Summer is great for outdoor living and enjoying the sunshine – it is also a great time to be more sustainable. Think about it, if you save money on utilities, you can spend more at your local pop-up beer garden or go on a vacation!
- Keep your utility bills under control.
- You probably turned down the A/C to fend off all that heat outside! Keep your bill under control by raising the temperature setting two to three degrees. Make it a game: manually
Very Cool and Very Smart
adjust the temp when you leave and return OR, to make it more fun by investing in a NEST Thermostat and watch it automate your comfort settings. As it ‘lives’ in your house, it will ‘learn’ how you live and help to optimize your electric bill.
- Your clothes dryer uses an enormous amount of energy – take
advantage of the long, hot days of summer and hang your clothes out to dry. Toss them into the dryer for a minute or two to take out any 
stiffness. - Avoid a higher water bill by capturing rainwater in a rain barrel and using it for irrigation inside and out. These are rainwaterHogs
- You probably turned down the A/C to fend off all that heat outside! Keep your bill under control by raising the temperature setting two to three degrees. Make it a game: manually
- Live a colorful life.
- Eat fresh, colorful, locally grown fruits and vegetables – including those grown in your very own yard!
- Ditch the hip black outfit in favor of bright, vibrant colors.
- Connect with nature.
- Go for a daily 20 minute walk in the sunshine. Not only will you get exercise, you build up your Vitamin D ‘bank’, will be in a better mood, and you will be able to sleep better.
- Adopt a tree and visit forests and start a practice of forest bathing.
- Live a more biophilic life by surrounding yourself with plants. If you plant herbs and
vegetables you will be happier by just looking at them and healthier by using them in your cooking. Just starting growing plants? Try lettuce, parsley and nasturtiums – they are almost foolproof and they taste yummy.
- Make your house healthier.
- Move the electronics out of the bedroom or at least 6 feet away from your bed to help you get a better night’s sleep. Studies show that the electromagnetic radiation from electronic devices interferes with our sleep.
- Open the windows and let in fresh air!
- Open the shades and let the sunshine in.
- Get involved with your house to control temperature by manipulating the blinds and drapes.
- Adopt Sunshine Cleaning methods. Check out the GreenBeams Sunshine Clean Recipes!
- Go Solar. Have a solar photovoltaic analysis done for your home – and then have it installed! Too much? Try cooking with a solar cooker. Still too much? Get a solar charger for your electronic
devices and reduce your plug load. You may find that you really love an ‘off-the-grid’ life.
- Get your friends and neighbors to join you in a sustainability savings challenge – see how much you can all save on your utility bills by reducing consumption. Celebrate your savings with a block party at the end of the summer!
