Coldwell Banker Matherson

Tips on what you can do in your home to help save the Earth and big bucks too.
Click on each tip for more information.

Programmable thermostat

Invest in a programmable thermostat and set it way up or down (when everyone's at work/school, and asleep at night); program it to turn "on" shortly before folks get home/wake up/

Hot water heater settings

Set your hot water heater no higher than 120 degrees.

Turn off the tap

Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.

Use a Cloth Bag

Paper or plastic? Neither! Take a cloth bag with you to the grocery store.

Plant Trees

Trees help reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that 100 billion metric tons of carbon over the next 50 years could be sequestered through forest preservation, tree planting and improved agricultural management.

Ditch your car

Avoiding 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year, according to climatecrisis.net. The majority of car trips people make are under two miles, so that should be easy to swap driving for a bike or public transit, said Rob Sadowksy, executive director of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.

Green your baby

It doesn't have to be a choice between plastic diapers that pile up in landfills and cloth diapers that require frequent laundering.

Get a water bottle

Americans buy 28 billion single-serving plastic water bottles every year, and 80% of those end up in landfills, according to the Container Recycling Institute. Meeting the nation's demand for bottle water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year, the Earth Policy Institute estimates.

Unplug electronics

Cell phone chargers, TVs, DVD players, stereos, microwaves and other electronics with transformers continue to draw power, even when they're off or not charging anything, as long as they're plugged in. In the U.S., such "phantom electricity" emits about 12 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere a year, according to Conservation International.

Pay for your carbon emissions

You can offset the carbon footprint of your car, home and air travel by funding renewable energy projects.

Drive Responsibly

Every gallon of gas burned emits 20 pounts of carbon dioxide, so make the most of your tank.

Nix the junk mail

The Postal Service delivers 17.8 tons of bulk mail each year, 44% of which goes unopened, according to the EPA. Just 22% of bulk mail is recycled. To stop the flow, visit the Direct Marketing Association, the leading global trade association of business and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques, at www.dmachoice.org, and get put on the "do not mail" list. It costs one dollar, but it'll remove your name from the lists for five years.

Rethink your laundry

Washing your clothes in cold or warm water instead of hot saves 500 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, according to climatecrisis.net. Drying your clothes on a clothesline six months out of the year would save another 700 pounds.

Maintain your home

Cleaning a dirty air filter, wrapping your hot water heater in an insulation blanket, properly insulating your walls and windows, and caulking and weather stripping can save a total of 5,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, according to climatecrisis.net, the web site for "An Inconvenient Truth."

Pay your bills online

For every 38,000 bills paid online, 5,058 pounds of greenhouse gases are avoided and two tons of trees are preserved, according to NACHA -- The Electronic Payments Association, a non-profit. Using direct payment also saves a person about $150 annually in stamp and check costs and late fees, NACHA estimates.

Change your light bulbs

If every Chicago resident replaced one light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of more than 20,000 cars, according to the city's Department of Environment. If every home in the country did the same, it would be like ditching 800,000 cars and would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year, according to Energy Star, a joint program between the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The first Earth Day was in April 1970, right as the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency was established by the Nixon Administration.

In honor of the day, many local events are scheduled to be held today to draw attention to the environment, and how people can help.

But Long Island's environmental challenges are myriad, and progress on solving them is complicated and expensive. Here's a look at 10 of them.

Clean drinking water. The water that flows from Long Island's taps comes from underground aquifers, making Long Island particularly vulnerable to pollution that seeps down through the soil. Contaminant plumes from leaking fuel tanks and old landfills criss-cross local groundwater, along with toxic chemicals spilled years before at dry cleaning shops and Cold War-era factories.

Solution: Increased state and federal dollars for environmental cleanups could speed up remediation, preventing pollution from traveling further. Other options included stepping up enforcement, or increasing financial penalties. The state's brownfields program, which provides tax breaks for developers who build on contaminated land, could require participants to clean up pollution to a greater degree.

Cost. The price for cleaning up groundwater at some of Long Island's most polluted sites ranges from $24 million at the former Lawrence Aviation site in Port Jefferson Station to $45 million to $400 million for 15 former gas-production plants across Long Island.

Energy. Nearly all of Long Island's electricity comes from plants that burn fossil fuels, which are non-renewable and leave the region at the mercy of future oil and natural gas prices. Solar energy has made some inroads, but not enough to make a dent in peak energy demands. A 2005 Long Island Power Authority proposal for a 40-turbine wind farm off Jones Beach died amid concerns about cost, aesthetics and the potential impact on marine and bird life.

Solutions: LIPA and National Grid are weighing the costs to modernize the region's three biggest fossil-fuel-burning plants - at Northport, Port Jefferson and Island Park. The overhaul would make them cleaner and more efficient, fueled mostly by natural gas. LIPA and Con Edison are exploring a plan to erect several hundred wind turbines 13 miles off the Rockaways. LIPA has also approved a 50-megawatt commercial solar project; new federal subsidies have escalated interest in LIPA-funded home solar installations.

Cost. Repowering the E.F. Barrett power plant in Island Park would cost $940 million, while modernizing the Northport and Port Jefferson facilities could add up to a combined $2.2 billion to $2.5 billion, according to LIPA estimates.

Fisheries decline. From the 1970s crash of the Great South Bay's hard clam population to the more recent downturn of winter flounder, marine life that sustained generations of Long Islanders appears to be in trouble. Overfishing has winnowed some species; others have been weakened by pollution, habitat decline or toxic algae such as the brown tide blooms that wiped out much of the bay scallop population.

Solutions: While fishermen and regulators often clash on the best way to manage oceans, some species that were once in decline - such as striped bass - have rebounded after efforts were made to revive them. Federal fisheries managers are looking at new ways to control the number of fish that are caught; one approach would give fishermen the right to harvest a set percentage of the annual harvest of a species, a tactic meant to encourage sustainable fishing practices.

Cost. Although individual harvest shares can cost thousands to the fishermen who hold them,, no one has put an overall price on restoring the nation's fisheries.

Air pollution. Despite improvements in recent years, the air Long Islanders breathe has high levels of smog and soot compared with most other counties in New York state. Part of the problem is pollution that travels east from coal-fired power plants in the Midwest. Locally, car and truck traffic was responsible for more than 60 percent of local ozone-causing emissions, according to state data from 2002. Power plants and other stationary sources comprised about 2.5 percent.

Solutions: Driving less - and using vehicles or fuel types that produce fewer emissions - would reduce local air pollution. Some advocate shifting more of Long Island's road traffic to bus and rail lines through expanded public transit systems and greater use of intermodal transfer stations. So-called "smart growth" tactics advise clustering new development around transit lines and downtown commercial districts.

Cost. No one knows the cost of all the solutions, but Long Island Railroad officials estimate it would cost $1.3 billion to lay a third track between Floral Park and Hicksville.

Sewage. Two-thirds of Suffolk County still relies on septic tanks or cesspools that discharge waste to the soil, an approach better suited for rural areas than a growing county that is home to 1.4 million people. Sewers allow for more dense development, limiting sprawl. Aging sewage treatment plants in Nassau and Suffolk also need upgrades to reduce water pollution in Long Island Sound.

Solutions: While the federal money that helped build Long Island's decades-old sewage treatment plants has largely dried up, budget priorities may change under the Obama adminstration.

Cost.Repairing and updating New York state's wastewater infrastructure will cost an estimated $36.2 billion over the next 20 years, according to the state.

Polluted bays and rivers. Rain sweeps pollutants - pet waste, motor oil, fertilizer runoff and litter - from streets into storm sewers and dumps them in local watersheds, triggering beach closures and making shellfish from the most degraded estuaries unsafe to eat. Plumes from chemical and fuel spills can foul Long Island rivers, which are fed by groundwater.

Solutions:Some municipalities have upgraded storm sewers with absorbent filters that soak up pollution. Replacing hard surfaces with permeable pavement or planted areas would reduce runoff by allowing the ground to filter water. Advocates say state environmental officials should impose stricter limits on water pollution permits.

Cost. Filtration units like those the Village of Babylon is placing in 90 storm drains cost between $5,000 to $6,000 apiece to install. The $125 sponges must be replaced about every year.

Wetlands loss: The marshes along Long Island shores filter polltuion and serve as nurseries for marine life and buffers against storms and flooding. But they are also shrinking - despite laws that since the 1970s have largely protected remaining wetlands from development. State officials estimate that vulnerable marshes on Long Island have lost 25 percent of their acreage since 1974. Potential causes: pollution; changes in tidal flow; rising sea levels; or disruption of the flow of sediment to marshes.

Solutions: Researchers are studying the problem and monitoring vulnerable marshes for clues to their decline. Treatments will likely be site-specific, such as such as spraying sediment layers over marshes where dredging or other forces have deprived wetlands of the material.

Cost. No cost estimates have yet been developed to reverse the situation.

Garbage

The question of what to do with waste has bedeviled the region since the 1980s, when water quality concerns led lawmakers to pass laws that would eventually close most local dumps. Long Island produces an estimated 3.5 million tons of garbage each year. Of that, about 43 percent gets incinerated, 27 percent is recycled, and 30 percent is hauled off-Island to landfills.

Solutions: Some are pressing to expand capacity of local waste-to-energy incinerator facilities such as the Covanta incinerator in Hempstead, saying garbage can function as a renewable fuel to produce electricity. Others say shipping garbage out by rail would reduce traffic on local roads. Environmental advocates say the region needs to increase recycling and implement other programs that would reduce the overall volume of waste, such as separating compost from other household trash.

Cost. With the issue not addressed regionally, the costs vary by miunicipality and the disposal options each chooses.

Open space preservation. Advocates say preserving open space combats sprawl and is essential to protect the farms, beaches and woods that draw tourists to Long Island. But the less land that remains, the more it costs - a concern when local and state governments are slashing costs and scrambling to balance their budgets.

Solutions.Local governments can buy up development rights as well as purchasing parcels outright. Critics point out that buying up farms and other parcels of land may protect watersheds, but it also spends money that could be used for other environmental purposes - and subtracts millions from property tax rolls.

Cost. Environmental advocate Richard Amper says Suffolk County spent about $1.2 billion on open space purchases in the past three decades. But a Dowling College study funded by the real estate industry put the price tag at $3.5 billion, including authorized future purchases and lost tax revenues.

Climate change. While some remain skeptical, federal and state environmental officials now agree with a large body of international researchers who say that a global increase in temperature is now underway, largely as a result of human activities such as burning fossil fuels. Among the biggest concerns for coastal Long Island: increased flooding as a result of rising oceans, which expand as waters warm and are expected to rise more quickly as a result of melting polar ice.

Solutions. To limit carbon dioxide emissions, federal lawmakers are considering legislation to cap industrial emissions and allow companies to trade pollution allowances. New York state has already signed on to a regional trading scheme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Environmental advocates and some scientists are urging planners to factor climate change and sea level rise into shoreline protection projects and zoning codes.

Cost. An EPA analysis of a draft House cap-and-trade bill said it would have "a relatively modest impact on U.S. consumers," but House Republicans, who oppose the measure, said it would cost families up to $3,100 per year in higher energy prices.

While Earth Day - April 22 - comes but once a year, Long Islanders have a legion of fun and informative places to go to celebrate. There are special eco-friendly events planned all week.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Earthstock: Monday to Friday, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, 631-632-7320, stonybrook.edu/earthstock

The annual weeklong event, which is free and open to the public, focuses on global-warming issues. Among the remaining events planned -Tuesday's 3:30 p.m. "Baked Apple" panel discussion that will cover environmental issues specific to Long Island and New York City and Friday's 3 p.m. screening and discussion of "The Day After Tomorrow."

Green Living Expo LI: 11-6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Suffolk County Community College, Brentwood Campus, Sports/Exhibition Complex, 101 Crooked Hill Rd., Brentwood, 516-284-3305, greenlivingexpoli.com

Cost: $10 (free ages 12 and younger)

Browse a ton of information on living green, from solar- power suppliers to organic- food providers. Expect cooking demonstrations and scheduled lectures on topics ranging from eco-friendly transportation to green home improvement. "In many ways, it is not only more affordable to live a green lifestyle, but it's obviously better for you and better for the planet," says Chris Palmer, one of the organizers.

FOR FAMILIES

Organic cooking for kids: 4 p.m. Wednesday at Four Seasons Caterer, 15 Prospect St., Southampton, 631-283-3354, fourseasonscaterer.com

Cost: $18 at the door, $15 in advance; Ages: 6 and older (must be accompanied by an adult)

Three mini demos where children learn to prepare healthful treats made from organic local ingredients. This event also includes Earth Day activities hosted by Group for the East End.

Garvies Point Museum: Wednesday, 50 Barry Dr. in Glen Cove, 516-571-8010, garviespointmuseum.com

Cost: $3 adults, $2 children

The museum celebrates Earth Day on Wednesday with a recycled paper eco-craft activity for kids (11 a.m.-3 p.m.), plus screenings of the animated family film "The Man Who Planted Trees."

CLEANUP

Levittown: 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Meet at Office Max parking lot, 3350 Hempstead Tpke., Levittown, 516-796-3392

Bring gloves, rakes, brooms and any other items, plus snacks and water, to this annual community cleanup. Volunteers will meet in the parking lot and then be dispatched to different areas throughout Levittown.

DROP-OFF

E-waste Day: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Town Hall, 100 Main St., Huntington, 631-351-3270, town.huntington.ny.us

Drop off unwanted televisions, radios, cell phones and other electronics at the Town of Huntington's Family Earth Day Expo, which is open to all. There also will be stations for recycling plastic grocery bags, information on green living and document shredding. Children can touch and climb on fire-and- rescue vehicles, a street cleaner and an electric lawn mower.

Also try: Town of Babylon residents can discard unwanted computer equipment (no broken monitors) and certain other electronic waste 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the recycling center in West Babylon (57 Field St., 631-422-7640, townofbabylon.com).

More eco-friendly events:

-Arbor Day Festival (April 25-26) at Planting Fields Arboretum
-Arbor Day (April 26) at Old Westbury Gardens
-Audobon's 224th birthday celebration in Oyster Bay

Best bets

424 events found on search for today, - Best Bet

Friday, April 17

Concert-Colin Hay

YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts
Bay Shore
Singer, guitarist, and main songwriter of Australia's band Men At Work, Colin Hay sings and shares stories
8 p.m.

Joe Dee Messina

Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury
Westbury
The Music Room Series
8 p.m.

Little Women: The Musical

John W. Engeman Theater at Northport
Northport
Musical by Jason Howland, Mindi Dickstein and Allan Knee, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, following the adventures of the March sisters (Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy) as they grow up in Civil War America
8 p.m.

Stony Brook Opera and Stony Brook Baroque Ensemble

Staller Center for the Arts
Stony Brook
8 p.m.

The Audi Driving Experience

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Uniondale
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The Hampton Ballet Theatre School

John Drew Theater, Guild Hall
East Hampton
"The Littlest Mermaid," choreographed by Sara Jo Strickland and based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, 7 p.m. April 17, 3 p.m. April 18 and 19
7 p.m.

Saturday, April 18

20th Annual Earth Day Clean-up

Ross Park
Brentwood
Includes the Brentwood Train Station and the surrounding community
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Barnyard Babies

Benner's Farm
Setauket
Learn about baby animals on the farm and learn about the miracles of spring on the farm
10 a.m. - noon

Bobby Collins

Governor's Comedy Cabaret and Restaurant
Levittown
Long Island native, host of VH-1's Standup Spotlight
7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.

Book Signing-Countess LuAnn de Lesseps

Barnes & Noble
Lake Grove
Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, Author signs book
2 p.m.

Concert

Dix Hills Performing Arts Center
Dix Hills
Tribute to Bobby Darin, Neil Diamond and Paul Anka with Arnie Gruber and His Band
7:30 p.m.

Family Friendly Performances

Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center
Westhampton Beach
Eckerd Theater Company presents "The Great Alphabet Adventure", for children ages 3-8
1 p.m.

Hammer Of The Gods

Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury
Westbury
The Led Zeppelin experience
8 p.m.

Jefferson Starship with David Grisman (The Jefferson Grisman Project)

Inter-Media Art Center (IMAC)
Huntington
Collaboration featuring "Jefferson's Tree of Liberty," and the iconic songs of Jefferson Starship/ Airplane and mandolin player David Grisman, 7 and 9:30 p.m. April 18
7 p.m., 9:30 p.m.

Little Women: The Musical

John W. Engeman Theater at Northport
Northport
Musical by Jason Howland, Mindi Dickstein and Allan Knee, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, following the adventures of the March sisters (Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy) as they grow up in Civil War America
3 p.m., 8 p.m.

Long Island Philharmonic

Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts
Patchogue
Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 ("Scottish"), plus Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73 ("Emperor"), with conductor David Stewart Wiley and pianist Andre Watts, 8 p.m. April 18
8 p.m.

National Philharmonic of Russia

Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
Brookville
Liadov's "The Enchanted Lake," Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and "Romeo and Juliet," Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" (four selected pieces), with conductor Vladimir Spivakov and violinist Mikhail Simonyan, 8 p.m. April 18
8 p.m.

Spring Family Fishing Festival

Belmont Lake State Park
North Babylon
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Spring Family Fishing and Children's Festival

Belmont Lake State Park
North Babylon
Introduction to freshwater fishing, free loaner rods and bait; "Spring Fling" casting contest, fishing seminar, free fish-cleaning services, Department of Environmental Conservation and fishing club display areas, licenses not required for this event
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The Audi Driving Experience

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Uniondale
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m

The Goonies

Bay Street Theatre
Sag Harbor
Screening is part of the Kidstreet: Family Film Series
11 a.m.

The Hampton Ballet Theatre School

John Drew Theater, Guild Hall
East Hampton
"The Littlest Mermaid," choreographed by Sara Jo Strickland and based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, 7 p.m. April 17, 3 p.m. April 18 and 19
3 p.m.

The Long Island Radio-TV Day Festival

C.W. Post/Long Island University -Tilles Center Atrium
Brookville
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Sunday, April 19

Daria Rabotkina, Piano

Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts
Patchogue
Chamber works performed by this winner of the 2007 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, 3 p.m. April 19
3 p.m.

Dion and Lou Christie

Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury
Westbury
A night of doo-wop, pop and rhythm and blues music
7 p.m.

Garden and Conservatory Tours

Wave Hill
Bronx
Tours are free with admission to the grounds. Meet at the Perkins Visitor Center
2:15 p.m.

Little Women: The Musical

John W. Engeman Theater at Northport
Northport
Musical by Jason Howland, Mindi Dickstein and Allan Knee, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, following the adventures of the March sisters (Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy) as they grow up in Civil War America
2 p.m., 7 p.m.

Long Island Philharmonic

Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
Brookville
Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 ("Scottish"), plus Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73 ("Emperor"), with conductor David Stewart Wiley and pianist Andre Watts, 7:30 p.m. April 19
7:30 p.m.

Stony Brook Opera and Stony Brook Baroque Ensemble

Staller Center for the Arts
Stony Brook
2 p.m.

The Audi Driving Experience

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Uniondale
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The Hampton Ballet Theatre School

John Drew Theater, Guild Hall
East Hampton
"The Littlest Mermaid," choreographed by Sara Jo Strickland and based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, 7 p.m. April 17, 3 p.m. April 18 and 19
3 p.m.

It's a street like in any community on Long Island. Ranch homes, with a few colonials sprinkled in, dot the tree-lined block. There's a recently-paved driveway, a decorative front door, and even some newly-appointed brick. Some homes have shingles, others have siding.

A first look, captures a suburban block in a typical neighborhood. But a closer look tells another story.

First, there are the boards covering the windows of the small ranch with gray shingles at the beginning of the street. Across from that house, there's the green house with boarded windows that looks like no one has lived in it for years. A large tree has fallen on another property; the windows on another home are broken.

This is one example of the effect that foreclosures now have on Long Island, as a mortgage crisis grips the country. Similar scenes appear in neighborhoods across Long Island. The hardest-hit neighborhoods have a variety of housing stocks, home prices and diverse demographics. In 2006, just one Long Island community had more than 200 lis pendens - the first step in the foreclosure process - during the period Newsday analyzed. Foreclosures have spread across Long Island, touching nearly every community.

On a three-block stretch you may be able to find at least five houses that have fallen to foreclosure. Homeowners have left or been evicted, banks have taken ownership and, in some cases, put houses up for resale at sharply reduced prices.

The number of lis pendens filed on Long Island more than doubled between 2006 and 2008, according to a Newsday analysis of a foreclosure database provided by The Real Estate Report, which compiles foreclosure and home sales data, in West Islip.

In the first eight months of 2008, banks and other mortgage servicers filed nearly 11,600 lis pendens against Long Island homeowners. The residential and commercial mortgages involved, which are in default by 90 days or more, totaled nearly $4 billion, Newsday found. This is on top of the $6 billion drop in home sales dollar volume that Newsday reported earlier this fall. While the numbers are not directly comparable, together they represent one indicator of the breadth of the housing collapse's impact here.

More than half the communities on Long Island saw their number of lis pendens more than double between the first eight months of 2006 and the first eight months of 2008. Copiague, for instance, had 34 initial foreclosure filings in the first eight months of 2006. In the same period this year, that number climbed to 138. Brentwood, which had the highest number of lis pendens, had 160 filings in the first eight months of 2006 - and 645 this year. And Westbury's filings tripled from 77 in the first eight months of 2006 to 231 in 2008.

In addition, experts said foreclosures have spread from subprime loans to prime or fixed-rate loans and to homeowners with higher-incomes in high-priced homes.

For each foreclosure on Long Island, there are wide ripples of exposure. Those paying mortgages on properties close to clusters of foreclosed properties watch their home values decline. Many have found that they can't refinance or sell. Those who work in the area see sales decline as consumer spending falls.

And, experts say, there's more to come, with additional waves of foreclosures expected throughout 2009.