Two of the biggest obstacles that prevent people from changing habits and do what’s right for the environment are lack of time and money. We are prepared to make some alterations to our lifestyle as long as it won’t cost us or isn’t too time consuming.
Conscious of these knotty difficulties, here are 5 ways to go green and save green (dollars). If you follow the advice bellow, you will notice a heavier wallet in your pocket and you’ll feel a lot healthier as well.
Remember that in this case, less is really more and what you don’t miss is not needed. So like in a diet: allow yourself small portions of everything and be careful when you get rid of anything surplus.
Less energy.
- Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer.
- When your old incandescent bulbs burn out, replace them with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)
- Unplug appliances when not in use.
- Around 85% of the energy used to machine-wash your clothes goes to heating water, so every time is possible use the cold water cycle.
- Use a drying rack, clothesline or improvise by hanging clothes on radiators in order to reduce energy bills by cutting down on the machine dryer.
Less water.
- By taking shorter showers you will lower water consumption and heating bills.
- Make sure your taps and water cistern don’t have any leaks.
- Use your bath water to water your garden and plant drought-tolerant native plants that require minimal watering.
- Go easy on the bottled water.
Less gas.
- You can save on fuel and parking cost by walking or biking to work. At the same time you will be healthier. If none of these are practical try car-pooling or use public transportation.
- Consider working from home even if only a couple of days a week.
Eat clever.
- Buy local produce whenever possible - this will guarantee less food miles and will help local economy, generating jobs.
- Eat less meat, by adding one meatless meal a week. There are a lot of environmental costs in the rearing of animals for food production.
- Eat sustainable fish and seafood.
- Buy less food to avoid waste.
Borrow and buy smart.
- Buy in bulk and save money and packaging.
- Buy clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned and invest in quality items – these last longer and there’s less waste.
- Borrow items whenever is possible, such as machinery you know you won’t be using that frequently or books that you know you don’t want to keep.
- Sell or give away clothes, books, furniture and appliances no longer needed.
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