GoGreen.OK.gov is an OK.gov initiative showcasing how Oklahoma eGovernment is helping to reduce the carbon footprintby reducing paper consumption and citizen travel to government facilities.

Welcome to the 12th "Green" Tips Message. This message is sent to all subscribing users on a weekly basis providing simple tips on becoming more Green! This article is part of Earth911’s “Green Eight” series, where they showcase eight ways to green your life in various areas.This week's message provides simple tips on:

Why Go Green: 8 Ways to Make the Case

1. Take It Outside

Why Apply: In general, outdoor activities use less energy while offering a more natural experience, will often times, cleaner air. For all our outdoor worries, we spend up to 90 percent of our lives indoors, where pollution levels are often higher than they are outdoors, based on volatile organic compounds released by paint and cleaning supplies.

How to Do It: Take a hike! We’re not trying to throw you out but, Gorptravel.com is a great place to find info on national parks, hiking trails and forests. 

2. Power from the People

Why Apply: Energy use is a huge deal, but why? All energy sources, including fossil fuels, coal and natural gas, give us the ability to run our cars and power our homes. However, energy use is not without its consequences. The harvesting, production and use of these energy sources leads to byproducts and in some cases, greenhouse gases. It’s easy to know what your impact is and more important, how to effect it. There are carbon calculators, energy audits and even programs that weigh your recycling.

How to Do It: Monitor energy usage on your utility bill and set a target for the following month. You can find high energy-draining devices using a Kill-a-Watt and save heating/cooling energy with a programmable thermostat. Check your next bill for a progress update and keep reducing until you hit the target. 

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