Practical Green Living Can Save You Money Around The House
Algreen 144 Gallon Preformed Pond Kit
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By Gerry
I lived green back in the 90's, way before "living green" was fashionable. Back then, "living green" was called something else: "living cheaply."
During these tough economic times, it would help everyone to save a bit of money. Coincidently, saving money can also be good for the environment! There are three main ways how we can live more green: reduce, re-use, and recycle.
Reduce
When I was young, I was raised with the axiom: "Waste not, want not." My parents imposed this upon us by literally forcing us to remain at the dinner table until every last grain of rice was consumed.
- Buy only enough food that you intend to consume. I personally like to make frequent and daily trips to the grocery store or farmer’s market, to ensure that food does not spoil in my fridge.
- Turn down the thermostat to conserve heat/air conditioning and to reduce your electricity bill. According to Wikipedia, water heating accounts for 13% of the typical electricity bill, whereas air conditioning accounts for 11% of the typical electricity bill.
- Replace traditional light bulbs with an energy-efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL). According to edf.org, you can save $45 over the course of the life span of a lightbulb by switching to a CFL.
- Purchase energy-efficient electrical appliances. Look for appliances with the Energy Star logo.
- Turn off the lights when you’re not using them.
- Reduce car emissions by not idling. This can help you save on fuel. Ten minutes of idling costs you $0.25. If you're going to be stopped for more than 60 seconds - except in traffic – turn the engine off. Unnecessary idling wastes money and fuel, and produces greenhouse gases (GHGs) that contribute to climate change. Instead of going through the drive-through, try walking into the restaurant (tip: it’s often faster!)
- Reduce water consumption in the garden by installing water-efficient lawn sprinklers.
- Reduce energy consumption by unplugging any electronics that you don't use often. This can save money on your energy bill by preventing vampire power from being used, which makes up to 5% of your energy bill.
Re-Use
New isn't always the best. In fact, re-using items can save you money because used merchandise will cost less than new merchandise. Re-using items also cuts down on landfill waste.
Green Tip:
Air conditioning accounts for 11% of the typical electricity bill - turning down the air conditioner just one degree with help you save money.
- Grocery stores often charge $0.05 for shopping bags. Why pay for shopping bags when you can bring and re-use your own?
- Old furnishings, furniture and toys often still can be used. Instead of throwing them out (which clogs up landfills), sell them on e-Bay for a profit. This way, you can ensure that they will be re-used.
- Donate used computers to charities for recycling. You can often get a tax receipt so you can write off the expense on your tax return.
- Instead of buying new electronic devices, check out the craigslist and kijiji listings in your area for great deals. Many listings offer almost-new merchandise that has to be unloaded because of upcoming moves.
- Instead of throwing out old clothes, donate them to charities, or clean them and sell them to consignment stores for cash.
- Instead of purchasing artificial fertilizers for your garden, you can create your own compost. With a home compost bin, you can put your food scraps to use in your garden!
- When it’s time to prune back or divide your garden plants, instead of throwing out any unwanted plants, pass the new divisions on to neighbours and friends for them to use in their gardens.
Recycle
Recycling is good for the environment because it reduces the demand for non-renewable resources (e.g. metal, glass, etc.), while reducing landfill. You can also make a small profit from recycling, if you're really keen!
- Invest in a rain barrel to recycle rain water. You can water your garden with free rain water, instead of paying for city water. Your crops won’t notice the difference!
- Collect all your aluminum cans. Aluminum cans are precious because they are made with bauxite which is a finite resource. They are worth $2.50/Kg if you bring them to a scrap metal dealer for recycling.
- Make sure you bring all your empty wine and beer bottles back to the liquor/beer store. You will be reimbursed approximately $0.05 for each bottle!
- Recycle items to create unique garden décor. An old, leather boot makes a unique, functional garden container. A scratched-up porch post can be transformed into an art piece. Clay-pot shards work perfectly as plant markers. An old suitcase lined with plastic becomes a creative container garden.
