You many think becoming green is difficult, time consuming, or expensive. However, there are several easy ways to be greener and many of these options cost very little time or money.
Reuse
The best green option is to reuse. Anything you can reuse rather than throw away will help save the environment and save you money. Some easy reuse ideas are reusing plastic bags as trash bags, reusing glass containers to store leftovers, reusing a water bottle instead of buying new ones (as long as you wash it thoroughly first). You can also buy used items such as clothes, electronics, movies, and books from online sites such as Amazon.com and Half.com where you can buy these items from personal sellers. This will keep these items from ending up in a landfill and save you money. You can also purchased used items or take items you don't want to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army (you can get a receipt for your donation and claim it on your taxes), and this can save you money and keep these items out of a landfill.
Recycle
The next best option is to recycle. In some cities, recycling is as easy as placing the recyclables out on your curb. Most cities have recycling centers where you can take recalls. Recycling bottles and cans are just the beginning. You can also recycle newspapers, regular paper, almost any plastic, glass, or aluminum at these centers. Secondly, most grocery stores and stores like Wal-mart have bins where you can recycle their plastic bags. Plastic bags are really bad for the environment. They break down into toxic chemicals. Animals also mistake them for food in their environment and mistakenly eat them which can kill the animal. Therefore, the fewer plastic bags made and used the better. Better than recycling them, don't use them at all. Bring your own bags and skip the plastic bags all together. Most stores have cloth reusable bags you can buy for $1. You can also ask for paper bags when given a choice.
You can recycle ink cartridges at most office supply stores and now at Wal-mart. Some stores will give you $2-$3 dollars off a purchase for bringing in an ink cartridge. OfficeMax has an ink cartridge/toner/mp3/cellphone recycling program. They will even give you money back up to $3 for qualifying items. You can check out their program here
You can also recycle computers. Many of the computer companies like Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and IBM, have recycling programs where you can recycle your computer or other electronics.
Using Green Products
If you want to use “green products” make sure they are really green first. There are no laws regulating the use of the word green on products. Usually a natural cleaner will be citrus based (oranges or citrus are powerful natural cleansers), and you also want to be sure that is made of natural substances that will easily biodegrade. Many brand name cleaners are trying to become greener using less toxic chemicals in their cleansers, Windex and Clorox are examples. You can buy all natural citrus--based cleansers here
You can also get green items such as recycled paper and pencils at almost any supply store. They cost a little more than normal paper and pencils but they benefit the environment. You can even get natural or green kitty litter. Arm and Hammer makes a natural brand of kitty litter that can work quite well, which can be purchased at Wal-mart. Also, buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. They save energy and money and contrary to popular belief they can be recycled.
Buy local organic fruits and vegetables when you can. They do not use pesticides to grow the produce nor do they use gasoline to transport the produce which makes them doubly Earth friendly and better for you. You can find these Earth friendly foods at your local farmer's market. Or better yet, grow your own garden on your porch or in your back yard.
Getting green appliances will lower energy and water use, but they are a bit more expensive to purchase. They will save you money on energy and water in the long run. Even if you don't have green appliances you can make your clothes washer greener by only washing full loads and by putting the rinse settings to cold. Many detergents are now optimized for the cold settings such as Tide Cold.
More Green Tips
- Turn water off when brushing teeth
- Take short showers and not baths
- Turn off unnecessary lights and unplug appliances when not in use. Appliances continue to draw power as long as they are plugged in.
- Feeling guilty for your frequent flying or driving? Buy a Terrapass to offset your carbon footprint. The money is used to investigate green technologies.
- Got some pesky cassette tapes that need recycling? You can recycle the plastic casing and then knit or crochet the tape into bags that can be reuse for other purposes
- Want to get free daily tips by email join idealbites. They provide hip green tips.
- Carpool when you can. Even better walk or bike when you can. This saves money on gas and reduces your carbon output.
- Stop junk mail and plant a tree for free at greendimes.
These are just some of the easy, cheap ways you can become greener and help save the environment.
