Earth Day 2013: Your part starts at home

By Toni Guagenti
Virginian-Pilot correspondent

© April 20, 2013

 



Above: Sasha Owens, an Old Dominion University student,
helps the Five Points Community Farm Market plant
a community garden at Norview United Methodist Church
on April 13. (Toni Guagenti | For The Virginian-Pilot)

YOU NEEDN’T own a hybrid car and live in a house certified by the U.S. Green Building Council to help Mother Nature.

 

Finding small, yet significant, ways nowadays to conserve, reuse, protect and sustain the environment, and the place you occupy in it, can be easy.

 

Just start at home.

 

So don’t just celebrate Earth Day 2013 this weekend, and on its traditional day, April 22, by heading outside to a local celebration. Commit to one or more of the following ways to do your part to go green at home or in your neighborhood. The planet will thank you.

Switch out your incandescent or CFL light bulbs to LED light bulbs.

Kevin Tucker, president of SOLitude Lake Management in Virginia Beach, deals with lighting issues at work. SOLitude is a lake and pond management company.

 

Seeing the switch to light-emitting diodes for underwater and fountain lighting on the job made Tucker decide recently to make the change at home. Tucker said he spent about $400 to $500 to install LEDs – from flood lights to lamp bulbs – throughout his house. Not only will the number of hours the lights last increase significantly, the drain on the electric bill will lessen, he said.

 

“It’s definitely an investment up front,” Tucker said, but added he may never have to replace a bulb because of their efficiency. “It’s one and done.”

 

Hardware and big-box stores sell the light bulbs, so check around for the best price. Don’t be surprised if one costs $30. But, remember, it can last 25,000-plus hours.

Read more of this Earth Day article here:
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/04/earth-day-2013-your-part-starts-home



Kevin Tucker is the President and Owner of SOLitude Lake Management, a full service lake, pond and fisheries management company servicing VA, NC, SC, MD, DE, PA, WV, NJ & NY. Contact the experts at SOLitude, today, to learn about eco-friendly ways to do your part this Earth Day and everyday! 888-480-5253 www.solitudelakemanagement.com