Turn Over a New Leaf

Saving energy, water and money in the laundry

Doing laundry efficiently is a great way to lighten your carbon footprint and lessen the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by the burning of fossil fuels in power plants to fill your energy needs. Typical U.S. households are responsible for 16, 200 lbs. of GHG from electricity use, and 11,000 if they use natural gas, says the EPA. According to McKinsey & Co., Americans’ greatest potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions is by conserving energy in the residential sector. And it’s so easy they call it the “low-hanging fruit.”

But while we’re at it: What’s your water footprint? The UN predicts that two-thirds of the earth’s population, 1.1 billion of whom already lack clean drinking water, will face water shortages by 2025. So will 36 of U.S. states by 2013. Although 70% of the earth’s surface is covered in water, only 2.5% is fresh, and less than 1% of this is accessible at any given time. By using less fresh water, we help conserve the available supply for all.

A Reader Asks: I want to reduce my household’s carbon and water footprints, but does that mean I have to buy a new efficient washing machine when my old one works just fine?

Answer: You don’t have to do anything! Green also means reusing what we’ve got. When you’re ready to replace an old top-loading machine, which uses about 900 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year, consider an Energy Star front-loading model, which can use as little as 300 kWh. Meanwhile, you can significantly reduce your laundry’s eco impact and budgetary drain by washing as much as possible in cold water.

Why: Cold water uses about 90% less energy than hot, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Of the average 160 lbs. of carbon emissions from the average washing machine every year, you can shave off 154 lbs. by using cold water. Of course, there are times when one has to use hot water, for instance to kill dust mites in bedding every two weeks. So turn your water heater thermostat down from the standard 130 to 120 degrees, and save 733 lbs. of carbon a year, says Consumers Union. This guards against scalding, too.

To reduce your washer’s water footprint, always run it with full loads (to reduce the total number of washings).

When your old machine's plumb tuckered out, go for a U.S. EPA Energy Star approved model, which must be 50% more energy efficient and can save you more than $145 a year compared with a 10-year-old machine. Check the label to make sure it carries a Water Efficient Factor of less than 9.5, which means it uses 35-50% less water than an average washer. Reaching beyond Energy Star, the Consortium for Energy Efficiency and Consumer Reports list the tip-top among the electricity and water saving crop.

Homespun Solution: To lift stains and soften water, add a little washing soda or white vinegar instead of toxic chlorine bleach, which can produce cancer-causing trihalomethanes in our water systems.

Which Detergent? Request our laundry shopping list, including top rated cold-water green detergents, at greenerpenny@gmail.com

Question: Is it greener to buy a new washing machine or a new dryer?

Answer: Go for the washer. There are no Energy Star clothes dryers, and they’re all pretty much equal energy hogs (third place, after the fridge and clothes washer).

What to do? ‘Tis the season! Hang laundry, outdoors or in, instead of machine drying, and jettison the 4.4 lbs. of carbon “emitted” by every load.

Glad Food Tidings

The songbirds are returning to our temperate clime, filling the air with their bright melodies, and there’s a fresh theme coming from the White House kitchen, too. Michelle Obama says that fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables should be part of all Americans’ healthy diets, and she’s committed to making it happen, as she demonstrated by serving meals at a soup kitchen that serves fresh, locally grown food. Meanwhile, her husband the President has announced an overhaul of the flawed food regulatory system that permitted the recent widespread and sometimes fatal salmonella outbreaks due to contaminated peanuts.

Note that fresh whole peanuts were safe to eat. The problem was all the processed foods—pastries, ice creams and even part-organic energy bars—that use peanuts. And this is a standard problem with processed foods, which are handled at many steps along the way and much more difficult to trace back to their origins. Whereas at a farmers’ market, you literally look your food source in the eye. For more on fresh whole foods and where to get them, click here.

Of course, some staples, like coffee, are only available processed. For the sake of the birds as well as farmworkers, choose organic, shade-grown, bird-friendly, and fairly traded beans. The migratory birds spend their winters in the tropics, and shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee is grown under the lofty canopies that provide the birds’ winter homes. There are bushels of brands with reputable labels!