Green Tips From Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Yesterday was Earth Day and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (of Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine fame) was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno to provide five tips for a greener living. This actress has been a green advocate for long time, driving a hybrid car while her husband drives a biodiesel car. Both live inside a “green home” made with sustainable materials with solar panels. So, she walks the talk.

Julia’s 5 tips for a greener living are unarguably beneficial to society in terms of reducing one’s carbon footprint, which is what this is all about. I will reiterate them here with added notes:

• “Take out all your light bulbs; replace them with compact fluorescent. Now they make them pretty. And they seem to last forever. You should never buy a regular bulb again. Note: more expensive fluorescents cast a nice, bright white light. Look for full-spectrum lights when shopping. You will notice the difference and will be happy you spent the few extra bucks..

• “Adjust your thermostat by a couple of degrees – two degrees up or down depending on the season.”  Note: exercising this green tip should add a significant savings to your electricity bill.

• “Unplug your chargers, hair dryers, and shut down your computer instead of putting it on standby. All these things draw energy.” Note: appliances which draw power while in the “off” state such as stoves, dvd players, and TV’s are called “energy vampires.” The often have a red standby light while off. Some draw as much as 40% of their operating power while in the “off” state.

• “Avoid using plastic bags at the supermarket. … If you have the choice, choose paper over plastic.” Note: The causes less reliance on petroleum (which is not significant compared to automobiles) and less bags in the environment, which do not degrade. I strongly disagree with Julia that using paper over plastic is better — both are poor choices and neither are good. The only real solution is one Julia offers…

• “Ultimately, if you can, see if you can remember to bring a bag with you. I am bad at this. To get better at this, I’m keeping bags in my car all the time. Or … use bags that roll up into tiny bags and you open them and they get enormous. You can have one or two in your purse.”

Try to incorporate these five tips into your home and daily life. Doing so will help you live a more socially conscious manor by reducing your carbon footprint. A sustainable future is on the horizon for all of us. Cheers to green living!