26 is not only the atomic number of iron (Fe) and the number of letters in the English and interlingua alphabets, it’s also the number of years I will have been alive on Thursday August 6th. The past several years, I’ve had a hard time coming up with birthday wishes, and an even tougher time asking for it. Not this time!
This year, I want you to work smarter, not harder for my birthday, for the good of us all. I want you to invest in something that will benefit your pocketbook, the earth, and future generations. I want you to do any or all of these things:
1) Purchase a bunch of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), and plug them in ASAP! Don’t worry about letting the old clunkers burn out, by the time they do they’ll have used way more energy than you will save by tossing them. The best place to find good deals is on eBay – in stores CFLs sell for as much as $5/bulb, but on eBay you can get them for like $1.25 a piece if you order at least a few dozen. Tip: Don’t bother with skinny light bulbs or especially dimmers. We’ll leave that for another adventure.
2) Get your home energy audited to find out how to make your house comfortable for less. Auditors help you figure out where you’re using and losing energy, like where air is leaking in or out of your walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows, etc. A good auditing service will provide you with a report on suggested ways to improve your energy efficiency, and how much energy and money you can save. Tip: If your appliances, windows & doors, or insulation turn out to be weak spots, you can get tax credits on new stuff – check out www.EnergyStar.gov.
3) Make a meal with friends one night a week instead of going out to dinner. We have potlucks at my house every Tuesday (at 8PM if you’re interested). It’s more fun than going out, and costs a heck of a lot less. 10 people means 10 dishes to choose from (well, probably more like 7 or 8 cuz there’s always a couple people who just show up…) which is pretty tough to beat. This is a great way to eat healthy, have fun, and save bucks.
4) Revolve those funds into more projects. The money spent on these ideas was just sitting in the bank before, but now it’s doing something! Figure out how much money you save and turn it into what’s called a revolving fund, where you re-invest in bigger and more impactful projects over time. You can work up to a solar hot water heater, new Energy Star appliances, even solar panels. If you get several projects working at the same time, you can free up dozens of free dollars every month for more new ideas.
5) Donate those funds to organizations working for bigger changes. If this message saves you $20 a month, how about donating $10 a month? Two suggestions I have are:
-Ohio Student Environmental Coalition
-Energize Clinton County
Whatever you do, this hot August, work smarter, not harder. You’ll enjoy it, I’ll appreciate it, and future generations will thank you. Please let me know if you take me up on my request :0)
-sincerely, Mattie-
Happy birthday!