Small Changes Add Up to a World of Difference

Every choice you make has an impact, for better or for worse. And with choice comes an opportunity to change the world for the better.

HSBC provides customers with the tools they need to make an environmental difference. By offering services like Online Bill Pay and eStatements, we hope to reduce the demand for paper. By receiving and paying bills online, the U.S. alone could help save up to 18.5 million trees a year.

It All Adds Up
Besides enrolling in online payment options, what can you do can you help? Here are few tips on small changes that can add up to a world of difference:

• Use Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs --Energy-efficient light bulbs are 66% more efficient and last up to 15 times longer than regular bulbs. Replacing just one bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb can save you $15 a year.
  
• Get Green Power --Switch from a fossil fuel to cleaner sources like solar or wind. Most major utility companies now offer a green option.
  
• Reduce Paper Waste -- By enrolling your accounts in paper-less online options, 20 pieces of paper are saved each month. If everyone in the U.S. did this, the savings would increase to 18.5 million trees a year.
  
• Use Your Feet --Every gallon of gas a car uses sends about 20 lbs of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Try using a bike or walking when applicable.
  
• Recycle It --If just 100,000 people started recycling, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 42,000 tons per year.
  
• Turn Off the Morning Faucet --Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. If you brush twice a day, you’ll save up to 240 gallons a month.
• Buy Local, Save Global -- In North America, fruits and vegetables travel an average of 1,500 miles before reaching your dinner table. Buying fresh, local food is not only environmentally sustainable, but also preserves flavor and nutrients.
  
• Bring Your Coffee Mug to Work --The average java drinker produces 85 lbs. of solid waste from paper cups. By doing one small thing, like switching to a reusable mug, you can eliminate this waste and can help save a tree.
  
• Small Businesses Can Make a Difference Too: Copy Smarter -- Investing in a double-sided copier will not only lessen your impact on the earth, but can add big savings to your bottom line. With one ream (500 sheets) of paper you’ll save $5. Over the course of 500 reams, you’ll save as much as $2,500.
  

Learn more at http://www.theresnosmallchange.com

EARTH DAY FACTS Courtesy of HSBC: Commit to Change

www.hsbccommittochange.com

DID YOU KNOW…

WASTE
In a lifetime, the average U.S. will throw away 600 times his or her adult weight in waste. This means that each adult will leave a legacy of 90,000 pounds of trash.

Americans throw away enough office and writing paper annually to build a wall 12 feet high, stretching from Los Angeles to New York City - a distance of 2,500 miles.

About two-thirds of household trash can be composted. The average person throws away 440 pounds of organic waste every year - equivalent to 2,800 banana skins.

WATER
A leaking tap can waste 37 gallons of water per week, almost the amount of water needed for a whole load of laundry.

A dishwasher uses up to 18 gallons of water to complete a full cycle.

Washing clothes uses as much as 25% of residential water, each machine load using up to 40 gallons of water, more than a full bathtub.

ENERGY
A personal computer left on for a year uses 25% of the energy of an average household.

Leaving a computer monitor on at night wastes enough power to microwave three dinners.

Speaking of microwaves, they use 66% less energy than conventional ovens and are most efficient for cooking small portions or defrosting.

Poor roof insulation can waste up to $320 in energy costs every year.

On an average summer day, U.S. air conditioners provide enough cold air to produce 16 trillion ice cubes.

CARBON DIOXIDE
Driving a 12 mile per galloon four wheel drive vehicle will waste more energy in one year than leaving the refrigerator door open for 7 years.

If every US household replaced just one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would reduce electricity demand by more than 5 gigawatts and reduces carbon emissions by 1.7 million tons per year – the average output of ten coal-burning power plants.

A car produces approximately three times its weight in CO2 emissions every year.

Air travel is the fastest growing contributor of global carbon dioxide emissions. At present, it contributes 3.5%, but this is expected to rise to 25% by 2030.

SOURCE HSBC USA Inc