$0.05 per bag @ IKEA

Beginning March 15th, customers at all US IKEA stores will have to pay 5 cents for each plastic bag. Finally a significant chain has adopted this policy! All the proceeds will go to American Forests, the nation's oldest non-profit citizens conservation organization, to plant trees to restore forests and offset CO2 emissions. Also, to help alter customer behavior and endorse environmentally responsible habits, IKEA will be selling its iconic reusable 'Big Blue Bag' for 59 cents, a cost that has been reduced from 99 cents.

IKEA gave away 70 million disposable plastic bags last year and they expect that to be cut in half during the first year of this new program. IKEA launched this program in the UK in the spring of 2006 and achieved an amazing 95% reduction in bags!

IKEA has been at the forefront in a number of environmental initiatives. IKEA specialists work diligently to promote healthy forestry practices. Wood used for IKEA products comes from well managed forests and not from intact, natural, or old-growth forests.

I've been planning on stopping at the Chicago store on one of my trips through, and now I have another reason to.

Know Your Watts

Turn off the lights!
Don't leave the TV on!
Turn the furnace down!

These are some of the key things taught to kids, and relayed to parents, about how to save energy (and money). My question, as a rather left-brained guy, has always been, "How do I know how much it really helps?" Watching your utility bill from one month to the next, with so many variables, really isn't too informative about your habits. One weekend with relatives over can throw the comparison out the window.

There are answers! One can purchase a Kill-A-Watt, into which you plug your items and watch how much energy they're using, and what it's costing you. Or, go home-wide by getting a PowerCost Monitor or a Cent-a-Meter. They have a sensor that attaches to your electrical meter or directly to wires in your panel, respectively. Wireless screens can then be placed anywhere in the house, which tell you the instantaneous usage as well and projected usage over time. You can set them (at least the PowerCost Monitor) up like a trip odometer so it will keep track of total cost since you last reset it.

My latest questions relate to the use of a ceiling fan or furnace fan and how it affects how often the furnace needs to kick on. If I put down the $150 for the PowerCost Monitor, I could find out.