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Live Greener in the New Year by adopting these 12 simple tips.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2012
BY SACHI FUJIMORI
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
By now you’ve probably determined your resolutions for 2012. Perhaps you want to exercise more, pay off those credit cards, or volunteer in your community. But before you execute this plan, remember there are some small things you can resolve to do each day to live a little greener.
Thinking about climate change, our limited natural resources and waste issues can be overwhelming. But experts say taking small steps to reduce our environmental impact can make a significant difference.
“The global community, and particularly people living in industrialized societies, have put unsustainable demands on our planet’s limited resources,” says Robert Engelman, president of the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C. “If we expect to be able to feed, shelter and provide even basic living conditions to our growing populations in years to come, we must act now to change.”
If you’re at home and three-quarters of the lights are on while the family is spending time in the living room, that’s a huge energy waste, said Ed Schwartz, a Ridgewood resident and co-founder of Green Living Solutions, a home energy auditing company. “It’s wasting up to 1,500 watts at any given time,” he said.