These days, it seems that everywhere you go people are talking about going green. But there is a really good reason for this obsession with green: the Earth. And that’s why Earth Day is so important. Earth Day is an international day of observance that draws attention to environmental threats to the Earth, and things humans can do to protect it. In honor of Earth Day on April 2, here are some tips from our pros here at Caccia Plumbing about going green.

How Your Carbon Footprint Can Help You Be Greencarbon-footprint_480

The bigger your carbon footprint, the less green you are. Therefore, to go green, all you have to do is reduce your carbon footprint. Easier said than done, right? Lowering your carbon footprint isn’t all that difficult, and it just requires a few habits changes around the house and in your daily life.

For instance, you can still go to work, the mall, and do all your favorite activities, but you’ll bike or take the bus instead of driving. You can still have clean and dry clothes, but you’ll use energy-efficient appliances to do laundry, and you’ll line dry when you can. You can still use electricity in your house, but you’ll be more careful about conserving it.

You’ll also invest in renewable energies if you can. All of these changes can lower your carbon footprint, and you won’t have to give anything up.

save-water_480Water Tip: Conserve It

Water conservation has been on a lot of minds lately, especially with the recent droughts being as bad as they were.

So what if we told you that your house could save thousands of gallons per year with a few simple upgrades to your plumbing fixtures?

By replacing traditional toilets with low-flow ones, old faucets with water-efficient ones, and conventional shower heads with water-saving ones, you can put a huge dent in the amount of water your family uses.

Energy Tip: Save It

Everybody wants to save energy around the house, because conserving energy means being green, helping the planet, and saving money. When it comes to your water heater, the best way you can go green and save money is by upgrading to an energy-efficient tankless model.

Tankless models use less energy, operate more efficiently, never run out of hot water, and last about twice as long as conventional water heaters. Storage-tank water heaters, on the other hand, are inefficient, they waste energy, and they have to be replaced once every decade.

Plastic Tip: Don’t Use It

Here are some quick facts about bottled water to help you understand the link between buying the bottle and your carbon footprint:

 -In America alone, millions of barrels of oil are used annually to create the bottles

 -There are over 2 million tons of water bottles in landfills across the country

-80 percent of bottles end up in landfills

-It’s estimated that it takes 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water

-Bottles that end up in the landfill will need about 1,000 years to break down

The solution here is simple: stop buying bottled water, and if you’re concerned about water purity at home, install a whole-home filtration system.

If you ever need plumbing maintenance, repairs, or help making your house a little greener for Earth Day, we are available every day to help you. We can answer questions, give you more green tips, and help with all your plumbing needs around the house.

Give our Caccia Plumbing experts in the San Mateo, CA area a call at (650) 442-1470.