Environmental Spotlight:
Sooner Is Better Than Later

by Bonnie S. Swinehart

I tell my older son, "Clean your room." Naturally he responds with, "Yeah, yeah, I hear you Mom." I have to admit that seven pairs of dirty socks (in some highly unlikely places) later, he hears me a whole lot louder. Not that my younger son is any better. Just the other night we had a conversation in which I politely asked him to help clear the leftovers from the table.

"As soon as a commercial comes on," he yelled. Needless to say, by the time that he actually got around to it, the dog had done the job for him. While I was none too pleased, the dog was ecstatically licking his chops.

I guess you can tell that I'm somewhat of an expert on the subject of procrastination, even guilty of it from time to time. However, I have found one weapon that works really well in fighting the old cliché, why do today what you can put off until tomorrow--that weapon is money.
When my sons actually know that there is something in it for them, it's surprising how quickly they can move. And while most of us are at least sometimes guilty of procrastination, the idea of saving money is almost always appealing.

Believe it or not there is no better place to start saving both money and energy than in our own homes. The great thing is that it can be done so easily, and on even the smallest budget.

Now I know what you're thinking. Didn't she just say we could save money, and now isn't she suggesting we spend it instead? The answer is "Yes" to both questions, but you need to hear me out. For instance, wouldn't you like to save money on your energy costs? Well, you can. You can do it by simply replacing your regular light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent ones, and by replacing your shower nozzle with a low flow one. And if your capable of reading a yard stick or tape measure you can save even more by visiting your local hardware store and purchasing foam window weather stripping that's easy to apply.
And so you see, sooner is better than later. The sooner we get to these few easy tasks, the sooner we save money.

For more information on easy ways to save money through energy efficiency in the home be sure to watch "Eco-logical Home," the March episode of GreenWorks for Pennsylvania.