Don't be idle

Very few driving sins are as wasteful as idling in your car. Seriously. You're getting zero mph when idling!

Need a rule of thumb? If you would have to idle for 10 seconds or longer, turn off your engine.

This means that going inside the bank or fast food restaurant instead of using the drive-thru is the far better choice. Yes, it's hot outside, and it's tempting to just sit in your car (with the AC on, no less!), I get it. But think of your children or grandchildren or great-grandchildren, and do the right thing.

What about idling to warm up your car in the winter? A myth! Your car warms up better through driving than idling. So get going!

Overall, it is important to keep your car's motor on as little as possible. Turn it off immediately when you pull into a parking space, before you unbuckle your seat belt or put up your sun visor. Same goes for when you start up your car; wait until you are ready to start rolling to turn that key!

Cool your ride

There are many environmental considerations you need to keep in mind about your vehicles and driving. In this article, however, we are only going to look at cooling your vehicle -- a very timely topic as summer approaches!

Question: Should I be using air conditioning or opening my windows to cool my car?
Answer: Depends on how fast you're going!
~Driving around town: Definitely windows down. Whereas using the AC decreases your vehicle's fuel efficiency by up to 20% at all speeds, "drag" reducing your mileage from having your windows down while driving around town is not a concern.
~Driving on the Interstate: AC. Drag does start to have a role in this decision when you are traveling at high speeds. At 45 mph +, the reduction in efficiency can be up to 10%. At 55 mph, 20%. So be sure not to speed regardless!
[More information about this abounds on the Internet. One source is here though, another here.]

At all speeds, however, it is better to do neither. How do we, especially in the South, pull this off?

Question: How can I keep my parked car cooler?
Answer: Prevent your car from heating up so much in the first place! Always use a sun visor/screen in your windshield. They're also available for side and back windows at lots of places (AutoZone, etc.) Also, make a better effort to park under trees or otherwise in the shade. It makes a big difference too.

Question: What should I look for when buying a new vehicle?
Answer: Color! The lighter the color of your car, the better for reducing solar heat gain. You want as close to white as possible. (Luckily, in America white is the most popular car color, with silver in third place.) Also, look for improvements in the glass used for vehicle windows in the near future. Or consider tinted windows. For more info, read this.

Jewelry

Beautiful! If you ever choose to give someone jewelry (or get some for yourself), make sure you pick pieces that are kind to the environment and human rights.

A great option: reclaimed or recycled metals and stones. I love these collections by Julia Failey, who uses reclaimed metals in her jewelry, making it super sustainable.

Another great option is estate or second-hand jewelry. Especially meaningful if it belonged to someone who loves (or, in the case of late family members, loved) you, like your mom or grandmother.

Image from http://www.juliafailey.com/

Carpets

It's important to pick out carpets and rugs for your home that are environmentally healthy. After all, you spend many, many hours a day breathing around the stuff, don't you?

The problem with carpets: VOCs. Green is Sexy says, "Most carpet is made from petroleum byproducts and synthetics, treated with stain repellents, backed with latex, and padded with PVC." Pretty yucky stuff to let inside your body.

Good options: Rugs made from recycled plastic, like these, are especially good for outdoor spaces. For the indoors, good options include "natural fiber carpets made from chemical-free wool, jute, sea grass, sisal, coir (coconut-husk fiber), and even corn. When the time comes to dump those, you ditch them in the compost" (Ibid). Other natural fiber choices include hemp and reed, like the Japanese Igusa mats.

Certification: Look for the Green Label Plus Certification. "Check the carpet label for a little green house, which means it’s been tested by the Carpet and Rug Institute’s (CRI) Indoor Air Quality testing program" (Ibid). This will ensure your rug is not going to make you sick.

Better options: If possible, you may want to avoid wall-to-wall carpeting all together. Low Impact Living says, "Natural, bare flooring options like reclaimed hardwood flooring or Marmoleum are really the best option from a health perspective–because they don’t trap allergens and chemicals like rugs and carpets do... Cork is a wonderful option because it is a renewable resource, dampens sounds (great for sleeping babies), and is soft on little bodies. Cork is harvested by shaving off the 'bark' of the tree– trees are not killed in the process."

More ideas and details, check out Low Impact Living's great article here.

And no matter what your flooring choices, always leave your shoes at the door to reduce the amounts of pollutants and dangerous chemicals you bring into your home.

Image from http://s7d4.scene7.com/is/image/Gaiam/18-0077?$large$

More big brands go organic

Sometimes it seems as though the news keeps getting bleaker on climate change.

And as we make progress toward sustainability in our own lives, the way many people (especially, it seems, some in the baby boomer generation, who grew up in post-WWII prosperity and feel entitled to the resource-intensive lifestyle they've known all their lives) blatantly ignore the planetary consequences of their actions begin to seem actively hateful.

Steadily, however, some "familiar faces," so to speak, are making small steps in the right direction. Huge corporate retailers like Target, Nike, the Gap, Banana Republic, and Victoria's Secret are beginning to bring organic clothing to the masses.

It's a tiny step, but perhaps some of the people who are hesitant to make any changes toward sustainability in their lifestyles will choose the better options if they are made convenient enough. Perhaps people will be more likely to make changes in at least their buying habits with the support of the brands and corporations with which they feel most comfortable.

To read about some of the stores introducing some sustainable items, check out Tree Hugger's article.

Turn it off!

In honor of last weekend's "Earth Hour" comes today's post about turning out the lights. A lot of us are constantly confused about when you should turn lights off or leave them on when you're leaving a room for a few seconds or even a few minutes. Here's an answer!

Reader's Digest says, "You save energy with the lights off, even for a few seconds. ...And don't worry, turning on a lightbulb doesn't burn a lot of energy. The Department of Energy's office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy says that the amount of electricity needed to turn on a bulb equals a few seconds of its burning brightly."

So, flip those lights off while you're brushing your teeth, when you run to the other room to grab a book, and any other time you won't be using the light for even a few seconds!