[Energy Efficiency]
Join the “fan club”
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Save energy, turn on a fan.
Fans are one of the oldest and most reliable mechanical methods of cooling a home – and they use less energy than air conditioners.
However, fans don’t cool rooms in the same way air conditioners do by lowering the temperature. Instead, fans create a cooling effect by moving air acro...
[Energy Efficiency]
Low-flow showerheads
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Get the most from your daily shower … and save energy, too
For every minute you spend in the shower, you use five to 10 gallons of water, according to the City of Ames, Iowa Water and Pollution Control Department. Luckily, there is a way you can easily conserve water and still enjoy your soothing shower: simply install a low-flow showerhead.
Using these lo...
[Commitment to the Community]
Volunteer to warm up your community
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
These grants offer a rewarding way to save energy.
The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) offers a challenge to all Iowans: Get a volunteer social or religious group, neighborhood association, or community-based group to help weatherize the homes of low-income, elderly or disabled Iowans—and the IUB will help pay for it through the Iowa Weatherization...
[Energy Efficiency]
Be a “Tight Watt” in June
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Waste no watts: Try these energy saving tips.
The energy use of two families living in two homes that are exactly alike can vary by 100 percent—which means that how you use what’s in your home can double (or halve) your energy bills. This month, there are things—both big and small—that you can do to save energy in your h...
[Environmental]
Go green
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Make choices for the earth’s benefit—and your own.
The issues of global warming and greenhouse gases are causing Americans — and many people around the world — to look toward renewable, recyclable products. “Going green” involves making a conscious decision to have minimal detrimental impact on the environment when purchasing...
[Family Fun]
Start stargazing
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
The entire celestial world is there to discover—and rural residents have the advantage.
People who live in rural areas have one thing city residents can never lay claim to: the ability to see the stars in all their glory. Just ask amateur astronomer Dave Oesper. In the 1990s he plotted the light output from all municipalities in Iowa and its borders to determine that the Coon Rapids ar...
[Seasonal Topics]
June holidays and observances
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
There’s no shortage of inspiring and fun celebrations this month.
June 1: Security blanket history
On this day in 1954, a comic's icon was added to our cultural canon: Linus’ security blanket in Peanuts. In the strip, Charlie asks Lucy, “Why does Linus hold his blanket like that?” She replies, “I’m not sure...I think maybe it gives h...
[General Information]
Hate junk mail?
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Cut out unwanted mail and save a few trees.
Is your mailbox full of brochures, offers, catalogs and envelopes you don’t want - also known as junk mail? Just as with the Do Not Call registry for unwanted telephone calls, it is possible to limit the extra pieces of unwanted mail, according to Sid Kirchheimer, who writes the Scam Alert col...
[General Information]
Choosing wedding gifts
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
There’s a variety of different bridal types, and choosing “green” gifts
It’s summer bridal season, and that means that all kinds of “bridal personalities” come out in the planning and execution of the big day. The NPD Group, Inc., one of the top chroniclers of consumer and retail information, has released the results of the 2006 consumer survey, &ldquo...
|