U.S. EPA GoGreen! January 2015 Monthly Consumer Newsletter

GO GREEN! EPA News You Can Use - January 2015 http://www.epa.gov/gogreen IN THIS ISSUE: Enviro-Tip of the Month What You Can Do, What You Can Use Social Media & Multimedia Upcoming Events and Opportunities About This Newsletter ----------------------------------------------------- ENVIRO-TIP OF THE MONTH January is National Radon Action Month. Test your home for radon, an invisible radioactive gas that causes lung cancer. Testing is the only way to know whether your home contains high radon levels. http://www.epa.gov/radon/radontest.html ----------------------------------------------------- WHAT YOU CAN DO, WHAT YOU CAN USE Mobile Home Page - Do you use handheld devices to surf the web? As part of our efforts to make our site work well on both a normal-sized monitor and on a mobile device like a phone or tablet, we’ve been rebuilding our whole website - including our home page - to work on any size device.  Read the blog post and share your thoughts. http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2014/12/home-page-going-mobile/ After the holidays: Recycle your tree, reduce home heating costs, save energy -- give a gift to the environment. http://www.epa.gov/epahome/hi-winter.htm Find places you can donate or recycle old electronics. http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/donate.htm Burn Better: Burnwise - Whether you’re using a woodstove, pellet stove, or fireplace, smoke from your chimney means your fire isn’t burning as efficiently or cleanly as it could. Burn only dry, seasoned wood, and start a fire with dry kindling. Never burn painted or treated wood, which releases toxic chemicals . Get more tips for safe, efficient (and enjoyable!) wood burning. http://go.usa.gov/ejww See also -- videos below about drying firewood and reducing wood smoke and asthma triggers. New Tool to Save Energy - The Energy Star Home Advisor will help you conduct a "do-it-yourself" energy assessment, then gives you customized recommendations for improvements to help save energy and money. As you make further improvements, the Home Advisor will provide an updated assessment and recommendations. http://go.usa.gov/6eAP Nutrient Sensor Challenge - Do you or someone you know like to work with instruments or are interested in water quality? EPA and other federal agencies have launched the Nutrient Sensor Challenge, a competition open to anyone to develop affordable, accurate sensors to measure nutrients in aquatic environments. Registration to participate closes March 16. Find out more about this challenge: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/12/17/innovating-protect-our-waterways Environmental Ed Grants (due Feb 2) - EPA is seeking grant proposals for environmental education projects. Projects should promote environmental stewardship and provide people with skills to help protect the environment. Application deadline is February 2. http://www2.epa.gov/education/environmental-education-ee-grants ----------------------------------------------------- SOCIAL MEDIA & MULTIMEDIA Share your thoughts on recent EPA blog posts: New Rule Will Keep Communities Safe from Coal Ash http://blog.epa.gov/epaconnect/2014/12/safe-from-coal-ash Unleashing Data for Sustainable, Healthy Communities http://blog.epa.gov/science/2014/12/unleashing-data-for-sustainable-healthy-communities All EPA blogs: http://www2.epa.gov/home/greenversations VIDEOS - December releases Reduce Wasted Food This Holiday Season. More than 96% of the food we throw away ends up in landfills. Cut down your food waste and reduce amounts going into landfills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9cj1FuGIPg Bennington College –LED Street Light Project. 22 students at Bennington College decided to tackle the issue of climate change and energy efficiency. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvozcteU7_A Previous releases about efficient wood burning and reducing health effects: Wet Wood is a Waste. Burning dry wood saves money and reduces smoke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM2WGgRcnm0 Split, Stack, Cover, Store: Four Simple Steps to Drying Firewood. Tips how to dry firewood for better burning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo1--Zrh11s Wood Smoke and Asthma: Breathe Easier. Learn how wood smoke can be an asthma trigger. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJQ4IVDDA6Q Wood Smoke and Asthma: Reduce Smoke. To help protect health and to avoid asthma triggers, consider these best burn tips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJXj9j3g7EM Wood Smoke and Asthma: Dry Firewood. Learn how dry firewood helps avoid asthma triggers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-OfbPjXPUU All EPA videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/USEPAgov/videos ----------------------------------------------------- UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES January Month National Radon Action Month Day Jan 1 - Anniversary of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) ----------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER Americans want to help protect and improve the nation's land, water, and air. "GoGreen" is a monthly newsletter from the US EPA summarizing recent news and info you can use to make a difference in your home, community, and workplace. Want more news? Sign up to receive daily EPA news releases on topics that interest you. http://www2.epa.gov/newsroom Our blogs: http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/greenversations Follow us on Twitter: http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/social-media#twitter Like us on Facebook: http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/social-media#facebook Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/epagov More about GoGreen! You can unsubscribe or update your subscriptions or e-mail address at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. All you will need is your e-mail address. If you have any questions or problems, please e-mail subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com for assistance.  This service is provided to you at no charge by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.    This email was sent to phoenixnews09@gmail.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355