By 2010, appliances in standby mode will be responsible for 20% of an average household utility bill.

If every U.S. household replaced its TVs, VCR/DVD player and phones with ENERGY STAR models, we would save 25 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

To save energy and money, install compact fluorescent lightbulbs in the most frequently used lights in your house: the kitchen ceiling lights, family room lamps and outdoor lights.

If every American household used energy-efficient lights in those places, we would save close to $8 billion each year in energy costs. Find CFL bulbs at Circuit City stores.

—U.S. Department of Energy

Earth Day is coming on Tuesday April 22 2008.  It gives us all a good excuse to analyze what we’re doing to leave a smaller carbon footprint. Here are some tips that should help you make everyday Earth Day.

Practical Earth Day Projects and Tips

Have you ever thought about how cell phones are made and what happens to them when you don’t need them anymore? Like any product, making a cell phone and itsparts uses natural resources and energy, which can potentially impact the air, land, and water. Understanding the life cycle of a product can help you make environmental choices about the products you use, and how you dispose of them.

You can help minimize your environmental impact of using a cell phone by:

Keeping your phone longer.

Choose your cell phone service provider carefully. Pick a phone with features you need and a style you like so you will keep it longer.

Charging your battery correctly.

Increase the life span of your phone and battery by following the manufacturer’s directions for charging the battery.

Reusing or recycling your phone.

Find ways to reuse or recycle your phone andaccessories when you’re finished with them. Many companies recycle or reuse cellphones.

The EPA has constructed a PDF document to educate people about cell phone recycling.

Link >

Dell says it’s going to meet its goal of aquiring 275 million pounds of computers by the year 2009.

Dell claims to have recovered a little over 12% of the computer equiptment sold seven years prior.”Protecting the environment is too important an issue for one company to be leading alone,” CEO Michael Dell stated. “Customers should not be forced into improper disposal due to a lack of environmentally responsible options.

“Dell provides several recycling programs, including no-charge recycling services for its own equipment worldwide without requiring the purchase of a new computer.

The Recycling Works Award was presented to Dell by The National Recycling Coalition in February to recognize the company for it’s efforts.

Law AB 2449 went on the books on Sunday. The law requires stores that are over 10,000 sqaure feet to offer customers a plastic bag recycling program.

“The bag-manufacturing industry is partnering with the retail community to develop practical solutions for recycling in California communities and around the nation,” Isaac Bazbaz, chairman of the Progressive Bag Alliance, said in a news release.

Less than 5 percent of the 19 billion plastic bags used every year are recycled, while consumers toss 294 million pounds of bags. By cutting down the bags sent to landfills in half would reduce oil consumption by 2,000 barrels and eliminate 73,000 tons from landfills every year, according to the alliance.

Via Sacramento Business Journal