Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)
Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.
Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
Two Austin-based projects won state environmental awards.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said Austin recycling company Eco Box and a University of Texas power plant won Texas Environmental Excellence Award.
It’s the state’s highest environmental honor - 12 winners were selected this year.
The UT power plant was recognized for meeting rising energy needs with little change in fuel consumption.
According to the TCEQ, UT engineers achieved that through different ways - including retrofitting a boiler to cut emissions and optimize electric motor use.
The plant’s efficiency increased by 16 percent between 1996 and 2006 - saving more than $33 million on natural gas.
Eco Box buys and sells high-quality used boxes to businesses around the state.
The TECQ said the company bought and sold more than 500,000 used boxes in the past decade.
Eco Box said that it recycled more than 500 tons of cardboard and paper over that time.
The company also launched Cardboard for Kids - a program that lets customers donate used boxes. The proceeds go to Dell Children’s Hospital and the company matches donations.
The program has raised more than $6,000.
