OSU Students

The average household gets about 1.5 trees in junk mail a year.  By removing yourself from the Direct Marketing Association's list, you can cut the hassle and environmental cost of junk mail from your life.

Find Out More:

The Federal Trade Commission page here will show you where to go to stop unwanted mail or phone calls here:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt063.shtm

About the Numbers:

...

Meat- especially lamb and beef- takes more energy to make than any other kind of food.  For example, a steak dinner produces 24 times the carbon-equivalent emissions of a meal made of rice and vegetables!  

Find Out More:

- Check out the Environmental Working Group’s guide to climate and health for meat eaters:
http://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/

About the Numbers:

More informaiton coming soon. 

Reducing the amount of time you drive is one of the best ways to reduce your energy use, and biking or walking can help keep you healthy too.  The United States imports about nine million barrels of oil every day. In Oregon, most of the CO₂ produced comes from oil use in car and truck transportation.

Find Out More:

• Check out this guide to Bike Commuting for Beginners.
• Check out the City of Corvallis Walking & Biking Programs.
• Visit the Corvallis Bicycle Collective.
• Check out Drive Less Connect to track the trips you make by biking or walking. See your C0₂ emissions decline, and win prizes too!

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save if you take charge by biking or walking instead of driving?

• If you do this for one month: 40 pounds CO_2.
• If you do this for one year: 480 pounds CO_2.

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 12,000 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 2,500 passenger vehicles. 
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 1,796 homes for one year.
• Carbon sequestered by 307,692 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 4,494 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

Here is how we calculated that:

To estimate how much energy you could save by walking or biking instead of driving, let’s assume you bike or walk twice per week for 5 miles each trip, for a total of 10 miles per week and 40 miles per month. Let’s also assume that your car gets 22 miles per gallon (mpg). (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you how many mpg your car actually gets to give you a better estimate of how much energy you saved.)

• Calculating gallons of gas: If you walk or bike for 40 miles a month instead of driving, and your car gets 22 miles per gallon, you would save about 2 gallons of gas per month (40 miles per month / 22 miles per gallon of gas = 1.81 gallon of gas per month, which we’ll round to 2 gallons).

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO₂: About 19.8 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every gallon of gas you use, so you would save 40 lbs of CO₂ a month (19.8 lbs CO₂ per gallon x 2 gallon of gas a month = 39.6 lbs CO₂ saved a month, which we’ll round up to 40 lbs). 

Over one million plastic bags are consumed worldwide every single minute, and each one of those bags can take up to 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill. Reusable cloth bags make a great substitute, and they carry heavy loads a lot better than disposable bags.

Find Out More:

http://www.reusablebags.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB1mE8e35UY

About the Numbers:

• • Read more about plastic bags.
  • Read about Corvallis’s ban on plastic bags .

How much energy could you save by using cloth bags instead of plastic or paper?

• • If you do this for one month : 1.35 pounds CO₂ if you previously used plastic bags or 7.8 pounds CO₂ if you previously used paper bags.
  • If you do this for one year : 16.2 pounds CO₂ (plastic) to 93.6 pounds CO₂ (paper).

 

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 1,360 metric tons of CO₂ , which is equivalent to:

• • Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 267 passenger vehicles.
  • CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 170 homes for one year.
  • Carbon sequestered by 34,872 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
  • Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 474 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

Here is how we calculated that:

To estimate how much energy you could save by using a reusable bag, let’s assume you use about 27 bags per month. The energy savings for paper and plastic bags is quite different, so we’ll calculate the energy savings for each. (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you if you usually use plastic or paper bags, or a combination of both kinds of bags, to give you a better estimate of how much energy you saved.)

Calculating Energy in Plastic Bags

• Calculating British Thermal Units (BTUs): It takes about 455 BTUs to produce one plastic bag.
• Calculating Therms : There are 100,000 BTUs in 1 therm, so it takes about 0.0045 therms to produce one plastic bag (455 BTUs / 100,000 BTU per therm = 0.0045 therms per plastic bag).
• Calculating pounds (lbs.) of CO₂ : About 11.7 lbs. of CO₂ are emitted for every therm used, so each plastic bag requires about 0.05 lbs. CO₂ to produce (0.0045 therms x 11.7 lbs. CO₂ = 0.05 lbs. CO₂). If you use 27 cloth bags per month instead of plastic bags, you would save about 1.35 lbs. CO₂ (0.05 lbs. CO₂ x 27 bags = 1.35 lbs. CO₂).

Calculating Energy in Paper Bags

• Calculating British Thermal Units (BTUs): It takes about 2,511 BTUs to produce one paper bag.
• Calculating Therms : There are 100,000 BTUs in 1 therm, so it takes about 0.025 therms to produce one paper bag (2,511 BTUs / 100,000 BTU per therm = 0.025 therms per plastic bag).
• Calculating pounds (lbs.) of CO₂ : About 11.7 lbs. of CO₂ are emitted for every therm used, so each paper bag requires about 0.29 lbs. CO₂ to produce (0.025 therms x 11.7 lbs. CO₂ = 0.29 lbs. CO₂). If you use 27 cloth bags per month instead of paper bags, you would save about 7.8 lbs. CO ₂ (0.29 lbs. CO₂ x 27 bags = 7.8 lbs. CO₂).

If you bring your lunch, make sure everything you pack is reusable including your containers, silverware, napkin, and lunch bag. If you eat out, bring a reusable container with you instead of walking away with a plastic bag and Styrofoam to-go boxes. 

Find Out More:

More inforamtion coming soon. 

About the Numbers:

More information coming soon. 

Showers use a lot of hot water, and thus a lot of energy. If you have an electric water heater, every five minutes you cut from your shower will save about 2 kilowatt hours of electricity use.

Find Out More:

• Check out the Energy Savers page on hot water use.
• Pacific Power and Northwest Natural Customers can receive FREE low-flow showerheads from Energize Corvallis. Click here to register.      

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save by reducing your shower time by 5 minutes?

• If you do this for one month: 24 pounds CO₂ for electric water heaters and 7 pounds CO₂ for gas water heaters.

• If you do this for one year: 288 pounds CO₂ for electric water heaters and 84 pounds CO₂ for gas water heaters.

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 4,650 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 969 passenger vehicles. 
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 696 homes for one year.
• Carbon sequestered by 119,231 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 1,742 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

Here is how we calculated that:

The energy savings for electric and gas water heaters are different, so we’ll calculate the energy savings for each.  To estimate how much energy you could save by reducing your shower time by 5 minutes, let’s assume that you are using a standard shower head, which uses 2.5 gallons per minute, so when you reduce your shower time by five minutes, you save 12 gallons of water (2.5 gallons per minute x 5 minute reduction in shower time = 12 gallons saved per shower). Let’s also assume that you reduce your shower time twice a week all month, for a total of 96 gallons of water saved per month (12 gallons per shower x 8 shorter showers per month = 96 gallons of water saved). Finally, let’s assume that when the water comes into your house from the municipal system, it is about 55^oF and that you have your water heater set at 120^oF, which means you heat the water 65^oF before it comes out of your tap (120^oF - 55^oF = 65^oF). (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you what type of water heater you have so we can give you a better estimate of your energy savings.)

Energy Savings for Electric Water Heaters

• Calculating kilowatt-hours (kWh) to heat one gallon of water: It takes 1 BTU to raise 1pound of water 1^oF. One gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs, and one BTU is equal to 0.0002931 kWh. So to heat one gallon of water 65^oF you would use about 0.16 kWh/gal (0.0002931 kWh to raise 1.0 lb of water 1.0^oF x 8.34 lbs in one gallon x 65^oF = 0.16 kWh/gal). Therefore you could save 15 kWh in one month (0.16 kWh per gallon x 96 gallons saved per month = 15.36 kWh).

• Calculating kWh to produce municipal water: It takes 0.0033 kWh to produce 1 gallon of municipal water, so using a low-flow showerhead would save an additional 0.3 kWh (0.0033 kWh x 96 gallons = 0.3 kWh). 

• Calculating total kWh: You would save about 15.66 kWh per month in total (15.36 kWh to heat water at home + 0.3 kWh to produce municipal water = 15.66 kWh saved).

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO₂: About 1.54 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every kWh used, so you would save about 23 lbs of CO₂ per month (1.54 lbs CO₂ x 15.66 kWh = 24.1164 lbs CO₂ per month, which we’ll round to 24 lbs).

Energy Savings for Gas Water Heaters

• Calculating therms to heat one gallon of water: It takes 1 BTU to raise 1 pound of water 1^oF. A gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs, and 1 BTU is equal to 0.0000099 therms.  So to heat one gallon of water 65^oF you would use about 0.0054 therms/gal (0.0000099 therm to raise 1.0 lb of water 1.0^oF x 8.34 lbs in one gallon x 65^oF = 0.0054 therms/gal). Therefore, you could save 0.52 therms one month (0.0054 therms per gallon x 96 gallons saved per shower = 0.52 therms per month).

• Calculating kWh to produce municipal water: It takes 0.0033 kWh to produce 1 gallon of municipal water, so using a low-flow showerhead would save an additional 0.3 kWh per month (0.0033 kWh x 96 gallons = 0.3 kWh). 

• Calculating pounds (lbs) CO_2:  About 11.7 lbs of CO₂ are emitted per therm, so you would save about 6.084 lbs of CO₂ per month (11.7 lbs CO₂ per therm x 0.52 therms = 6.084 lbs CO₂ saved per month). About 1.54 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every kWh used, so you would save an additional 0.462 lbs of CO₂ per month (0.3 kWh x 1.54 lbs CO₂ = 0.426 lbs CO₂ per month). In total, you would save 7 lbs CO₂ per month (6.084 lbs CO₂ per month for heating water at home + 0.426 lbs CO₂ per month for municipal water = 6.546 lbs CO₂ saved per month, which we’ll round to 7 lbs CO₂).

The Corvallis bus system is FREE, and it a great way to travel around town without having to worry about parking.  Taking a bus between cities is one of the most energy-efficient ways to travel.

Find Out More:

• Check out the Corvallis bus schedule here.
• Greyhound schedule in Corvallis. 
• HUT schedule for getting to the Portland Airport. 
• Check out www.DriveLessConnect.com to explore transit options and track your trips by bus to be eligible for prizes!

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save by taking the bus instead of driving? 

• If you do this for one month: 70 lbs of CO_2.
• If you do this for one year: 840 lbs of CO_2.

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 21,000 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 4,375 passenger vehicles.  
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 3,144 homes for one year. 
• Carbon sequestered by 538,462 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. 
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 7,865 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. 

Here is how we calculated that:

To estimate how much energy you could save by taking the bus instead of driving, let’s assume your car gets 22 mpg and you take the bus twice per week for one month for a total of 8 bus trips. Let’s also assume that each bus trip is 10 miles. (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you how many mpg your car actually gets and how many miles you traveled by bus to give you a better estimate of how much energy you saved.)

• Calculating gallons of gas: If you took 8 10-mile bus trips this month, you’d travel 80 miles by bus (8 trips x 10 miles per trip = 80 miles per month). If your car gets 22 miles per gallon, you’d save 3.6 gallons of gas per month (80 miles per month / 22 mpg = 3.6 gallons saved per month). 

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO₂: About 19.8 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every gallon of gas used, so you’d save about 70 lbs CO₂ (3.6 gallons of gas x 19.8 lbs CO₂ = 71.28 lbs CO₂, which we’ll round to 70 lbs).

An idling car isn’t going anywhere, but it still burns gas.  Idling can use a quarter to a half-gallon of fuel per hour, depending on engine size and air conditioner use. It only takes a few seconds worth of fuel to restart your vehicle, so turn off your engine when your vehicle is parked.  

Find Out More:

• Slate.com- when to idle & why.

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save by turning off your engine instead of idling? 

• If you do this for one month: 50 lbs of CO_2.
• If you do this for one year: 600 lbs of CO_2.

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 15,000 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 3,125 passenger vehicles.  
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 2,246 homes for one year. 
• Carbon sequestered by 384,615 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. 
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 5,618 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. 

Here is how we calculated that. 

To estimate how much energy you could save by turning off your engine instead of idling, let’s assume you use a half-gallon of gas for every hour your car idles.  Let’s also assume that you stop idling for 10 minutes a day.  (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you to estimate how many minutes you stopped idling your car to give you a better estimate of how much energy you saved.)

• Calculating time: If you stop idling your car for 10 minutes a day, you would avoid idling your car for 5 hours a month (10 minutes per day x 30 days = 300 minutes / 60 per hour = 5 hours). 

• Calculating gallons of gas: If you stop idling for 5 hours per month, and you save a half-gallon of gas for every hour you avoid idling your car, you would save 2.5 gallons of gas (5 hours of idling avoided x 0.5 gallons per hour of idling = 2.5 gallons of gas per month).

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO₂:  About 19.8 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every gallon of gas used, so turning off your engine instead of idling would save 50 lbs of CO₂ per month (2.5 gallons of gas x 19.8 lbs of CO₂ = 49.5 lbs of CO₂ per month, which we’ll round up to 50).

Using a reusable mug instead of a single-use paper coffee cup can save up to 98% of the energy, 99% of the water pollution, and 86% of the solid waste disposable cups make.  Many Corvallis coffee shops offer a 10 to 25 cent discount when you bring in your own mug.  Check out the list under 'Find out More' to see what discounts are offered where.

Find Out More:

Discounts for Reusable Mugs

Corvallis

• Beanery (2541 NW Monroe St and 500 SW 2nd St): $0.25 discount
• Starbucks (425 SW Madison Ave, 2305 NW Kings Blvd, 1705 NW 9th St): $0.10 discount
• Interzone Cafe (1563 NW Monroe St): $0.10 discount
• Oregon Legacy Coffee (100 NW 2nd St): $0.25 discount

 

On Campus Discounts for Reusable Mugs

• Bites Convenience in the OSU Memorial Union:  $0.10 discount
• Java Stop in the OSU Memorial Union: $0.10 discount
• EBGB's in the OSU Marketplace West: $0.25 discount
• Java II in the OSU Library: $0.10
• E-Café in the Kelly Building at OSU: $0.10 discount
• Arnold Country Store in the Arnold Center at OSU: $0.25 discount

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save by using a reusable coffee mug?

• If you do this for one month: 1.2 lbs of CO₂
• If you do this for one year: 14.4 lbs of CO₂

 

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 360 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 75 passenger vehicles. 
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 54 homes for one year.
• Carbon sequestered by 9,231 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 135 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

Here is how we calculated that:

To estimate how much energy you could save by using a reusable coffee mug, let’s assume you use a reusable mug twice per week, for a total of 8 times in a month. (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you to estimate how many times you used a reusable mug to better estimate of how much energy you saved.)

• Calculating joules: It takes about 0.55 million joules to produce a medium (16-ounce) paper cup. To convert joules into pounds of carbon, we’ll assume that the manufacturing facility used half natural gas, which we’ll calculate in therms, and half electric energy, which we’ll calculate in kilowatt-hours (0.55 million joules to produce a 16-ounce paper cup / 2 =      275,000 joules per type of energy used).      

• Calculating therms: There are 105,505,600 joules in 1 therm, so it takes about 0.0026 therms to produce a 16-ounce paper cup (275,000 joules per cup/105,506,000 joules per therm = 0.0026 therms per plastic bottle).

• Calculating kilowatt-hours (kWh): There are 3,600,000 joules in 1 kWh, so it takes about 0.076 kWh to produce a 16-ounce paper cup (275,000 joules per cup/ 3,600,000 joules kWh = 0.076 kWh per cup).

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO₂: About 11.7 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every therm used, so each paper cup requires 0.0304 lbs CO₂ (11.7 lbs CO₂ x 0.0026 therms = 0.0304 lbs CO₂). Additionally, about 1.54 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for      every kWh, so each paper cup creates about 0.117 lbs CO₂ (1.54 lbs CO₂ x 0.076 kWh = 0.117 lbs CO₂). In total, each      paper cup requires about 0.147 lbs CO₂ to produce (0.0304 lbs      CO₂ from therms + 0.117 lbs CO₂ from kWh = 0.147 lbs CO₂ saved). If you use a reusable coffee cup 8 times per month, you would save about 1.2 lbs CO₂ per month (0.147 lbs CO₂ x 8 cups = 1.18 lbs CO₂ per month which we will round to 1.2).

Use a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated on the go instead of buying bottle after bottle of expensive water.  Drinking tap water from a reusable water bottle uses 85% less energy and produces 79% less greenhouse gases, even after taking into account dishwashing.

Find Out More:

• Read the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality report on bottled water versus tap water. 
• According to the Government Accountability Office regulations for bottled water are less strict than tap water. 

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save by using a refillable water bottle? 

• If you do this for one month: 12 lb of CO_2.
• If you do this for one year: 144 lbs of CO_2.

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 3,600 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 750 passenger vehicles.  
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 539 homes for one year. 
• Carbon sequestered by 92,308 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. 
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 1,348 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. 

Here is how we calculated that: 

To estimate how much energy you could save by using a refillable water bottle, let’s assume you refill your own bottle twice per week instead of purchasing bottled water, for a total of 8 times in a month. It takes about 5.6 mega joules to produce a one-liter plastic water bottle. (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you to estimate how many times your used a refillable bottle to better estimate of how much energy you saved.) 

• Calculating joules: It takes about 5.6 million joules to produce a one-liter plastic water bottle.  To convert joules into pounds of carbon, we’ll assume that the manufacturing facility used half natural gas (which we’ll calculate in therms) and half electric energy (which we’ll calculate in kilowatt hours) in the manufacturing process (5.6 million joules to produce one liter plastic water bottle / 2 = 2.8 million joules per type of energy used).  

• Calculating therms:  There are 105,506,000 joules in 1 therm, so it takes about 0.027 therms to produce one plastic bottle (2,800,000 joules per bottle /105,506,000 joules per therm = 0.027 therms per plastic bottle). 

• Calculating kilowatt-hour (kWh): There are 3,600,000 joules in 1 kWh, so it takes about 0.78 kWh to produce one plastic bottle (2,800,000 joules per bottle/ 3,600,000 joules kWh = 0.78 kWh per plastic bottle). 

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO₂: About 11.7 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every therm used, so each plastic bottle creates 0.3159 lbs CO₂ (11.7 lbs CO₂ x 0.027 therms = 0.3159 lbs CO₂). Additionally, about 1.54 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every kWh, so each plastic bottle creates about 1.2012 lbs CO₂ (1.54 lbs CO₂ x 0.78 kWh = 1.2012 lbs CO₂). In total, each plastic bottle requires about 1.5 lbs CO₂ to produce (0.3159 lbs CO₂ from therms + 1.2012 lbs CO₂ from kWh = 1.5172 lbs CO₂ saved, which we’ll round to 1.5 lbs). If you use a reusable water bottle 8 times per month, you would save about 12 lbs CO₂ per month (1.5 lbs CO₂ x 8 bottles = 12 lbs CO₂ per month).

Pacific Power or NW Natural customer can register for FREE energy saving light bulbs and faucet aerators. One of our Energize Corvallis team members will come to your house and install up to 10 compact fluorescent light bulbs, 2 bathroom aerators, 1 kitchen aerator, and 2 low-flow showerheads. We can even install harder-to-find bulbs like floodlights, 3-way lamps, and candelabras. That adds up to about $80 worth of free energy-saving goodies. Plus you can expect an annual savings of up to $185 in homes with electric heat and up to $125 in homes with gas heat!

Find Out More:

• Pacific Power and NW Natural customers can register for FREE CFLs and faucet aerators here

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save letting us install FREE CFLs and faucet aerators for you? 

• In one year if you install 10 CFLs: 1,500 lbs CO₂.
• In one year if you install 3 low-flow faucet aerators and two low-flow showerheads: 1,308 pounds CO₂ for electric water heaters and 372 pounds CO₂ for gas water heaters. 

If everyone in Corvallis did this, in one year we would save 58,500 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 12,187 passenger vehicles.  
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 8,757 homes for one year. 
• Carbon sequestered by 1,500,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. 
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 21,910 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. 

Here is how we calculated that: 

Replacing CFLs

To estimate how much energy you could save by letting us install FREE CFLs, let’s assume you upgrade to 10 CFLs and that these bulbs are turned on an for an average of 6 hours per day. 

• Calculating kilowatts: 1,000 watts is equal to 1 kilowatt, so a 60-watt incandescent bulb is equal to 0.060 kW (60 watts / 1,000 watts per kW = 0.060 kilowatts). A 15-watt CFL bulb is equal to .015 kW (15 watts / 1,000 watts per kW = 0.015 kilowatts).  The savings per bulb is 0.045 kW (0.060 kW - 0.015 kW = 0.045 kW savings per bulb). 

• Calculating kilowatt-hours (kWh): Using 1 kilowatt for 1 hour is equal to 1 kWh, so 0.045 kW in energy savings for ten bulbs, six hours per day, 30 days per month is equal to 80 kWh per month (0.045 kW savings per bulb x 10 bulbs x 6 hour per day x 30 days per month = 81 kWh per month).  

• Calculating pounds (lbs) CO₂: About 1.54 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every kWh used, so you could save 125 lbs CO₂ per month (1.54 lbs CO₂ x 81 kWh per month = 124.74 lbs CO₂ saved per month, which we’ll round to 125 lbs). 

When you don’t have a lot of food to cook or reheat, using smaller appliances is a great way to save energy. A toaster oven uses about half the energy of a conventional oven, and a microwave uses about one third of the energy of a conventional oven. Using small appliances in the summer also helps save money on air conditioning costs because smaller appliances don’t heat up your home as much as using the oven can. 

Find Out More:

• Treehugger: Microwave or Toaster Oven, Which is the Greener Kitchen Gadget?

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save by using a toaster oven or microwave to reheat small portions? 

• If you do this for one month: 50 pounds CO₂ if you use a microwave and 32 pounds CO₂ if you use a toaster oven.
• If you do this for one year: 600 pounds CO₂ if you use a microwave and 384 pounds CO₂ if you use a toaster oven.

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 123,000 metric tons of CO₂ assuming half of us used a microwave and half of us used a toaster oven, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 2,562 passenger vehicles.  
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 1,841 homes for one year. 
• Carbon sequestered by 315,385 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. 
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 4,607 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. 

Here is how we calculated that: 

To estimate how much energy you could save by using a toaster oven or microwave to reheat small portions, we’ll calculate the potential energy saving for toaster ovens and microwaves because they use different amounts of energy and take different amounts of time to cook food. 

Let’s assume you reheat a frozen casserole. If you heated it in a conventional oven, it would take about one hour to cook and use 2 kWh of electricity. If you heated it in the microwave, it would take about 15 minutes and use 0.36 kWh. And if you heated it in the in the toaster oven, it would take for 50 minutes and use 0.95 kWh. (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask which small appliance you used so we can to give you a better estimate of how much energy you saved.)

Energy Savings for Microwave Ovens

• Calculating kilowatt-hours (kWh): If you reheat the casserole in the microwave, you would save 1.64 kWh (2 kWh to cook the casserole in the oven – 0.36 kWh to cook the casserole in the microwave = 1.64 kWh saved).

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO₂: On average, 1.54 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every kWh used, so you would save 2.5 lbs of CO₂ per meal (1.54 lbs of CO₂ x 1.64 kWh per month = 2.5 lbs of CO₂ per meal). If you cooked with the microwave five times a week, you could save 50 lbs of CO₂ per month (2.5 lbs per meal x 5 meals per week x 4 weeks per month = 50 lbs CO₂ saved per month).

Energy Savings for Toaster Ovens

• Calculating kilowatt-hours (kWh): If you reheat the casserole in the toaster oven, you would save 1.05 kWh (2 kWh to cook the casserole in the oven – 0.95 kWh to cook the casserole in the toaster oven = 1.05 kWh saved).

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO₂: On average, 1.54 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every kWh used, so you would save 1.62 lbs of CO₂ per meal (1.54 lbs of CO₂ x 1.05 kWh per month = 1.62 lbs of CO₂ per meal). If you cooked with a toaster oven five times a week, you could save 32 lbs of CO₂ per month (1.62 lbs per meal x 5 meals per week x 4 weeks per month = 32.4 lbs CO₂ saved per month, which we’ll round to 32).

Waiting until you have a full load of laundry to do helps you get the most out of your washing machine, saving both time and energy.

Find Out More:

More information coming soon. 

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save by washing full loads? 

• If you do this for one month: 26 lbs of CO_2.
• If you do this for one year: 312 pounds CO_2.

 

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 7,800 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 1,625 passenger vehicles.  
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 1,168 homes for one year. 
• Carbon sequestered by 200,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. 
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 2,921 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. 

Here is how we calculated that: 

To estimate how much energy you could save by washing full loads, let’s assume that you wash one less load of laundry per week for a total of four less loads of laundry this month. Let’s also assume that your washing machine uses 450 watts per load and takes 35 minutes, and that your dryer uses 4,000 watts per 60 minute cycle.  (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you how many loads of laundry you reduced this month to give you a better estimate of how much energy you saved.)

• Calculating kilowatts: 1,000 watts is equal to 1 kilowatt. If your washer uses 450 watts per load, it uses 0.45 kilowatts per load (450 watts / 1,000 watts per kilowatt = 0.45 kilowatts). If your dryer uses 4,000 watts, it uses 4 kilowatts (4,000 watts / 1,000 watts per kilowatt= 4 kilowatts). 

 

• Calculating kilowatt-hours (kWh): Using 1 kilowatt for 1 hour is equal to 1 kWh, so per load your washer uses 0.26 kWh (0.45 kilowatts x 35 minutes per load / 60 minutes per hour = 0.26 kWh per load).  If your washer uses 0.26 kWh per load and you eliminate washing four loads of laundry per month, you’d save 1.04 kWh per month (0.26 kWh per load of laundry x 4 loads = 1.04 kWh per month).  If your dryer uses 4 kilowatts per load, that is equal to 4 kWh (4 kilowatts x 1 hour per load = 4 kWh).  Eliminating 4 loads per month would be a reduction of 16 kWh per month for your dryer (4 kWh x 4 loads = 16 kWh). Added together, washing full loads of clothes would save 17 kWh per month (1.04 kWh for the washer + 16 kWh for the dryer = 17.04 kWh, which we’ll round to 17 kWh).

 

• Calculating pounds (lbs) CO₂:  About 1.54 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every kWh used, so you’d save 26 lbs CO₂ per month (17 kWh per month x 1.54 lbs CO₂ = 26.18 lbs CO₂, which we’ll round to 26 kWh). 

Do double good at the gym by creating energy while you workout. Next time you are at OSU’s Dixon Recreation Center, hop on one of the 22 energy-generating elliptical machines.  The annual energy output from the machines is estimated to be about 3,500 kilowatt-hours. That’s roughly the amount needed to power a small, efficient house.

Find Out More:

• Read the Gazette-Times article on Dixon's green machines.

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save by using an energy-generating elliptical machine? 

• If you do this for one month: 0.5 lbs of CO₂
• If you do this for one year: 6 lbs of CO₂

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 150 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 31 passenger vehicles.  
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 22 homes for one year. 
• Carbon sequestered by 3,846 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. 
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 56 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. 

Here is how we calculated that: 

To estimate how much energy you could save by using an energy-generating elliptical machine, let’s assume each machine generates about 50 watts per hour if you use it at moderate level of resistance. Let’s also assume you workout three times a week. (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you to estimate how many times you used the elliptical machines so we can better estimate of how much energy you saved.)

• Calculating time: If you used the machines three times a week for a half hour each time, you’d spend 6 hours a month on the machine (3 workouts a week x 4 weeks x 30 minutes per workout = 6 hours). 
   
• Calculating watts (W): 50 W are generated per 1-hour workout, so you’d generate about 300 W (50 W x 6 workout hours = 300 W).
   
• Calculating kilowatt-hours (kWh): There are 1,000 Wh in one kWh, so you’d generate 0.3 kWh in a month (300 Wh / 1,000 kWh = 0.3 kWh generated). 
• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO_2: About 1.54 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every kWh used, so you could save 0.5 lbs of CO₂ per month (1.54 lbs of CO₂ x 0.3 kWh per month = 0.462 lbs of CO₂, which we’ll round to 0.5 lbs).

If we put all of the solid waste collected in the U.S. in a line of average garbage trucks, that line of trucks could cross the country, extending from New York City to Los Angeles, more than 100 times.

Find Out More:

• While you are reducing the amount of garbage you throw away, you could save money by switching to a less frequent garbage pick up service.  Call Allied Waste (541) 754-0444 or visit them online to find out more.

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save by reducing the amount of garbage you throw away by half? 

• If you do this for one month: 41 pounds CO₂
• If you do this for one year: 492 pounds CO₂ 

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 12,300 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 2,563 passenger vehicles.  
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 1,841 homes for one year. 
• Carbon sequestered by 10,082 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. 
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 4,607 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

                                                                                          * According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. 

Here is how we calculated that: 

To estimate how much energy you could save by reducing the amount of garbage you throw away by half, we’ll assume the average American creates 4.43 pounds of garbage per person per day and recycles or composts 1.51 pounds of that waste, which works out to be a total of 2.92 lbs of garbage per person per day (4.43 lbs – 1.51 lbs = 2.92 lbs). We’ll also assume that each pound of trash produces the equivalent of 0.94 pounds of CO₂ in the form of methane.

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of garbage: If you usually throw away 2.92 lbs of garbage per day and you reduced your garbage by half, you would throw away 1.46 pounds of garbage a day. At the end of a month, you would avoid throwing away 43.8 pounds of garbage (1.46 lbs garbage a day x 30 days in a month = 43.8 lbs garbage per month).

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO₂: On average, 0.94 lbs of CO₂ equivalent in the form of methane are produced for every pound of trash you throw away, so you would avoid creating about 41 lbs of CO₂ per month (0.94 lbs CO₂ per lb of garbage x 43.8 lbs of garbage avoided = 41.172 lbs of CO₂, which we’ll round to 41 lbs).

Transportation-related CO₂ emissions were a whopping 1.88 billion tons in 2010—nearly a third of all US carbon emissions.  The average American commutes in a car 25-minute to and from work each day. But it is becoming more common to work from home for part of the week. Almost all students and a quarter of US workers do part or all of their work from home, which saves them time, money, and carbon emissions.

Find Out More:

• You can track your work/study-from-home shifts at www.DriveLessConnect.com.
• Check out this PC World article on Telecommuting.

How much energy could you save by working from home? 

• If you do this for one month: 70 lbs of CO_2.
• If you do this for one year: 840 lbs of CO_2.

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 21,000 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 4,375 passenger vehicles.  
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 3,144 homes for one year. 
• Carbon sequestered by 538,462 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. 
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 7,865 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. 

About the Numbers:

To estimate how much energy you could save by working from home, let’s assume your car gets 22 mpg. Let’s also assume that your trip to work is 10 miles roundtrip and that you work or study from home twice per week for a total of 8 times this month. (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you how many mpg your car actually gets and how many miles your commute is to give you a better estimate of how much energy you saved.)

• Calculating gallons of gas: If you work from home instead of commuting 8 times this month, you’d save 80 miles of commuting in your car (10 miles per roundtrip x 8 trips per month = 80 miles saved per month). You would also save 3.6 gallons of gas (80 miles a month / 22 mpg = 3.6 gallons of gas per month). 

• Calculating pounds of CO₂: About 19.8 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every gallon of gas used, so if you would save 70 lbs CO₂ (3.6 gallons of gas x 19.8 lbs CO₂ = 71.28 lbs CO₂, which we’ll round to 70 lbs).  

About 90% of the energy used by the average clothes washer is for heating water.  If you aren’t washing heavily stained clothing, you can safely substitute warm or cold water for hot water.

Find Out More:

More information coming soon. 

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save by washing clothes in cold water?

• If you do this for one month: 120 lbs of CO₂ for electric water heaters and 30 lbs of CO₂ for gas water heaters.
• If you do this for one year: 1,400 lbs of CO₂ for electric heaters and 360 lbs of CO₂ for gas water heaters.

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 22,000 metric tons of CO₂ assuming half electric and half gas water heaters, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 4,583 passenger vehicles. 
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 3,293 homes for one year.
• Carbon sequestered by 564,103 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 8,240 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

Here is how we calculated that:

To estimate how much energy you could save by washing your clothes in cold water, let’s assume that when water comes into your water heater it is 55°F, and your water heater is set at 120°F. Therefore, the water is heated 65°F before it comes into your laundry machine. Let’s also assume a conventional washer uses 40 gallons of water per full load and that you do three loads of laundry per week. The energy savings for electric and gas water heaters are different, so we’ll calculate the energy savings for each. (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you how what kind of water heater you have to give you a better estimate of how much energy you saved.)

Energy Savings for Electric Water Heater

• Calculating kilowatt-hours (kWh) to heat one gallon of water: It takes 1 BTU to raise 1 pound of water 1oF. One gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs, and one BTU is equal to 0.0002931 kWh. So to heat one gallon of water 65oF you would use about 0.16 kWh/gal (0.0002931 kWh to raise 1.0 lb of water 1.0oF x 8.34 lbs in one gallon x 65oF = 0.16 kWh/gal). A load of laundry that uses 40 gallons of hot water requires 6.4 kWh (0.16 kWh for one gallon of water x 40 gallons of water per      load  = 6.4 kWh per load). If you washed three loads of laundry for a week using the cold cycle, you’d save 77 kWh a month (6.4 kWh per load x 3 loads per week x 4 weeks in one month = 76.8 kWh saved a month, which we’ll round up to 77 kWh).

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO₂: About 1.54 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every kWh used, so you would save 120 lbs of CO₂ per month (1.54 lbs of CO₂ x 77 kWh saved per month = 118.58 lbs of CO₂, which we’ll round up to 120 lbs).

Energy Savings for Gas Water Heater

• Calculating therms to heat one gallon of water: It takes 1 BTU to raise 1 pound of water 1oF. A gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs, and 1 BTU is equal to 0.0000099 therms.  So to heat one gallon of water 65oF you would use about 0.0054 therms/gal (0.0000099 therm to raise 1.0 lb of water 1.0oF x 8.34 lbs in one gallon x 65oF = 0.0054 therms/gal). A load of laundry that uses 40 gallons of hot water requires 0.216 therms (0.0054 therms per gallon x 40 gallons = 0.216 therms saved per load). If you washed three loads of laundry for a week using the cold cycle, you’d save 2.592 therms a month (0.216 therms per load x 3 loads per week x 4 weeks in one month = 2.592 therms saved a month).

• Calculating pounds (lbs) of CO₂: About 11.7 lbs of CO₂ are emitted per therm used, so you would save about 30 lbs of CO₂ per month (2.592 therms x 11.7 lbs CO₂ per therm = 30.3264 lbs CO₂ saved per month, which we’ll round to 30 lbs).

Lighting is about 14% of the average electricity bill.  Cut down on waste by turning off the lights whenever you’re not using a room.

Find Out More:

More information coming soon. 

About the Numbers:

How much energy could you save by turning off the lights?

• If you do this for one month: 3 lbs of CO₂ per light
• If you do this for one year: 36 lbs of CO₂ per light

 

If everyone in Corvallis did this for a year we would save 900 metric tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 187 passenger vehicles. 
• CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of 135 homes for one year.
• Carbon sequestered by 23,077 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 337 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

* According to EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

Here is how we calculated that:

To estimate how much energy you could save by turning off lights, let’s assume that you use 15-watt compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and turn them off each day for four hours when you would normally leave them on. (If you do this action for the Take Charge program and tell us how it went at the end of the month, we’ll ask you what kind of light bulbs you use and how many you tuned off to give you a better estimate of how much energy you saved.)

• Calculating kilowatts (kW): 1,000 watts is equal to 1 kilowatt, so a 15-watt light bulb is equal to 0.015 kW (15 watts / 1,000 watts per kW = 0.015 kW).

• Calculating kilowatt-hours (kWh): Using 1 kilowatt for 1 hour is equal to 1 kWh, so 15 watts for four hours per day is equal to 0.06 kWh per day (0.015 kW x 4 hour per day = 0.06 kWh per day).  Turning off the lights for one month would result in 1.8 kWh savings per month (0.06 kilowatts x 30 days per month = 1.8 kWh per month).

• Calculating lbs of CO₂: About 1.54 lbs of CO₂ are emitted for every kWh used, so you would save 2.8 lbs of CO₂ per month (1.54 lbs CO₂ x 1.8 kWh per month = 2.8 lbs CO₂, which we’ll round to 3 lbs).