It’s Earth Day! At Plant Therapy we love our environment (kind of a lot) and we’re committed to showing it.
All this week, our Plant Therapy offices are trying one challenge each day to help be just a little bit kinder to the earth, starting today! We’ll post our challenge results the following morning. So check back to see what we accomplished and get a look behind the scenes at PT! Plus, you can follow along on social media by tagging us with #ptchange1thing.
1. Turn the lights out!
This is so simple, but it does so much good! Go lights-out when you’re not using them, or commit to working with the lights off. Use natural sunlight instead during the day and turn out all your lights when you head to bed.
2. Unplug vampire electronics.
Toasters, Kitchenaids, blenders…do they really need to be plugged in while they’re not in use? The answer is (of course) no, they don’t! What you might not realize is how much energy they still use just being plugged in and ready to use. Instead, keep your small appliance “vampires” unplugged until they’re needed.
3. Turn off your computer when you’re not using it.
Your computer is one of the biggest energy “vampires” in any home. Leaving it on and plugged in sucks up energy like almost nothing else in your home. So unplug and turn off your computer unless you’re using it. The environment will thank you.
4. Adjust your thermostat to be lower (or higher) by a few degrees.
Keep your heat down. Heating (or cooling) your house takes a ton of energy. So keeping your thermostat at a medium temp year-round saves you a ton of energy. Bonus, it also saves you money!
5. Wear layers instead of turning up the heat.
Is keeping your thermostat down making your toes numb? Bundle up! Adjusting the number of layers you’re wearing helps you regulate your body heat without using more energy.
6. Use ceiling fans instead of air conditioning.
We’ve already talked about what to do if your toes are frozen from saving energy, but what if you’re burning up instead? Ceiling fans are the answer to your prayers. They use much less energy than air conditioning and still keep you cool when temperatures are high.
7. Insulate your home!
So you’re bundling up and using ceiling fans, awesome! But you’re still missing this crucial step to save energy. Spending a few extra dollars to make sure your home in insulated properly and no nooks and crannies go unplugged can save tons of energy every year. And it only costs you a little up front.
8. Use lids on your cookware when cooking.
Using lids isn’t an obvious energy-saver, but think about it: putting a lid on your pot of boiling water helps it boil faster, right? That’s because you’re trapping the heat inside your pots, which means your food gets hotter, faster. Using lids can help reduce cook times and that means reduced energy use.
We’re not done yet!
Want to know even more about what Plant Therapy is doing to change 1 thing this week? Follow #ptchange1thing on social media and check back each day to see what our offices are doing to help the environment.
And don’t forget to check out what else Plant Therapy has done in our commitment to sustainability and eco-friendliness!
We are very conservative in our house. The only tip I haven’t done is unplug my computer. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that one. I will start to now. Our electric bill a few years ago use to run into the hundreds, these days it is under 100.00. Yep, we are proud of our selves!
I needed to be reminded about “vampire” electronics. I am unplugging my paper shredder right now!
I already do several of these tips but now I have a few more things to work on that I see. No sense in wasting our resources! thanks for your work in compiling this for us
Yes!! My husband and kids are the worst about turning off lights! I’m always having to tell them to turn them off!!
After just receiving a $500 electric bill and it isn’t even summer nor have we turned on our ac yet we will be doing all of these esp the vampire electronics! Thank you so much
Thank you for caring and sharing! Off go the lights… Candles and essential oils are the go tonight. 🙂
Great reminders. Most of these I already do, but not unplugging all my vampire appliances. I need to be a little more mindful of that.
Yay earth day!!
Good little reminders
Wonderful tips, we usually sit in the dark at our house and my Mom can’t stand it haha
Great advice and glad to know that I already use most of these! Unfortunately the insulate you house thing, is hard as we live in an old house, and it’s a rental.. So not much we can do there.. But great advice!
Love this. The only one I am lacking in is unplugging vampire appliances. When we strive to do better we will make a difference.
These are great and not so obvious tips! Thank you!
Great tips! Will share with my kids too!
We did no lights today and I switched to dryer balls!
Does anyone have a recipe for a scent that doesn’t include lavender? My hubby isn’t a huge fan. Something that smells like clean clothes?
These are great tips. Especially on the day I receive my electric bill!!!!
I washed my car by hand today instead of taking it to the car wash. Almost always use lids, turn up/down the thermostat as needed, and I’ve had a blast with DIY beauty products! Thanks Plant Therapy!
So few people understand about the vampire electronics! Thank you for bringing it to our attention!
Great blog post!
I do most of this, but didn’t know that the computer was the worst “vampier”
Thank you for this reminder!
Thanks for the helpful tips!
Thanks for the post! Good to realize that I have some of the energy saving tips built in my daily activities without being aware of them!
Looking forward to trying the sugar scrub bar.
Love this article! 🙂 Thank you for caring the earth!
I love helping to make our environment a healthy one and I try to go green wherever and whenever I can, that’s important to me. Earth day should be everyday, when we take care of the earth it will take care of us!
Great post – looking forward to catching all of these this week. I DIY most of my skincare but haven’t tried the melt&pour soap as yet – thanks for the inspiration!
I do all of these :).
Great ideas. I really need to walk around the house and check for vampires. It’s crazy how all those little appliances can add up the energy.
I didnt realize I was so green already!!
I love this post it is absolutely helpful. I’m in love with PT.
Love these tips! Thank you!~
The sugar scrub sounds amazing!
I absolutely love this blog post! There are so many ways to save energy and you can do so by paying close attention to the things you do throughout your day. It’s the little things you do that can go a long way. I’ll definitely be sharing the post to my friends.
I am very into conserving energy. I never thought about the lids what and interesting idea.