Step up to the challenge Miami!

Miami-Dade County has accepted a challenge by the National Association of Counties to see which county can get the highest percentage of residents and employees to participate in the Drive $marter and Change the World competitions. So, please join your fellow Miami residents now in helping our nation ensure that the energy resources we rely on and the environment we live in are preserved for generations to come. Simply go to the www.drivesmarterchallenge.org and www.greencounties.org/changetheworld websites and enter your zip code or select Miami-Dade County when prompted. These competitions end on November 30th, so check them out today to start saving money and help Miami-Dade County win these national competitions!

 

 

Drive $marter Challenge.

Did you know that an average American household will spend about $3,400 to fuel its cars in 2008? To see how you can immediately save money through simple car maintenance and driving techniques, go online to www.drivesmarterchallenge.org. By typing in the make, model and year of your car, you will immediately see how much you can reduce your gasoline costs by adopting smart driving measures. You’ll get tips, money-saving coupons, and fresh ideas in English or Spanish that will result in less money moving from your wallet to your gas tank.

Interested in saving gas, money and the environment? Here’s a solution — go two-wheelin’! Miami-Dade County offers a number of bicycling incentives through the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

 

Change the World!

The Energy Star Change the World campaign, which encourages individuals to actively save energy at home, starting with a switch to energy-efficient lighting. Each Energy Star compact fluorescent light (CFL) uses 75% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and lasts as much as 10 times longer. If every American home replaced just one light bulb or fixture with an Energy Star one, each year we would save more than $600 million in energy costs (enough energy to light more than 3 million homes), and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars! Take the pledge now www.greencounties.org/changetheworld to switch at least one lightbulb to an Energy Star rated CFL and save an average of $30 or more in electricity costs on your electric bill and prevent the release of more than 400 pounds of greenhouse gases per bulb! Office Depot will offer each individual who takes the pledge a 10 percent discount on its new Office Depot Green Brand compact fluorescent light bulbs.

 

Because CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, they should be disposed of responsibly, ideally recycled. Miami- Dade County residents should recycle their unbroken CFL bulbs at the County’s two Home Chemical Collection Centers located in West Dade at 8831 N.W. 58th Street, and in South Dade at 23707 SW 97th Avenue Gate-B. Normal hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Go to http://www.miamidade.gov/dswm/home_chemi... for more details. Unbroken bulbs can also be recycled at all Home Depot locations.   More information regarding mercury in CFLs and what to do if a bulb breaks, can be found in a fact sheet found at www.energystar.gov/CFLsandMercury