King County EcoConsumer: Educating the Public About Conservation

The King County Solid Waste Division promotes public education about environmental protection through its King County EcoConsumer program. This program deals with the environmental impact of our daily activities, including purchasing decisions. The EcoConsumer Waste Calculator and the Eco-Cool Remodel Tool are interactive tools you can use to educate yourself about the impact of your decisions on the environment.

EcoConsumer Waste Calculator
The EcoConsumer Waste Calculator shows how everyday simple acts, such as discarding a plastic bottle, transform into a major impact when multiplied by a large population. For example, if each household in King County receives 30 magazines and catalogs per month, 72,319 tons of discarded paper is generated. That’s enough to fill 343 747s!

Eco-Cool Remodel Tool
The Eco-Cool Remodel Tool takes you on a tour through a virtual house and shows you ways to make your next home remodel a greener project.

For example, you can click on the kitchen area and learn 7 facts about creating a greener kitchen:

Here’s a useful fact about refrigerators — in general, refrigerators with freezers on top use up to 25% less energy than side-by-side models.

Here’s another — since a refrigerator works most efficiently when it’s full, buy one that fits your needs.

There’s plenty of other useful information and links to resources on the EcoConsumer site, including a Twitter feed.

Other Blog Postings on Environmental Topics
Here’s a list of other Redmond Library blog postings on environmental topics:

KCLS Offers Eco-Friendly Bags

infoGreen: Green information in the KCLS collection

An online guide to noxious weeds in King County