LI's greenest families share their tips

It's been 40 years since environmental activists celebrated the first Earth Day in 1970. What started as a teach-in has grown to include activities worldwide estimated to involve more than half a billion people.

In keeping with the springboard of environmental activism, here are three families among many on Long Island who celebrate and honor the environment by practicing stewardship in their homes and with their lifestyles. If they save money and live healthier lives, so much the better.

THE RUBINS, Commack

Andrew and Elise Rubin and sons, Ben, 13, and Ian, 11, buy their electricity from windmills and have programmable thermostats tied in to the LIPAedge conservation program. They keep their thermostats low (58 in the winter at night, 64 in the daytime), use reusable stainless-steel water bottles, walk to the school bus stop even in the rain, use white vinegar as a weed killer on the patio and use a hand-push mower to cut their grass.

But on top of their green list is the 17-mile commute that Andrew, a pediatrician with Central Long Island Pediatrics in Old Bethpage, makes twice a week when he rides his bike to and from work (except when it's icy). It takes an hour and 20 minutes each way.

"I wear a sweatshirt to bed," Ian says. "My favorite thing is not to use a real big car that uses gas," he says, and points to his dad's commuting car, a 1991 Ford Escort GT with 252,000 miles on it. His brother, Ben, agrees that the house is cold in the winter and says he, too, wears a sweatshirt to bed in chilly months. He rides his bike to his friends' houses and to get a haircut, "anything under two miles," and he's talking about maybe riding his bike to Commack High School next year when he starts ninth grade.

"Everything I've done is a conversion that I can do without laying out a lot of money," Andrew said. "You have to balance the pros and cons of every energy source, and you have to balance our dependency on it. We need to do this kind of (green) technology, so we decrease our dependence on foreign oil."

They rarely use the air conditioning and never use the pool heater, Elise Rubin says. She buys organic household cleaning products, recyclable paper products, and they turn the lights off when someone isn't in a room. Most light bulbs have been switched over to more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.

The Rubins' green adventure is continuing - Andrew is researching the types and cost of solar panels; this summer, they plan to start a compost bin.

THEIR TIPS

1. To control weeds, lay wet newspaper on beds, then cover with mulch.

2. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to conserve electricity; incandescent bulbs can represent up to 20 percent of a home energy bill.

3. Chip fallen branches and use as mulch on garden beds.

4. Walk or ride bikes for local errands.

5. Recycle paper, glass and aluminum.

6. Spray white vinegar as a weed killer between patio blocks.

7. Use a push lawn mower to reduce fossil fuel dependency.

8. Set lawn mower blades to trim grass at 3 inches.

9. Turn off lights when not in a room.

10. Walk to the school bus stop each morning.

THE SERKES, East Meadow

Bruce Serkes has been making his home greener since he installed a solar hot water system in 1981. The panels are on the southeast-facing roof, and from now to the end of May is when his system gives the biggest benefit - before the trees get in full leaf.

The solar panels use a glycol solution to absorb the sun's heat. It then travels in pipes through the attic and down to a holding tank in the basement. The panels heated the water to 110 degrees on a sunny but cool spring day, which left his home backup oil system having to heat it from 110 to 140 degrees to supply the baseboard hot water heat.

In January, the solar panels heat the water in the tank to about 80 degrees without the boiler's assistance, he says, and in the summer the water temperature can rise to 120 degrees.

To increase the home's energy efficiency, he added 3/4-inch insulation last summer before new vinyl siding was installed and had blown-in insulation put in the attic. He caulked doors and windows and added double-paned windows, including in the finished basement.

The den, which was added in 1992 when the family converted a screened-in porch, has a reversible fan that pushes warm air near the ceiling toward the floor in the winter, and in the summer pulls cooler air up. Its blade direction is adjustable from a switch on the wall.

Serkes, an energy consultant, and his wife, Geri, who have two grown children, keep the thermostat around 64 degrees at night in the winter, up to 68 degrees in the daytime, and set the air-conditioning around 78 degrees in the summer. The house has programmable thermostats, and he participates in the LIPAedge energy conservation program. "In the 15 to 20 years we've had it in, LIPA hasn't taken over very often," he says.

Serkes had maintenance done on the solar hot water system last year, the first time in 30 years. "The antifreeze tends to disintegrate over time," he says, so he had it replaced and also added a new burner, although the 1953 boiler is still original to the house. "My whole goal is to burn as little fossil fuel as possible." He says he's proud to be recognized for his green efforts. "My friends just thought I was being cheap," he said, laughing.

THEIR TIPS

1. Use water from the dehumidifier to water house plants.

2. Wear sweaters in the winter to increase comfort rather than turn up thermostat.

3. Caulk windows and doors.

4. Use a ceiling fan to circulate air within a room.

5. Add skylights to increase natural light.

6. Don't set thermostat on air conditioner to cool lower than 78 degrees.

7. Turn off power strips when not in use.

8. Use an attic fan to vent heat.

9. Run a whole-house fan to circulate air and cool.

10. Investigate utility-sponsored energy efficiency and rebate programs.

DILLINGHAM AND WRIGHT, Aquebogue

From solar photovoltaic panels to a rain barrel and an electric car, Nancy Dillingham and Janet Wright live green. A friend even found them a gizmo at a craft fair designed to air-dry a plastic storage bag so it can be reused.

They had solar photovoltaic panels installed in 2005 and, aside from some down time due to pesky squirrels, have been generating enough power to knock down their electricity bills and sell back to the Long Island Power Authority. This year, LIPA paid them $325, while they paid only $75 for service, resulting in a profit of about $250.

Their house also has been listed on Renewable Energy Long Island's solar tour for the past three years, and Dillingham has prepared a spreadsheet to show visitors their energy savings.

"You get so you love it when the meter runs backward," said Dillingham, who owns a machine shop. "Each night when we get home, we check to see how much we made. We've become much more conservation-minded. It's another reason we got the rain barrel." The barrel collects runoff from the roof during rainstorms, and they use the water for the flower beds. They also use a timer to limit showers to 5 minutes.

Wright, who works in a doctor's office, sets a programmable dishwasher to do the dishes at night when it's cooler and there's less demand for energy. Their other appliances are Energy Star-rated as well, and they switched to natural gas heat for the house. They also installed a well to water the lawn and fruit trees, and when they run the pump, they can see the impact it has on the system. "Janet says, 'No, wait another day,' when I say it's time to water," Dillingham says.

"You keep looking for other ways to conserve, other ways to save money and be green," Dillingham says. They have a window air conditioner for the hottest summer nights, but otherwise open windows and use a ceiling fan. "We get pretty good cross-ventilation," she adds. Their green investment is twofold, Dillingham says. "We're saving money and using less fuel oil. I think it's a win-win."

THEIR TIPS

1. Run dishwasher at night when power demands are lighter.

2. Use energy-efficient appliances.

3. Install solar photovoltaic panels to generate power.

4. Use a rain barrel to collect runoff for watering flower beds.

5. Compost.

6. Don't use pesticides.

7. Shop at local farm stands as much as possible.

8. Use an electric car for local errands.

9. In the summer, use cross-ventilation rather than air-conditioning.

10. Use a shower timer to limit water use.