EnviroHumanImpact

Yet another method for becoming “Greener Under Twenty,” is to use power strips for some of your electronics. This project is yet another that both will cost you less than $20 and take you less than twenty minutes to complete.

Next time you’re at a store that carries them, pick up one or two power strips, depending upon your needs (discussed below). Basic power strips range in cost from $5 to $10 normally.

Why use power strips? Many electronics, including televisions, microwaves, chargers for our phones, PDAs, and Ipods, continue to seep power from the outlets they are plugged into even when they are turned off or when we are not charging our phones.

It’s obviously not the same as having the devices in use, but there are still measurable amounts of electricity flowing with no added benefit (unless you own stock in your power company). Think of it as the electrical equivalent to a leaky faucet.

Some refer to them as vampires, as they, “suck,” electricity throughout the night (plus the two prongs resemblance to, well, you understand).

How do power strips help? With power strips, you can turn off the power to the television, DVD player, video game consoles, sound system, and other multimedia with the click of one switch. This will help reduce your passive electricity use, which you’re not benefiting from anyway. In turn, you’ll save money on your electricity bills.

Make a second power strip the home of your many different chargers for portable electronics, and do the same — if it’s not in use, flip the switch to cut the power.

Drawbacks: Most of us enjoy the luxury of sitting down to watch television, without the thought of having to bend down to flip a switch before collapsing onto the sofa. So, first, mount your power strip onto the wall directly behind the television, or maybe on the side of the entertainment unit.

Basically, if the power strip is put where you can easily reach it (read: not on the floor), you’re much more likely to get in the habit of using it. Yes, you will forget at times to use it, but over time, the tiny steps you take to reduce your negative envirohuman impact will become as familiar as those steps you take to secure your home (locking doors, turning on security systems, etc.).

Also, some might say that if you want to charge your phone, but your Bluetooth ear piece is fine, you are wasting some electricity having power to the charger for all chargers on the power strip, while only one is in use. This is absolutely correct, and for the envirohuman warrior, it would be best to only plug in the charger in use (and not use a power strip at all).

For most people, this is unlikely; most of us won’t bother to unplug every charger. However, switching a power strip on and off is rather painless and easy. Remember, if you don’t plug into a power strip, all of your multimedia and chargers will continue to suck (electricity, that is).

Will this repay the investment? Yes, this improves your envirohuman impact through reduced electricity consumption and also will save money by reducing every power bill.

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