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The Honolulu Advertiser
Save the planet | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper
Posted on: Monday, July 28, 2008

Save the planet

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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AIR-CONDITIONER TO-DOS

About 12 percent of an average O'ahu home's electricity costs involve air conditioning, HECO notes — and that may not make you feel so hot. Some conservation tips:

  • Set the a/c to the warmest comfortable setting. Each degree above 75 saves you approximately 3 percent of the energy used to cool your home.

  • Install the system in a shaded location and put awnings, blinds and tinting on south-facing windows.

  • Keep it in tip-top shape for better efficiency.

    HAPPENING

    The "Saving Kimo Contest" seeks entries: a K-5 coloring contest; a photo or essay for middle-schoolers; and a two-minute video for high-schoolers. It's to increase coral reef awareness with the help of Kimo, right, a dolphin, and friends. Individual winners get a laptop; classes can win passes to Atlantis Submarines, Sea Life Park or Hawaiian Waters. Deadline: Sept. 30. Details: 847-3551 or on sponsor Web sites: www.diamondbakery.com; www.givethereefabreak.org.

    FINAL WORD

    "Most of the time we don't even turn on the lights in my classroom because there's so much light from the windows."

    Fifth-grader Lily Kamali
    11, whose Great Seneca Creek Elementary School was the first school in Maryland certified by the U.S. Green Building Council
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