efficiency counter on the dash has changed their driving behavior. What… Keep reading »February 6, 2007Let the sunshine in!Who knew that the song from Hair is also a great energy tip for the winter months? If you are like much of the country and hunkering down in the midst of a wee nip in the air, then… Keep reading »January 2, 2007Energy tip #27: The best frequent flier miles are those unspentAmong a raft of holiday cards this season, I received one ugly letter from the otherwise nice folks at Continental airlines — my notice of achieving elite status. We try to minimize trips as much as possible at TerraPass, but… Keep reading »December 5, 2006Energy Tip #22: Deck the halls with solar-powered LED Christmas lightsLast week I was justly called out for passing along some dubious holiday energy statistics, so this week I’m going to play it safe with some figures I’m sure are correct: did you know that every year, Americans buy six… Keep reading »November 28, 2006Energy Tip #21: veggie for a week“Eat your veggies.” Who knew that mothers everywhere were really advocating a low-carbon lifestyle? Many environmentalists and health conscious citizens have committed themselves to structuring their diet on vegetarian foods. Others, such as myself, have forayed from time to time… Keep reading »November 20, 2006Energy Tip #20: Lint be goneSometimes in life, if you try to dress up something that just isn’t “all that,” you end up fooling nobody. So this week’s tip — straighten and clean the air ducts on your dryer — isn’t going to get sexified…. Keep reading »November 13, 2006Energy Tip #19: Regulate home temperatureSimple solutions are always attractive. And it doesn’t get much simpler than turning down the thermostat to save some money and CO2, right? Well, say hello to the programmable thermostat, which combines the drama of temperature control with the thrill… Keep reading »November 6, 2006Energy Tip #18: Follow the speed limitFrom James Dean to The Fast and the Furious to Herbie Goes Bananas, racing has long been an iconic Hollywood staple in which the ‘pedal to the metal’ mentality is consistently glorified. However, if you like to leave fellow drivers… Keep reading »October 31, 2006Energy Tip# 17: wash and rinse in cold waterCongratulations to TerraPass tip readers who earned some coverage this week in Time magazine. How do you easily save 1% on national CO2 emissions as well as over $3 billion in energy costs? According to some studies, this could happen… Keep reading »October 23, 2006Energy tip #16: solar thermal energy for your homeThere has been much in the news lately (and on this blog) about the potential of solar power. From Google’s solar panels to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s speech at the 2006 Solar conference, it seems solar has arrived onto the scene in… Keep reading »October 16, 2006Energy tip #15: Insulate your homeWool you or won’t you? All puns aside, don’t be sheepish about insulation. With fall here and winter quickly approaching, some seasonal preparations could help turn your heat-hemorrhaging home into a model of efficiency and conservation. How? By giving your… Keep reading »October 9, 2006Energy tip #14: use your dishwasher for good, not for evilGot a dishwasher? If you happen to have an dishwasher and are running it on a daily basis, there are a few small things you can do to cut down on energy use. Don’t run the dishwasher’s dry cycle. Simply… Keep reading »October 3, 2006Energy tip #13: lower your water heater from “scalding” to merely “burning”Turn a knob and put $100 in your pocket. We often aren’t aware of how we’re using energy, and therefore not aware of what we can do to limit our consumption. This week a simple turn of the knob could… Keep reading »September 26, 2006Energy tip #12: ease up on the acceleration, leadfootLooking to save on gas money? You can save up to 37% simply by adjusting your style of your driving. If you have a tendency to accelerate quickly and brake aggressively, smoothing out the ride will give your tank some… Keep reading »September 19, 2006Energy tip #11: fixing a hole where the draft gets inSaturday Night Live’s Jack Handy once offered the following Deep Thought: “Blow ye winds like the trumpet blows…but without that noise.” In the home, there are plenty of silent winds that blow. Unfortunately, they are the type that inflate your… Keep reading »September 11, 2006Energy tip #10: remove wall warts and slay electricity vampiresAre you plugged in? If you have ever left rechargers or unused appliances plugged into the electrical outlet, you may be in for a bit of a shock. The U.S. Department of Energy tells us that not only do appliances… Keep reading »August 28, 2006Energy tip #9: get your ducts in a rowDuct tape. Everyone’s favorite utilitarian product has been used for many, many things: hanging posters on walls, taping packages, wrapping up a wiffleball to get extra distance on your home-run swing. It’s one of the most useful products on the… Keep reading »August 21, 2006Energy tip #8: slow and low, that is the shower flowIf you like singing in the shower but are concerned about conserving water, you’re faced with a interesting challenge: you can either find a shorter song to sing or put up $10 for a low-flow shower head and continue pleasing… Keep reading »August 15, 2006Energy tip #7: get the junk out of your trunkFore! Heads-up for incoming savings! If you’ve been carrying around a set of golf clubs in your car, or, maybe slightly less likely, have managed to strap them to your roof rack, you may be losing out on some precious… Keep reading »August 7, 2006Energy tip #6: tame your fridgeThe scene: ‘Twas a typical night in the Johnson house. The 1.8 cars resting in the driveway and 2.2 children scarfing down chicken soup and fresh greens at the dinner table. But, just when dinner was coming to a close… Keep reading »August 1, 2006Energy tip #5: use the right motor oilFeed your engine the right fluids and you will improve performance. That’s why a healthy portion of us opt to fill up with a cup of leaded coffee in the morning. If you want to give your car a boost… Keep reading »July 24, 2006Energy tip #4: get yourself a clotheslineMark Twain obviously lived in a different era. Summer in San Francisco has been hot — so hot that I’ve thought about switching to iced coffee in an attempt to beat the heat. So given the current weather, I think… Keep reading »July 18, 2006Energy tip #3: replace your car’s air filterReplacing your air filter could help you save up to $150 a year…and allow you to afford your favorite coffee maker, a thermos, and finally drop those pesky disposable cups. It will also eliminate over 1,000 lbs of CO2 emissions…. Keep reading »July 10, 2006Energy tip #2: inflate your tiresFresh off the heels of Tip #1, I bring you Tip #2: inflate your tires. It’s often said that the best things in life are free. And while I’m still waiting for someone to send a free bag of coffee… Keep reading »July 3, 2006Energy tip #1: don’t be a dim bulbIntroducing a new series of conservation tips: How To Finance Your Monthly Coffee Or Yearly TerraPass (HTFYMCOYT). I’ve been spending a good portion of the budget lately on coffee. Every morning at 8:30, $1.65 goes into the barista’s outstretched palm…. Keep reading »What is TerraPass?TerraPass is a low-cost, guaranteed way to offset the global warming impact of your driving, flying, and home energy use... LEARN MORE » Search the TerraPass blogBrowse by categoryBrowse by date
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