Read, translate and retell the text. Are Dishwashers Good for the Environment?

Are Dishwashers Good for the Environment?

Dishwashers are the way to go if you comply with two simple criteria. “Run a dishwasher only when it’s full, and don’t rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.” So says John Morril of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, who also advises not using the dry cycle. The water used in most dishwashers is hot enough, he says, to evaporate quickly if the door is left open after the wash and rinse cycles are complete.

Scientists at the University of Bonn in Germany who studied the issue found that the dishwasher uses only half the energy, one-sixth of the water, and less soap than hand-washing an identical set of dirty dishes. Even the most sparing and careful washers could not beat the modern dishwasher. The study also found that dishwashers excelled in cleanliness over hand washing. Most dishwashers manufactured since 1994 use 7 to 10 gallons of water per cycle, while older machines use eight to 15 gallons. Newer designs have also improved dishwasher efficiency immensely. Hot water can now be heated in the dishwasher itself, not in the household hot water heater, where heat gets lost in transit. Dishwashers also heat only as much water as needed. A standard 24-inch-wide household dishwasher is designed to hold eight place settings, but some newer models will wash the same amount of dishes inside an 18-inch frame, using less water in the process. If you have an older, less-efficient machine, the Council recommends hand washing for the smaller jobs and saving the dishwasher for the dinner party’s aftermath.

Energy-efficient Dishwashers Save Money. New dishwashers that meet strict energy and water-saving efficiency standards can qualify for an Energy Star label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Besides being more efficient and getting the dishes cleaner, qualifying newer models will save the average household about $25 per year in energy costs. Like John Morril, the EPA recommends always running your dishwasher with a full load and avoiding the inefficient heat-dry, rinse-hold and pre-rinse features found on many recent models. Most of the appliance’s energy used goes to heat the water, and most models use just as much water for smaller loads as for larger ones. And propping the door open after the final rinse is quite adequate for drying the dishes when the washing is done.

27. Are the sentences true or false? Correct the false sentences:

A) “Run a dishwasher only when it’s full, and rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.”

B) The water used in most dishwashers is hot enough to evaporate quickly if the door is left open after the wash and rinse cycles are complete.

C) The dishwasher uses only half the energy, one-sixth of the water, and less soap than hand-washing an identical set of dirty dishes.

D) The most sparing and careful washers could beat the modern dishwasher, they saved more money.

E) Most dishwashers manufactured since 1994 use 7 to 9 gallons of water per cycle, while older machines use eight to 20 gallons.

F) Besides being more efficient and getting the dishes cleaner, qualifying newer models will save the average household about $25 per year in energy costs.

28. Readers Respond: What are you doing to help reduce global warming and save the environment? Read the comments from the site https://environment.about.com.

Global warming.

The world's population is nearly 7 billion, so every person must plant ONE tree every year. For every tree cut, 3 must be replanted. More ponds, parks, fountains are required. For money, reduced corruption, arms, etc.

Guest Abraham

Help to protect earth please do what you can...... switch off motor vehicles while waiting in the signals....... switch off electrical things while no need....

Guest valluvathasan

What I do

I plant trees and use environmental friendly stuff...I try to improve awareness.—Guest tvm mal

Reversing the flow of the Niger

We will do our world a lot of good by adopting the proposal to " reverse" the flow of rivers. The Niger is one of the biggest rivers in Africa, and it empties its waters into the Atlantic. Can you imagine the effects of an transporting equivalent volume of desalinized water from the ocean into the Sahara desert? The effects on agriculture, reforestation and so many other positive results, including reduction of global warming, could just be what we need to save mankind if we are to continue here on planet Earth.

—Guest Fred orodi

Less People, Less Pollution

You want to know the best way to stop pollution? Use birth control. This planet is running out of room and I think animals have just as much right to live on this planet as we do. I'm not having any kids, that’s what I'm doing to help prevent global warming. How about you?

—Guest Caroline Miniscule

Minimal usage of plastics...

Plastics, the so called polyester bags are non-biodegradable and one of the major factors causing global warming. So, reducing the usage of plastics will help to reduce global warming to a larger extent. However, usage of jute bags and bio-degradable plastics, which are eco-friendly, is a best remedy and I am using these for about a year and still using them.

—Guest Chandra

Vegetarian diet

Single best thing you can do to stop climate change is to stop eating meat. Not sure how the author forgot to include that.

Guest Mike

Become a vegan or vegetarian

NASA and the United Nations report that the number one cause of greenhouse gas emissions is the meat and dairy industries. They point out that becoming a vegetarian is more effective at reducing greenhouse gas than buying a Prius. So, I think that should be on the top ten list.

—Guest Lillian Reid

Kill smoke, save the mother earth

First, people should reduce smoking which is a serious problem to neighboring people and to the environment. Secondly, people must get educated about not burning waste, especially plastic which plays a main role in the depletion of the ozone layer.

Guest Krishna Chandra

My response

I like this article. Until now I was just saving water, but now I’ll save electricity too.

—Guest Mayan

Reuse water bottles

You can help global warming by buying reusable water bottles, which you can refill instead of throwing them away. If you buy bottled water, please recycle the bottles. Guest Leah

Good.

I think all of the ideas were pretty good. But most of the ideas involve things I don't have.

Guest Sarah

Why leave out the most obvious idea?

As has been stated above, the most significant thing that one can do is to STOP EATING MEAT. Cows are massive greenhouse gas emitters--way more than cars. Raising pigs and chickens is incredibly polluting. I wonder why this article doesn't mention it.

—Guest logic

Stop eating Betsy the cow

Practically the number one thing we can do to reduce global warming is stop consuming animal products, since cattle-rearing alone accounts for more greenhouse gases than all transport combined. Oh, and by the way, it's killing us. The link between consumption of animals and cancer and heart disease is absolutely undeniable and established by thousands of studies. By improving your own health, you improve the health of the planet. What more can you ask for? And believe me, it's not that difficult. You get hooked on feeling good.

Guest Lourdes

eafa74@yahoo.com

Married to Mr. Green

Being married to Mr. Green, our family's done just about everything we can for a very long time. For years we've had compact fluorescent light bulbs, and we both drive Priuses. I have eight Whole Food Market reusable grocery bags and another eight bags from various stores so I keep them in my car and use them every time I grocery shop. But probably the biggest change has been to completely cut animal products out of my diet. I became a vegan back in September 2008 and I no longer miss eggs or dairy products (we didn't eat much meat to begin with). When I cook for my family, they know it'll be vegan, and they can add cheese to my dishes if they want (I do a lot of stews and one-pot meals). Knowing that we're not contributing to the 10 billion animals that are killed annually for food makes me feel morally better, but it also frees up land and resources that would be better used to feed other human beings, not livestock to be killed. Linda Lowen.

I walk to reduce global warming

I use my car a lot less--taking the bus to work, walking to shops and restaurants near my home. I've reduced my carbon footprint quite a bit, plus it saves wear-and-tear on my car. And I've discovered fun things to do that are close to home.

Guest Pedestrian

29. Reducing global warming may require global solutions, but it also requires personal action by millions of individuals. What are you doing in your own life to help reduce global warming, and which of those strategies would you recommend to others? Share Your Ideas.