Monday, February 24, 2014

Sustainable Living Sustainable Living/Environmental Experiment?

Question by Hannah M: Sustainable Living/Environmental Experiment?
I need to come up with a environmental/sustainable living experiment for a class I am in. I only have a few weeks to do the experiment and then I just need to write a paper about it, but I am having trouble coming up with a project to do…..

Some people in my class are going to be vegetarians for a few weeks, one student is going to try and not use shampoo for a couple weeks!. The experiments dont have to be too extreme like these, some students are just going to make an effort to smile more and see what types of responses they get from others.

I want to come up with a unique experiment but I am drawing a blank….I would love any ideas!

Thanks so much!
Thanks so much for your ideas…the only thing is I am limited with what I can do because I am living in a dorm on a college campus!!

Best answer:

Answer by Jokele
Not sure how much control you would have over your electricity bill (and if not, become an activist and get access), but if you can get a previous bill you could:

1. Change out all light bulbs for low energy ones;
2. Ensure your computer is off when you are not using it;
3. Don’t turn on the TV for a few weeks;
4. Go through the house and turn off everything that draws ‘phantom energy’ (chargers that aren’t charging anything, coffee makers with clocks, Sound video components in standby mode – you TV will be off etc.);
5. Wash dishes by hand, or ensure a dishwasher is full before running it (if you own one);
6. Air dry as much laundry as possible;
7. And turn off anything else with pretty lights you are not using (no straigting hair or haridryers either!).

Do that for two weeks, and either wait for your bill or contact the utility company directly to find out usage (if you can go outside and read the meter yourself before you start and when you are done you can even do the math yourself).

Once all that is said and done, you will have a profile of your energy use. Some changes can be permanent, others you can budget yourself for (such as TV – I am addicted to a few shows myself!) and make yourself sustainable for the long term.

There are some other things you can do too to minimize energy use, but I’m getting a pinky cramp writting…. good luck and would love to see your results!

Add your own answer in the comments!



Tags:Experiment, Living, Living/Environmental, Sustainable

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