Go Green While Saving Green
In the movie, Wall Street, ruthless stockbroker Gordon Gekko preached the mantra “greed is good,” but today it’s “green is good,” as his yuppie lifestyle gets replaced by attempts to save money while saving the planet. Here are six easy ways to go green.
1. Move to a more walkable neighborhood
With gas prices topping $4 a gallon, living in a place where you can walk, bike, or take public transit can save you as much as $5,000 a year on gas (according to research by the Congress for New Urbanism) while at the same time reducing greenhouse emissions, slowing suburban sprawl, and kick-starting the local economy. To see how your neighborhood rates, visit WalkScore which recently ranked the 40 largest cities in the country on how close residents were to markets, cafes, restaurants, and shops.
2. Work from home
If you’re able to work at home you can help cut down on traffic congestion and the resulting pollutants released into the air. Since even public transportation costs money, even telecommuting one day a week can save you as much as $1500 a year and allow you to spend more quality time with your family.
3. Shop responsibly
At EcoPerks, each time you purchase a product from one of its 500 participating retailers, you earn points for yourself and your chosen environmental cause. Every dollar you spend is converted into a matching donation. You can also calculate your carbon footprint and purchase eco-friendly products and services from the site.
4. Think global, eat local
Buying your groceries at the local Farmer’s Market, instead of a national supermarket chain, keeps money in the local economy and in your pocket. By cutting out the middleman and buying directly from the farmers that grow your food, you’ll save money and be able to choose from a wider variety of incredibly fresh produce. Remember to bring your own reusable shopping bag (preferably one made of canvas, not paper or plastic).
5. Ban bottled water
Want great tasting, high quality water? Just turn on the tap. Most cities in the developed world have perfectly good water and if you are really worried you can always use a water filter to purify tap water. In fact, according to a four-year study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one-third of bottled water tested contained levels of contamination. NRDC found that city tap water is subjected to much more rigorous testing and purity standards. Bottled water is one of the biggest scams going and not only are you paying for those plastic bottles, they are extremely harmful to the environment.
6. Recharge your batteries
A staggering half a billion batteries are purchased in the US each year and when they are done powering your personal electronics they go straight into landfills, releasing toxic chemicals into the environment. Switching from disposable to sustainable batteries, which cost a bit more upfront but can be used as much as 3,000 times, provides an incredible cost savings in the long run and can have up to 30 times less impact on the environment according to a study done earlier this year.
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I’m sure there are tons more. Some simple ones like turning off lights and not idling your car for longer than 30 secs. (thats the length of time it takes to burn off the full it consumes to start the car) for starters
I wish my company would start letting me work from home! I would be a much more happier employee if I had such a luxury. I have always been against bottled water, I fill up a jug with tap water and refridgerate that thing for a nice hour and BAM!! you have ice cold bottled water for free! GO GREEEN!
Pretty good tips. The bottled water one is my favorite. Way to many bottles of water. Still can’t believe they make money off of that. Working at home is sweet too.
Also- don’t use plastic shopping bags! Bring a canvas or other type of reusable bag. There are lots of styles that easily fold up so that you can carry them in your purse/bag/backpack or keep them in your car.
I agree with the battery suggestion. I have about 16-20 rechargeable batteries for my camera, Wii remotes, and other devices. I haven’t bought batteries in a long time.
Good points, but not everyone likes the taste of tap! Have you ever considered the environmentally friendly packaging Primo Water uses?..check out http://www.primowater.com. For those who like bottled water without the waste. Their bottles biodegrade and are compostable…Know that’s the alternative.
A non Primo employee
opt-out of unwanted catalogs @ http://catalogchoice.org ….
we are a not-for-profit service so I hope it is cool to plug the service here.
I’m all for saving some money. And like most people I care about the environment. You have no choice, it is a matter of survival. However, I’m totally disappointed at everyone jumping on board with the “Green” propaganda. Please stop using “Green” a way to market things….
that is all
Someone just told me about this site today, and I’m signing up as I type this. I agree, I think that if people can be convinced that you can save money while helping the environment, then everyone will want to be more “green”.
An example is, if you properly insulate your house, you can save lots of money on heating costs, plus use less electricity.
These are good tips to start being eco-friendly. While there are many ways to be environmentally friendly can be costly, people should know that the simple things that we can change each day will have a huge impact as well. I found other great ideas at http://www.destroydebt.com/articles/76-ways-to-save-money-while-saving-the-environment.html.