If you haven't gone out to buy that new Energy Star refrigerator yet, GO! But in the meantime, here are a few tips to keep that older refrigerator efficient until you get that shiny new eco-friendly one:

1. Just as your mother always told you, Keep that refrigerator door shut!!! Every time that door is opened, the refrigerator can lose up to 30% of its cooled air, and that means it has to work that much harder and spend that much more energy to cool it down again (that goes for the heated air in the oven as well). So listen to the wise words of your mother and do the right thing.
2. Be sure to check the seal(s) on your refrigerator and freezer door(s). This can be easily done with a dollar bill. Just shut the door on a dollar bill and if you can easily pull out the bill then it is time to replace the gaskets. Replacement kits can be purchased from local appliance dealers or home centers. Weak seals on your refrigerator and freezer doors can lead to significant energy loss.
3. About twice a year vacuum those refrigerator coils to keep that compressor running efficiently. It's a dirty job, but it will save you money and energy costs.
4. Don't make your refrigerator too cold, try to keep it at around 36 - 38ºF. The same goes for the freezer, which should be kept at around 0 - 5ºF.
5. Try as hard as you can to resist the temptation of overloading the refrigerator. In order to keep foods at the proper temperature and maintain optimum efficiency, the cool air needs to be able to circulate freely.

Although the decision to grab a glass and go to the tap or to grab a bottle from the fridge ultimately comes down to a matter of personal preference, there are some environmental, financial, and health benefits from choosing the water from your tap. Over the years, and especially since the surge of bottled water, tap water has gotten a bad rap. Some common misconceptions regarding tap water are that it "tastes funny", or that it is "dirty". The truth is that all municipal water systems that serve 25 people or more are regulated by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 (amended in 1986 and 1996, see www.epa.gov for more information) so that "funny taste" that you experience is not anything harmful or unhealthy. In fact, there are some elements found in most tap water that you will not find in most bottled water, namely fluoride. Of the 50 largest cities in the United States, 43 of them fluoridate their drinking water. Fluoride has the benefit of helping teeth resist decay by strengthening the protective layer of tooth enamel, and can actually reverse newly formed cavities. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every dollar spent on the fluoridation of drinking water saves $38.00 in avoided dental bills.

So, if you are still not convinced that tap water is possibly a better option than bottled, consider the waste produced by the bottled water industry. Approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil are used in the U.S. alone to make water bottles from polyethelyne terephthealate, about 86% of which are sent to landfills or incinerated. In addition, a great deal of bottled water must be shipped from far away places, such as from Finland to Saudi Arabia or from Fiji to the Unites States, and therefore requires more fuel to be used by the boats, airplanes, trains, and trucks. What about all of those bottles? Well, the ones that are thrown away are burned or sent to landfills where they take up space. What about the bottles that you recycle? It is great that you do, in fact, get those plastic bottles recycled, but if you were to replace all of those bottles with a single cup or thermos, the time saved on recycling those bottles could be spent on some other recyclable material. So instead of buying bottled water, try tap. If you don't like it directly out of the tap, try a water purifying system, either attached to your tap or a pitcher that is refillable. The next time you need water on the go, grab your favorite thermos or insulated mug and remind that you are doing something admirable and green!

The next time that you go to pack a lunch for yourself, for your children, or for anyone else that you care about, do it in a waste-free way. So here are some tips to reduce the waste caused by packed lunches so that you can start saving the Earth every day.

Let's start with that lunch bag. When we picture a lunch bag, more often than not, we picture the traditional brown paper bags. While many of these bags are now made from partially or completely recycled material, there is an even more eco-friendly option: the reusable lunch container. You can find these everywhere now and, whether it be a cloth bag or a lunchbox made from 100% recycled material, you will be eliminating a lot of waste every day by switching to one of these.

When it comes to what is contained in your lunch, think about alternatives to goods packaged in plastic, paper, or styrofoam. Instead of buying those individual servings of yogurt that come in their own plastic containers, buy a large container and take individual portions in a reusable container. You'll be saving money and reducing waste. The same concept applies to drinks. If you take water, juice, or even soda, try using a reusable thermos instead of bottled water, boxed juice, or canned soda.

If you bring napkins in your lunch, why not make them cloth instead of paper? If you need to bring utensils, why not make them reusable/washable instead of plastic? The goal of packing your lunch should be producing the least amount of waste possible. When you visit the trash can at the end of your meal, all you should have is maybe a banana peel, peach pit, or apple core.

No, I do not mean getting the chicken, rice, and broccoli all done at the same time, I am referring to being energy-efficient while cooking. Some aspects of cooking efficiently may seem fairly self-explanatory, but sometimes it is the most apparent and most logical things that are most easily forgotten, especially in a potentially stressful situation, such as cooking a meal. Here are a few quick tips to make your cooking experience an energy saving one at the same time:

• Use the right tools for the job - When possible, be sure to use only sturdy flat-bottomed pots and pans. This is especially true when cooking on an electric range, where the pot or pan's contact with the burner's surface determines how efficiently you are using the heat. Pots and pans with concave or warped bottoms will not use the heat as efficiently as a flat-bottomed one will. Also try and choose pots and pans made from highly conductive materials. Copper-bottom is always an efficient choice for the range, and glass and ceramic vessels are usually a more efficient choice for the oven.
• Size matters - This is applicable in a couple different ways. If you are using a 6" pan on an 8" burner, whether or not it is gas or electric, you are wasting roughly 40% of the heat produced by the burner. Whenever possible, always try to match up the pot or pan size as close as possible with the burner to minimize heat loss. Also be sure to choose the size of pot or pan that is relative to the item you are cooking. Do you have a significant amount of empty space surrounding the food? If so, in order to heat the food, that air needs to be heated as well, which uses additional energy. If you minimize the dead space, it will require less energy to heat and, as a result, less time to cook.
• Keep it clean - This may be hard to believe, but keeping both your range top and pan bottoms clean can contribute to the heat efficiency of your range. All of that black buildup that is so difficult to get off during that once-a-year "Spring Cleaning" can actually absorb a significant amount of heat and contribute to a less efficient heat source. So keep it clean to save energy and money, you will thank yourself the next time you go to clean your range!
• Defrosting - I know it may be tough to remember, but when you have to defrost that chicken for tomorrow's family dinner, do your best to think ahead and use the refrigerator as much as possible. This will avoid using running water or additional electricity with the microwave.
• Preheating - Preheating is often an essential step when cooking in the oven, but keeping preheating time to a minimum is a great way to save energy and money. Be aware of how long it actually takes for the oven to preheat and be sure to put your items in as soon as preheating is complete. While it may be tempting to turn the oven up to 375ºF and walk away and lose track of time making the potatoes to go with your roast, be sure to be ready to go when that oven beeps.