When “Go green” may seem to sound like a drastic change in your lifestyle, think again! Today, “Go green” means a dozen simple things that you can do to consume and waste less, which in the long run will save you money!
What are these steps for you to “go green”?
1. Using Canvas Bags
When shopping for groceries, opt for using canvas bags instead of plastic bags. Remember that plastic bags are non-biodegradable and can take a hundred years to decompose. Plastic bags are not friendly for the environment. Using up plastic bags for your groceries means your own personal contribution to piling garbage pits. Some stores offer discounts for bringing your own bags, so make sure to check!
2. Reducing Your Water Usage
Simple habits like closing the faucet while brushing your teeth or waiting to do laundry until you have a full load can really help. With these simple steps we can assure that our supply of clear water doesn’t run out easily. By being mindful of the water we use, our monthly bill will surely plummet!
3. Replacing Gas Powered Lawn Mowers with Electric Ones
Gas powered mowers obviously use up gasoline, which we know is harmful to the environment. Electric mowers will cost a lot less to power and will make Mother Earth much happier.
4. Using a Laptop Instead of a Desktop
Using a laptop instead of a desktop will help you save tons of energy. A desktop computer will use energy as long as it’s plugged in. Plus, a laptop can probably do all the things that you use your desktop for! The energy savings can be as high as 75% monthly!
5. Using Insulation Blankets
Did you know that you can actually reduce CO2 by 750 pounds in a year’s time? Using an insulation blanket with a hot water heater can help you reduce bad air in our atmosphere. In addition, any pipes that are exposed should be insulated, so the water heater doesn’t have to do any unnecessary work in order to keep hot water flowing.
6. Turning Down the Heat
Yes, winter is cold but did you know that turning down the heat just a few degrees can help you save around 15% of energy cost? How great is that? Don’t go hotter or colder than you need. Try to find the temperature that you can stand without making your house work too hard.
7. Switching to Cold Water Washing
If you switch to cold water washing and using cold-water detergent instead of the regular ones, you can save around 1,000 pounds in CO2 emissions each year! You can also stop using your dryer and hang out wet clothes on a clothes line instead. This could be really useful for any family.
8. Keeping Your Tires Inflated
This was mentioned in one of our previous blog posts on gasoline savings. Keeping your tires inflated could actually save you three miles per gallon of gasoline! With today’s gas prices, we need all the help we can get!
9. Buying products made of recycled materials
If you buy recycled products, then it means that no other resources were destroyed to manufacture it. Many of the products we buy today are recyclable. If not, their cartons and packaging are.
10. Changing Your Light Bulbs at Home
Switch all of the lightning in the home to compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs. These light bulbs consume nearly 60% less energy!
Have you tried to go green? Share your experience with us by writing your comments below!
