Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)
Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.
Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
LOS ANGELES — California's insurance commissioner says the state is getting its first homeowners insurance policy that focuses on rebuilding with the environment in mind.
Commissioner Steve Poizner said Friday that Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. will offer a plan that pays for damaged or destroyed homes to be rebuilt using environmentally friendly methods and materials.
He says the plan will be available starting Aug. 1 and will pay up to $25,000 for "green"-certified architects to oversee the rebuilding of damaged homes.
It will also fund refurbishments using energy-efficient appliances, nontoxic paints and water-saving bathroom and kitchen fixtures, and will pay for debris removed from damaged homes to be recycled instead of being sent to landfills.
