Trends for April 22, 2002

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, April 22, 2002 | 8:29 a.m.

Up with Earth

Have you looked at a calendar lately? Because if you had, then you'd know this week is chock-full of, um, holidays.

There are just a few hours left today to celebrate Earth Day. Not sure how to party it up in honor of the planet? Never fear: The Alliance to Save Energy, a group of "business, government, environmental and consumer leaders" promoting "the efficient use of energy," is offering a few suggestions. (Don't worry they needn't all be done today.)

Save money and energy by replacing the four most-used 100-watt light bulbs in your home with the same number of "23-watt compact fluorescent bulbs." That's an extra $82 in savings in your pocket over the next three years, and if every household in the country would do the same, it would conserve as much energy as is produced by 30 power plants each year.

Don't neglect your air-conditioning filters; replace them monthly and have the system's equipment professionally maintained.

Use "sleep" features on personal computers and other office equipment to power down the gadgets when not in use it will cut costs and improve the machines' longevity.

Help save the air and wear and tear on your vehicle by avoiding "jack-rabbit starts"; instead, accelerate slowly from dead stops. And, similar to the air filters in your home, change your car's air filter as part of routine maintenance.

The trouble with TV

Another sure way to save some energy: Turn off your television set.

Your timing couldn't be better, seeing as how today also marks the start of TV-Turnoff Week.

The TV-Turnoff Network in Washington, D.C., is sponsoring the week, during which it encourages Americans to, well, turn off their TVs.

Go ahead and set the remote down. It won't hurt they promise.

Actually, it can only help. According to the organization, U.S. children will spend 1,023 hours in front of the set this year, compared to the 900 hours they'll spend in school.

By age 18 the average American child will view 200,000 acts of violence on television, including 16,000 murders.

More averages: The average American watches more than four hours of television each day, and there's a 25 percent chance that a fellow countryman (or woman) falls asleep with the TV set blaring at least three nights each week.

For more sobering statistics, get up from in front of the TV and hunker down for a while before the computer instead and visit tvturnoff.org.

A new leaf on life

While you're busy saving Earth and not watching TV, take a moment to ponder trees.

Friday is, after all, Arbor Day.

This year marks the 130th anniversary of the event when, in 1872, 1 million trees were planted on Nebraska's Greet Plains.

Sure, we could reiterate how the folks at the National Arbor Day Foundation would love it if you planted a tree today. But we thought we'd bring you the foundation's "tree-rific tree facts" instead:

In the course of 50 years, a tree generates $31,250 worth of oxygen, provides $62,000 of air-pollution control and recycles $37,500 of water.

And you thought you were old: There is, apparently, a tree in California's White Mountains that checks in at 4,768 years of age.

The good news (for homeowners, anyway): According to studies, trees have the ability to increase residential property values from 3.5 percent to 27 percent.

The bad news (for everyone): The rainforests still need rescuing. According to some scientists' estimates, 36,000 species of rainforest trees along with plants animals and insects are driven to extinction each year.

For more information about Arbor Day and the foundation, visit arborday.org.