A first step: The website energystar.gov has a wealth of information and practical steps for lowering your energy bills while also doing the environment a service. The section on “Products” shows how switching to items that carry the “Energy Star” rating can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also saving you bucks. By navigating to “Home Improvement” you can find out what steps you can take to improve energy efficiency, from heating and cooling to insulation.

Resources:

Become part of The Sierra Club’s 2% Solution, cutting your energy consumption and carbon footprint by 2 percent a year to meet the challenge of global climate change. Visit their website for more info.

This article appears in Feb 20-26, 2008.