Got a green idea?

Hi guys again! How is your process to a greener life? With our pieces of advices, do you feel already going green? Well, I hope so.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We often forget about the first two “R’s”. We tend to think that with recycling is enough, but it isn’t. It is time to redirect our attention.

In this post, I would like to share with you one idea for reusing, in order to show you that if you want to start living a greener life, you just need good attitude and a little bit of imagination. Just look around and play with the possibilities.

Each year I select my study materials for discarding, but this time I wanted to do something different. I felt that recycling paper and putting it into a recycling bin wasn’t enough. I want to reuse them as much as possible. I wanted to do something useful so, I decided to make my own second-hand notebooks, which I’m using this semester at the university.
   

I collected white paper used for one side only, I took 3 or 4 sheets, and I folded them in half and cut them. All the paper was placed into piles of 160 sheets and then bounded. The result: a spiral-bound notebook of 160 sheets only for CLP 800, while a 100-sheet notebook can cost CLP 1,290 in the market. Maybe, there is not a huge difference in prices. However, my notebook lasts 2 months, approximately, while the other one lasts about 2 weeks, so I have to buy 2 per month, which means CLP 1,780 in savings.

This is just an example to show you that there is no need to have a BIG idea just a green one.

Energy Efficiency

Technology has become an indispensable part of our daily life. It plays a key role in housekeeping: washing machine, vacuum cleaner, refrigerator, microwave oven, electric/gas stove and iron among others. They represent a high percentage of electricity consumption in our households for this reason it is important to look for the energy efficiency label, which will help us to save money and reduce our ecological footprint.

In our country, refrigerator is one of the electrical appliances that have more presence in households and, at the same time, use more electricity. According to a study¹, 96.8% of Chilean households have at least one refrigerator. The average annual consumption of electricity due to the use of refrigerators is 516.3 kWh, which represents 29% of the electricity consumption of a house. 

So, it is important to know which aspects take into consideration when buying an electric appliance. Let’s imagine that you want to replace your 15-year-old refrigerator with a new one. Most refrigerators of fifteen years ago are class D or E which means a consumption of 625 kWh per year. Commonly, the new ones have either A, A+ or A+++ class. For this example, we’ll use the A+ class, which uses 187 kWh. There is a difference of 438 kWh, in other words, 70% of savings in electricity. So, if we consider that each kWh costs CLP 110, we’ll save 20,570 in 1 year!

https://ideaelectrodomesticos.wordpress.com/2012/12/18/cuanto-dinero-ahorra-un-electrodomestico-de-eficiencia-energetica-a-a-a-a/

When buying you should choose a top freezer model because they use between 10% and 25% less energy than side-by-side or bottom-mount models as well as models with icemakers and water dispensers.

As you can see, there are several aspects you should consider when buying an electrical appliance, this is just an example. But, you already know that the energy efficiency label provides a lot of information.

Keep making greener choices!

1: Estudio de usos finales y curva de oferta de la conservación de la energía en el sector residencial

Sources:

http://formularios.minenergia.cl/cpeee/archivos_bajar/informe_meps.pdf

http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/tips-kitchen-appliances

Is it true?

As we said in our last post, making greener choices is not only good for the environment, but also for your wallet, and sometimes they’re good for your health too.

You don’t believe me, do you? Well, I don’t blame you because many people don’t know either. I’m talking about the cat litter market. How are these things related?

Although there are no studies on this issue, there is a controversy about the safety of clay cat litters that use sodium bentonite as their clumping ingredient. It is believed that clay particles can cause even death if a cat swallows them while licking their paws and fur, because they can expand and harden in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition to this, most clumping litters are considered toxic substances because they can induce abortion in humans.

We haven´t mentioned yet the consequences for the environment. The mass formed by clumping clay cat litters are non-biodegradable; therefore they do NOT decompose in landfills. So, let’s think of all the waste we’re throwing away. How many bags do you use in a month? I used about 2 bags of 6 kg each month, which is 144 kg in a year. That’s too much, don’t you think?

Fortunately, there are eco-friendly alternatives.  Each day, organic biodegradable cat litters are appearing in the market with new brands. This is the result of a new market niche. These alternative cat litters are made from: corn, wheat, wood fibers or shaving (pine and walnut pellets), volcanic rocks (zeolite), paper, among others.

 As you can see there is a wide range of cat litter alternatives chemical free, which are 100% natural and therefore is safe for landfill disposal. And also, they are NOT harmful to humans or cats.

But that is not all; they’re much cheaper than clay litters. Let’s compare:

I used to buy mainly two clumping cat litters: one is Super Mix of 7.5 kg which costs about CLP 7,000. But, my cat used 1 and ½ bags in a month, so I spent about CLP 14,000 every two months. The other one was Traper of 5 kg, which costs CLP 5,290. Whit this one, I also needed 2 bags per month. Once I bought Cat’s Pride litter (5,290), but it didn’t even last for 2 weeks!

What about the eco-friendly ones? Well, I compared prices in different supermarkets and home centers and there is a wide gap when compared to non-biodegradable litters. The prices of natural cat litters are very similar: CLP 1,790 (2 kg); 2,260 (2 kg); and 3,290 (2.5 kg). I bought the CLP 2,260 litter and I must say that it lasts longer than the clumping cat litter. I also had to buy 2 bags, but I saved CLP 9,480at the end.

So, what do you think? Do you take up the challenge? Try with an eco-friendly cat litter during 1 month and then share your experience with us!  

*Prices from: Easy, Homecenter Sodimac, Lider and Santa Isabel.

Sources:

http://cats.lovetoknow.com/Safe_Cat_Litter

http://www.cosasdegatos.es/cuidado-gato/arena-para-gatos-biodegradable

Making greener choices

Would you like to be more eco-friendly but you don´t know where to start? I know that sometimes it may be difficult to start doing something new and making it part of your habits. But, what if we begin with something simple? Remember: try with one step a time! 

I can assure you that whit this easy and simple action you will be in the right way to go green.

I’m talking about replacing your traditional or incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient ones, such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light emitting diodes (LED). Today, I’m focusing on the CFLs because they have a greater presence in the Chilean market and also because they’re cheaper than LED light bulbs.

First of all, we should know, what’s the main difference between traditional bulbs and energy saving ones? The difference is the amount of energy they use to produce light and heat. 

 While, incandescent bulbs release 90% of their energy as heat and only 10% as light, CFLs produce light with 75% of the electricity they use. In fact, when compared to traditional bulbs, CFLs use 75% less energy.

http://inside.edison.com/g912 

As you might think, that waste of energy is money we’re throwing away. Lighting represents a high percentage of electricity consumption in households so, by replacing light bulbs you can reduce up to 80% of your electricity consumption. You will notice this on your bill each month. For example, if you just change the most used bulbs at home, you could save between 25% and 30% of electricity.

It’s true; CFLs are more expensive, but don’t worry because in the short term you will start saving money. An incandescent bulb of 75 Watts costs on average CLP 450, while the price of a CFL varies from CLP 2,290 to 3,290*. However, you should keep in mind that an energy-efficient bulb last 10 to 25 times longer than traditional ones. 

Let’s compare both bulbs in detail. Take a look at the following table:

	Average lifespan (h)	Use (W)	Daily use (h)	Use kWh1			Cost (CLP)
				daily	monthly	annual	daily	monthly	annual
Incandescent bulb	1,000	75	5	0.375	11.25	135	41.25	1,237.5	14,850
CFL	8,000	14	5	0.07	2.1	25.2	7.7	231	2,772

	Annual cost (CLP)	Market price (CLP)	N° of bulbs needed for   8,000 h	Total cost (CLP)
Incandescent bulb	14,850	450	8	18,450
CFL	2,772	2,7902	1	5,562

1: Based on an electricity rate of CLP 110 per kilowatt-hour (Concepción may, 2016).
2: Average price.

By just replacing incandescent bulbs at home, you can save CLP 12,888 in a year. Not bad, isn’t it? We’ve already replaced all light bulbs. What are you waiting for?