Think an environmentally friendly lifestyle is too expensive? Get out of that fancy organic store and look into ways that it pays to go green.
Sometimes the simplest things can have a huge positive impact on the environment and your wallet. Saving water, energy and materials will cost you less money while benefiting the world around you.
Check out these simple ways to go green and save.
ENERGY
- Turn off and unplug appliances when not in use. For areas with lots of plugs, buy a power strip and turn the strip off when you leave the room.
- Turn out the lights when you leave the room (duh).
- Cut cooling costs by not running the A/C full blast. Set the air to a more reasonable setting and supplement it with a fan.
- In winter, reverse your ceiling fans. It will keep the room warmer so you won’t be tempted to crank up the heat.
- Wash your laundry in cold water. Most of the energy used in laundry is for heating the water!
- Switch your light bulbs. Compact florescent light bulbs (CFL bulbs) save 70% more energy than traditional incandescent ones. CFL bulbs are especially great because they last so long, so you definitely get your money’s worth.
WATER:
- Look into using the dishwasher instead of hand-washing. Modern dishwashers use less water and energy.
- No dishwasher? Instead of running the water to rinse dishes, fill one sink with wash water and one with rinse water.
- Fix leaky faucets. They are annoying and a huge waste!
- Turn off the water as you wash, shave and brush your teeth.
- Reuse your towels.
- Only wash full loads of laundry or dishes.
MATERIALS:
- Avoid bottled water. Try using filtered water to cut back on plastic bottles. Reuse and recycle any bottles you have.
- Buy in bulk to cut back on packaging and costs.
- Try using cloth napkins instead of paper.
- Ditto for paper towels. Invest in a few dishrags to do your dirty work.
- Bring your own mug. Many places will give you cheaper coffee, and you won’t have to use those pesky Styrofoam cups.
Any no-brainers I left out? How do you save money by going green?
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