With Earth Day around the corner, it’s a good time to test how much you know about protecting the environment:
1. Which of these can be made from recycled materials:
A. Car bumpers, newspapers, carpeting
B. Motor oil, comic books, nails
C. A and B
D. None of the above
2.Which type of lightbulb uses the least energy?
A. Incandescents B. Halogen incandescents C. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) D. Halogen incandescents, CFLs and light emitting diodes (LED)
3. Do you know your lumens from your wattage from your halogen?
A. Lumens measures energy; wattage measures brightness. B. Lumens measures brightness; wattage measures energy. C. Wattage measures both brightness and energy. D. Halogen measures both brightness and energy.
4. What eats up the most energy in the average home?
A. Home and water heating B. Air conditioning C. Cooking D. Electronics
5. Are these statements true or false:
a. Oil-based paints are the most eco-friendly to use when painting your house. b. The best time of day to water your lawn is midday. c. It’s a good idea to leave grass clippings on your lawn after you mow. d. You can use ashes from the fireplace for composting.
Answers
1. C; All the items listed in A and B—and many more—can be made from recycled materials.
2. D; Halogen incandescents, CFLs and LEDs save 25 to 80 percent in energy over the traditional incandescents. While they can be more expensive, they save money in the long run because they last longer.
3. B; In the past, we associated brightness with wattage. However, wattage really only tells you how much energy a bulb emits. Since today’s bulbs use less energy, a better gauge of brightness is lumens.
4. A; Heating consumes the most amount of energy in a typical home—about 63 percent. You can reduce this by sealing air leaks in floors, walls, ceilings, and around windows, doors and fireplaces with caulk and water stripping. Also, adding insulation to the attic, crawl space and basement can help keep in warm air.
5. a. False; the best paints are latex. Oil-based paints release hydrocarbon fumes. 5. b. False; the best time to water is the early morning, when the water will soak into the grass and not evaporate in the hottest part of the day. 5 c. True; clippings can return nutrients to the soil. 5 d. True; if you have a wood-burning fireplace, you can include the ashes in a compost pile for gardening.
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