Today’s G-8 Summit Meeting , in the Italian mountain town of L’Aquila (site of the recent deadly earthquake) featured leaders from the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia. I am wondering about the leadership of all of these “super 8″ countries” – don’t most of these supposed “industrial” countries including the US have ailing economies and perhaps should be discussing other things? Oh yeah, where is China and India? – they sport growing economies and certainly can have an impact one way or the other on aything that is passed by the G8. How does this G-8 summit resonate with you?

I am hopeful real progress was made and that a serious effort towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions is in store for the future.

Let me know your thoughts…

1. Move furniture away from heating vents and hot and cold air returns. This ends up blocking the return and causes the room to stay cool or hot.  You furniture should be kept away from these returns to get the most use of the energy and save on  energy costs.
2. Change your furnace filter.  When was the last time you did this?  If you change it every month, you will have a more efficient furnace that not only acts as a heater but also generates the air through the ducts for the air conditioner as well.
3. Switch to energy saving light bulbs.  As each bulb runs out, change it with an energy saver.  You will soon find you are saving energy and buying less light bulbs.
4. Fix leaky faucets.  They waste gallons of water.  Remove the handle, tighten it with a wrench and chances are you will have fixed the faucet.  If not, you can easily install a new faucet which costs under $30 at most home  improvement stores.
5. Install a hand held shower head.  This will make taking a shower a breeze and cleaning the shower even easier.
6. Fix all windows with cracks. If you have storms with cracks, have them replaced.  They are energy wasters.  Do  this before the cold air sets in and you will save money on your heating bill.  Storm windows are easy to replace and can be taken to a glass shop and re-glazed.
7. Install weather stripping on doors and windows.  If you are ready to winterize your house for the cold weather, or even if you just want to save on the air conditioning costs as your cool air is escaping all of the time, then use weather stripping, which is easy to get at a home improvement store, to better insulate your windows and doors.
8. Clean the lint trap in your dryer every day.  Each time you use the dryer, clean the lint trap.  This will not only make the clothes dryer run more efficiently and save you money on energy costs, but will eliminate a potential fire hazard.  The dryer has a vent that goes outside as well that should be vacuumed out periodically
9. Never run your dishwasher or clothes washer half full.  It costs just as much to run a full washer as it does one that is partially loaded.  And while you are at it, rinse those dishes before putting them in he dishwasher as it will make them cleaner and save on your energy costs.
10. Partially cook your foods in the microwave and use it for defrosting foods before adding them to the oven or stove.  The microwave not only works quicker, but will end up using less energy.  You can save energy when cooking by defrosting your foods that can be defrosted before cooking by using the microwave.

Paul Davidson of USA Today wrote, “Pacific Gas and Electric (PCG) in California announced last week it will buy 800 megawatts of solar-generated electricity from two companies, enough to light 239,000 homes. Within three years, PG&E will buy its solar energy from OptiSolar and SunPower, which plan to build the world’s two largest solar farms in California as part of the deal.”

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