Community Corner

Five Simple Ways to Help the Earth at Home

As Earth Day approaches, take a look at five ways to help the environment at home

With Earth Day less than a month away on April 22, it's not too early to start helping out by making a few simple changes around the house.

1. New Jersey Natural Gas and Jersey Central Power and Light Customers can help customers find ways to save money and energy. NJNG and JCP&L customers can find a local contractor who can perform a home energy audit, a report that evaluates heating and cooling equipment and locates areas of the home which may need better sealing to prevent costly air leaks. WARMAdvantage incentives are also available to help customers upgrade to more energy-efficient equipment. 

2. Compact flourescent lamps, or CFLs, are great replacement for antiquated incandescent bulbs since they provide the same amount of light while using less energy. These bulbs can be a bit pricey, however. By shopping online through New Jersey's Clean Energy Program, new CFL bulbs can be purchased at a discounted rate.

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3. It may not be practical to replace all of your appliances at once with Energy Star-certified models, but when their time is up, make sure your new dishwasher, refrigerator and TV, among others, meet the federal government criteria. Old electronics can be taken to Manchester's recycling center in Whiting.

4. Composting vegetable scraps, grass clippings, weeds and other organic material can save money on fertilizer and reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills. Setting up a homemade compost bin in your yard can be a do-it-yourself weekend project, or a compost tumbler can be purchased. After a few weeks, compost will be ready to support healthy plant growth around the yard. More information about composting is available from Rutgers as a free PDF download

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5. This next tip is a classic. It's also as simple as they come. Planting a tree in your yard is not only an easy aesthetic home improvement, it can also provide shade, prevent water run-off and filter air pollutants. Manchester's  could be a good place to start. 


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