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Eliminating meat from your diet at least once a week will reduce your carbon footprint.

4/26/2018

Beef has a much greater impact on greenhouse gas emissions than other types of meat. Therefore, you can reduce your carbon footprint by reducing the amount of beef you eat or moving toward a more plant-based diet.

You can start by eliminating meat at least once per week; find useful recipes on meatlessmonday.com. You can also take the flexitarian approach by eating some vegetarian meals and making meat less central to your meal.

In the article “The Triple Whopper Environmental Impact of Global Meat Production,” Bryan Walsh, gives more details describing the impact of livestock on greenhouse gas emissions (Science.time.com, Dec. 16, 2013)

http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the-triple-whopper-environmental-impact-of-global-meat-production/

Remove English ivy from your trees

4/19/2018

Remove English ivy from your trees: it adds weight and increases their likelihood of falling or branches breaking off during a storm.

English ivy is not itself parasitic to trees, but it competes for light and nutrients with its host tree and adds considerable weight, increasing the chance of trees or large branches breaking off and falling during stormy weather.

For more details, see this article on English ivy.

- http://homeguides.sfgate.com/english-ivy-circling-tree-kill-tree-69358.html

When your electricity goes out, some foods in your fridge will still be OK.

4/12/2018

When your electricity goes out, some foods in your fridge will still be OK. Don’t throw out hard cheeses, butter or margarine, open fruit juice, ketchup, mustard, vinegar-based dressings, soy sauce, pickles, or raw vegetables.

The website https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/refridg_food.html provides a complete list of what foods can be kept and which should be discarded after the power has been out for more than four hours and the food has been held at a temperature higher than 40°F. You can lengthen the time before your food spoils by filling a cooler with ice (or snow, if that is the cause your power outage) to keep the foods that you need most frequently to minimize the number of times you have to open your refrigerator. If the temperature outside is lower than 40°F, store your food in a sealed container outside.

Save energy and money! Schedule an energy assessment of your home with PECO for only $25.

4/5/2018

AFewSteps board members have used this service and recommend the PECO energy assessment as a lost-cost method to get valuable information about your home and energy use that can save you money.

Sign up on their website at www.peco.com/assessment or call 1-888-573-2672 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Information from the PECO website:

For just $25, a specially trained PECO energy advisor will visit your home, identify energy-saving opportunities and provide you with a personalized report. All PECO residential electric customers are eligible to receive an Energy Assessment. During the 1 to 2-hour visit, your energy advisor will:
Provide you with an unbiased evaluation of your home’s energy efficiency.
Give you a personalized report with recommendations for improving efficiency.
Install up to $125 of energy-saving items* at no additional cost.
Recommend valuable PECO rebates for additional energy efficiency upgrades you can make working with a participating contractor.

FREE Energy Savings Products Installed May Include:LED lights
Smart power strip
Efficient flow shower head†
Kitchen and bathroom aerator†

*Limited supply per household and where applicable. Certain restrictions apply. You must be a PECO residential electric customer to participate. Only one Energy Assessment per residence, per year. This program is subject to change, including termination, without prior notice. Appointments are available Monday–Friday. Limited number of appointments available on Saturdays.
†Electric water heating customers only.

Eliminating meat from your diet at least once a week will reduce your carbon footprint.

Remove English ivy from your trees

When your electricity goes out, some foods in your fridge will still be OK.

Save energy and money! Schedule an energy assessment of your home with PECO for only $25.

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