101 Ways To Go Green & Save Money

101 Ways to Go Green & Save Money
Introduction
As greenwash floods the market, people tell me how hard it is to have an easyto-follow point of reference to become more sustainable in their lives. Their other big concern is that going green will come with a hefty price tag not a bonus in the current financial climate. Its for these reasons that I worked hard to sift through the most efficient and cheapest sustainable options which will see you going green AND save money along the way! As the founder of SuperGreenMe I have had access to a smorgasboard of expert ecologists, green products and businesses to whom I have turned to create the contents of this book. I trust you will enjoy it and Ill look forward to continuing to assist you via the SuperGreenMe.com community and networking features if youd like to get more practical & personalized advice on any of the green tips. You can also use the dynamic features within the SuperGreenMes social network to connect with green organizations, individuals and businesses from all walks of the sustainable world and to harness eco-enthusiasm. If you crave more information, or want to share something youve learned, you can access a wealth of detailed articles published in SuperGreenMes Ecopedia section which expand on the tips in this book. If you want to share this book, please do so by sending your friends to this link: http://www.supergreenme.com/go-green-environment-eco:101-Ways-to-GoGreen-and-Save-Money Sign up to SuperGreenMe to take advantage of all of the free tools and to get notified when our next free ebook is published! Ecologically Yours, David Toomey Founder, SuperGreenMe.com
www.supergreenme.com
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Sharing this Document Spread the Groovy Green Vibes! There was a lot of work that went into putting this document together. That means that this information has value, and your friends, neighbors, and co-workers may want to share it. You are not allowed to directly give or sell this Guide to anyone else (refer to copyright info below), HOWEVER; If you would like to share an original copy of this ebook, please do so by sending your friends to the following link: http://www.supergreenme.com/go-green-environment-eco:101-Ways-to-Go-Greenand-Save-Money
Copyright: All contents copyright 2009 by SuperGreenMe.com. All rights reserved worldwide, including resale rights. You are not allowed to give or sell this Guide to anyone else. You cannot post this document or the information it contains anywhere on the internet, for example, on any electronic bulletin board, Web site, FTP site, newsgroup, forum, etc. If you received this publication from anyone other than SuperGreenMe.com, you've received a pirated copy. Please contact us via supergreenme.com and notify us of the situation. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. Limit of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher has used its best efforts in preparing this book, and the information provided herein is provided "as is." SuperGreenMe.com makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. You should use this information as you see fit, and at your own risk. Your particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here; in fact, it's likely that they won't be the same, and you should adjust your use of the information and recommendations accordingly. Nothing in this Guide is intended to replace common sense, legal, medical or other professional advice, and is meant to inform and entertain the reader. As always, the advice of a competent legal, tax, accounting or other professional should be sought. The author and publisher do not warrant the performance, effectiveness or applicability of any web sites or other reference listed in this book. All links to other web sites are for information purposes only and are not warranted for content, accuracy or any other implied or explicit purpose. Trademarks: This book identifies product names and services known to be trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective holders. They are used throughout this book in an editorial fashion only for reference purposes. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.
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CONTENTS
Contents ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 In The Home ................................................................................................................................................. 5 Kitchen...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Bathroom ............................................................................................................................................... 14 Laundry Room ........................................................................................................................................ 25 Heating & Cooling................................................................................................................................... 32 Home Office ........................................................................................................................................... 51 Baby/Childrens Rooms .......................................................................................................................... 56 Lighting ................................................................................................................................................... 61 Whole Home .......................................................................................................................................... 66 Outdoors .................................................................................................................................................... 73 Gardening ............................................................................................................................................... 73 Out and About ............................................................................................................................................ 88 Everyday Activities ................................................................................................................................. 88 Car Buying & Driving............................................................................................................................... 96 Commuting ........................................................................................................................................... 108 Going on Holidays................................................................................................................................. 116
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IN THE HOME
Throughout your home there are tremendous opportunities to go green and save money. Whether its reducing the amount of water you consume on a daily basis, finding ways to minimize your use of energy for heating, cooling, or lighting your home, or using less toxic methods for feeding your family or maintaining a clean bathroom, there are many options for choosing a greener life. The great news is that most of these actionswell, all of the actions listed in this ebookwill save you money, too! So theyre green in more ways than one. Lets start with the interior of your home, going over the many possibilities ways you can cut your bills while helping to better the planet.
Kitchen
Flickr 1: Schilling 2
The kitchen, as they say, is the heart of the home, making it a great place to begin your green-saving journey. Here are some inexpensive ways to start saving money right away. Once youve incorporated these easy habits into your lifestyle, youll find youve got plenty of room to add even more green habits to your life!
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In The Home
1.
Retire your old fridge
ENERGY STAR model refrigerators will save you the most since theyre 15% more energy efficient than standard new models.
Flickr 2: Matt McGee
Your old beer fridge could be costing you between $130 and $300 every year to run depending on its efficiency. Old model refrigeratorswhether you use them in your kitchen or as an overflow for beveragesthat were manufactured prior to 1993 are the most inefficient and should absolutely be replaced as soon as possible, since they could add on average $140 to your electricity bill compared to newer models. Fridges and freezers made between 1993 and 2001 are a little better and will only cost you about $60 more than the most efficient models available today. How does this help save the environment? Using a more energy efficient refrigerator will reduce your overall energy consumption and lesson the impact you have on climate change. Ridding yourself of that second fridge will reduce your energy consumption on a yearly basis. How does this save money? Less energy used means a smaller electricity bill every month. Estimated amount saved Get rid of a 20+ year old refrigerator in favor of an ENERGY STAR model and you could reduce that appliances energy costs by 60 percent. Unplug your beer fridge for savings $25 or more every year. Read more Your Refrigerator CAN Go Green!
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In The Home
2.
Shut your dishwashers heat dry off
Flickr 3: theilr
If you want a simple, no-cost way to reduce the energy you consume when using your dishwasher, simply shut off your heat dry mode. This setting uses energy in the form of heat to dry your dishes, but will add to your monthly electricity bill. Choosing to air dry your dishesopen the dishwasher door just before the dry cyclewill reduce your costs without any financial investment. How does this help save the environment? Forgoing the heat dry setting will reduce your per-load energy consumption with your dishwasher. How does this save money? Every little bit counts, and doing this one little thing to reduce your energy consumption will help to cut your monthly electricity bill. Estimated amount saved Turn off the heat dry setting on your dishwasher to save 15 to 50 percent off the energy used per load. Your savings go up even more by skipping dry cycle altogether by letting your dishes air dry. Read more Spot On Go Green With Your Dishwasher
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In The Home
3.
Skip the rinse-hold feature
Flickr 4: kevindooley
Like your heat dry setting, the rinse and hold feature on your dishwasher is an energy and waterwaster. Sure, it may make you feel like your dishes are getting cleaner, but youre adding costs to your monthly water and energy bills by using that setting. If youve got a good diswahser, you shouldnt need to rinse your dishes at all. If yours is less than efficient at cleaning up crumbs, scrape your dishes with a rubber scraper before putting them in the dishwasher (rather than rinsing with water) to ensure they come out clean. How does this help save the environment? The rinse-hold setting will consume water and energy unnecessarily, so skipping it will reduce consumption of both resources. How does this save money? This no-cost solution will lower your regular water and energy bills. Estimated amount saved Skipping the rinse-hold setting could reduce your dishwashers consumption of hot water by 3 to 7 more gallons per cycle. Read more Spot On Go Green With Your Dishwasher
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In The Home
4.
Get a dishwasher with a booster heater
Flickr 5: dizfunkshinal
If you use a traditional hot water tank, youre paying in terms of energy to store hot water until youre ready to use it. And while you want the water used by your dishwasher to be hot, you dont want to waste energy. A booster heater will raise the temperature of your water from 120F to 140F which allows you to reduce your hot water tanks temperature to 120F without compromising cleaning ability. How does this help save the environment? A booster heater will let you reduce your hot water tanks temp, which will reduce your water heating energy consumption every month. How does this save money? Lower your energy bill and youve cut some greenhouse gas emissions from your environmental bill. Estimated amount saved Choosing a dishwasher with a booster heater has the potential to save you 10 percent in dishwashing-related energy costs. Read more Spot On Go Green With Your Dishwasher
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In The Home
5.
Use your toaster oven
Flickr 6: Sandy Austin
If youre cooking for one or two, a conventional oven may be an exaggerated way to cook since it will use much more energy than you need for small portions. A toaster oven is a great alternative since it can perform the task with much less energy by cooking on a smaller scale. How does this help save the environment? Your cooking energy consumption per-person will drop when you use a toaster oven for smaller meals. How does this save money? Lowering the efficiency of your cooking by choosing a toaster oven will reduce your average electricity or gas bill (depending on what type of stove you use). Estimated amount saved A toaster oven uses 0.9 kWh compared to a conventional oven which consumes 2.0 kWh, thereby cutting your cooking energy bill for that meal in half.
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In The Home
6.
Get a slow cooker
Flickr 7: Tim Patterson
Used by cooks for decades, a slow cooker is another great low-energy way to prepare a healthy, lowenergy meal. Crock pots, as theyre commonly called (though this is also a brand name), are much more efficient than traditional ovens and can do many of the same tasks, including stew and bake. And theyll cut back on the fat you have to use, so theyre healthier, too! How does this help save the environment? Suitable for even large crowds, a slow cooker has a smaller carbon footprint because of its reduced energy consumption compared to a conventional oven. How does this save money? Per meal a crock pot or slow cooker will use much less energy than a conventional oven, saving you on gas and electric costs. Estimated amount saved Youll save 50 percent in energy costs compared to an electric oven. Read more Hot Topic Green Stoves to a Solar Oven
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In The Home
7.
Kick the disposable dishes habit
Flickr 8: 2KoP
We needlessly send enormous quantities of waste to landfills and oceans every year by using one-use dishes. So if it cant be reused or recycled, break the habit and go for reusable dishes. How does this help save the environment? Real, reusable dishes cut down on resource wastepetroleum and trees in particular. Disposables add considerably to local landfills, a problem you can avoid by going real. How does this save money? Re-stocking your disposable dishes supply can be very expensive, with a high per-meal cost. Estimated amount saved If an average package of plastic cutlery ($4) lasts only two months, but real cutlery ($40) lasts 10 years, thats a savings of $200 over 10 years. A box of plastic baggies might run $2. If you go through one box per month, thats $24/year. Compare disposable bags to reusable storage containers ($30) that last 5 years and youll save $90/year!
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In The Home
8.
Compost your kitchen scraps
Flickr 9: ecokate
Your kitchen scraps are gardening gold! Instead of sending your leftovers and scraps to the landfill where theyll contribute to climate change, keep them for yourself and compost them. Youll be left with rich compost that you can use on your garden! How does this help save the environment? Keeping your waste onsite rather than sending it away on a garbage truck saves fuel for hauling it away. Organic trash like kitchen scraps will create methane gasa greenhouse gas thats 20+ more potent than carbon dioxidewhen trapped in a landfill. Youll be feeding your garden with an organic, nontoxic amendment, which is better than fertilizer any day. How does this save money? Youll be reducing your trash costs (if you pay per bag or by weight). Youll pocket the money youd otherwise spend to buy a new bag of compost from the local greenhouse. Estimated amount saved If an average bag of compost costs between $7 and $15, youll save that every time you produce your own compost. Read more Organic & Green Kitchen
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In The Home
Bathroom
Flickr 10: NickNguyen
The bathroom is a central part of every day, and the biggest opportunities here are in water savings. Whether youre flushing the toilet, showering, bathing, or brushing your teeth, there are oodles of ways you can reduce your consumption and pocket the change.
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In The Home
9.
Take shorter showers
Flickr 11: Ripple Products Digital Timer
In the shower, saving money is super simpletake less time! A simple shower timer will help you and your family stick to a time-budget. Try cutting your showers back by one minute every week until youre at 5 minutes or less. How does this help save the environment? Simple shower timers are Saving water means preserving our precious water available for less than supply for future generations. $10 so easily pay for Cutting energy consumption equals a smaller carbon themselves in one year. footprint. How does this save money? Remember that water will cost you money in three waysthe water company will charge you for the water as it comes into your home, youll be charged to dispose of the water you use, and youll pay to heat the water, too! So saving water means saving money in three ways. Estimated amount saved For every 25 percent reduction in shower time, you could save almost $16 annually. Multiply those savings for every person in your household, and youll be counting your watersaving coins in no time at all. Read more Eco Efficient Bathroom
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In The Home
10.
Turn the tap off while brushing, shaving, and more
Flickr 12:knittinging
Keeping yourself clean can require a lot of water, but its easy to reduce the load if you can remember to turn the tap off while you go about your various cleansing duties, like brushing your teeth, washing your face, shaving your legs or face, waiting for the water to heat or cool, and so on. Regardless of your chore, just remember that for every second youve got the tap on, youre letting valuable water go down the drain. How does this help save the environment? Turning the tap off when youre not using the water will help to conserve this precious resource. How does this save money? The less water you consume, the smaller your water and sewer bills will be! Estimated amount saved Most faucets use between 3 and 6 gallons of water per minute. Cut your tap-time in half, and you could see 50 percent savings for bathroom and kitchen water consumption. Turning the tap off while shaving or brushing could save more than 3,000 gallons of water every year per person!
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In The Home
11.
Use the shower instead of the bath
Flickr 13: Libelul
Using the shower is much more efficient than using the bath in most cases (depending on how long you spend in the shower, of course!). On average, bath-uses consume somewhere in the range of 30 to 50 gallons of water per session. A five minute shower with a flow rate of 2.5 gpm will consume about 12.5 gallons of water by comparison. How does this help save the environment? Saving water is of utmost importance to preserve our natural landscapes and help wildlife survive. How does this save money? Cutting your water consumption with the combination of a low-flow showerhead and a shower timer will help to reduce your water bill by much more than if you were to take a bath. Estimated amount saved A low-flow showerhead can reduce your water bill by $145/year. Read more Eco Efficient Bathroom
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In The Home
12.
Fix plumbing leaks
Flickr 14: Thirteen Of Clubs
A dripping faucet, leaky toilet, or running showerhead can cost you significantly throughout the year, and will have a high cost for the environment as well. In fact, 14 percent of the water sent to US homes is wasted due to leaking faucets, pipes, toilets, and showerheads! How does this help save the environment? We cant afford to waste water on simple, fixable drips and leaks! How does this save money? A slow drip from your faucet can waste as much as 100 gallons of water every week! Fixing those leaks has obvious financial benefits: lower monthly water costs. Estimated amount saved One drip per second will cost you $1 every month. Multiply that by many more drips over a year and youve got potential for great savings.
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In The Home
13.
Install low-flow showerheads
Flickr 15: LisaRoxy
A low-flow showerhead works by limiting the flow of water being released while you shower. There are two general technologies used to accomplish this. One method is to add air to the flow of water which decreases the amount you need. Another option is to use smaller apertures through which the water flows. Both techniques will help to maintain a good water pressure but will result in lower water consumption. How does this help save the environment? Low-flow showerheads Like most water-saving acts, using less water with a lowrange greatly in price, but flow showerhead will cut your water waste and reduce good quality options can your greenhouse gas emissions. usually be purchased for How does this save money? between $10 and $30. Just like taking shorter showers, using less water per minute will also decrease both your energy and water costs. Estimated amount saved You can save as much as $21 every year on heating costs by using low-flow showerheads. Read more Replacing a Shower Head With a Low Flow Shower Head .
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In The Home
14.
Install a tankless water heater
Flickr 16: macquys
A tankless water heateralso know as a demand water heaterworks by instantly warming water as you use it. So rather than heating and storing hot water in a tank, the water is heated on-site as it is demanded through your faucets and showerheads. How does this help save the environment? Tankless water heaters use significantly less energy than traditional how water tanks. They therefore reduce your greenhouse gas emissions with every use. With a tankless water heater, your energy consumption will go down between 8 percent and 34 percent. How does this save money? With a tankless water heater, you wont be wasting Check for local and money to keep water hot when it isnt needed. federal government Estimated amount saved rebates for installing a A tankless water heater can reduce your hot water energy tankless water heater costs by between 10 and 20 percent and will generally youll likely find one! pay for themselves in three to eight years. Read more Household Hints for Eco-Friendly Showers and Bathtubs
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In The Home
15.
Install faucet aerators
Flickr 17: endolith
Ever noticed how much water actually comes out of your taps when you turn them on? If not, youre likely missing a really simple, money-saving green action. Many faucets let water flow much more quickly than you actually need, costing you every time you turn the tap. A faucet aerator limits the flow of water just like a low-flower showerhead. How does this help save the environment? By reducing the amount of water flowing from your tap, youll be cutting both your water use and your energy consumption (when you use hot water). How does this save money? By limiting the amount of water being released through your faucets, youll save money on both your water bill and your energy bill. Estimated amount saved Combined with two low-flow showerheads, you can save $255 every year just by installing four faucet aerators. Read more Eco Efficient Bathroom
Faucet aerators are very inexpensive, costing between 25 cents and $2 on average. Theyre a super cheap upgrade!
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In The Home
16.
Reduce toilet water waste
Flickr 18: Ubi Desperare Nescio
Twenty-eight percent of your homes water consumption could be going to your toilet, depending on how much water it uses per flush. You can reduce the amount of water you consume per flush with a few simpleand freetricks. First, add a mechanism to your toilet tank to reduce the flow of water, such as a pop bottle filled with some gravel and water. A manufactured toilet dam does the same thing. These will reduce the amount of water used to fill the tank each time. Second, consider flushing less often by following the If its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down rule. How does this help save the environment? Using less water reduces the strain placed on local sewer systems which helps to prevent sewage spills in the event of flooding waters. Water is a precious resource that should be conserved for future generations and to protect natural ecosystems. How does this save money? Using less water for your toilet will cut your water bill every monthboth in and out of your home. Estimated amount saved Depending on how much water you displace with a toilet tank dam, you could cut your per-flush water consumption by as much as 40 percent. Depending on how often you avoid flushing, you could reduce your water consumption by more than 50 percent for flushing your toilet. Read more Eco Efficient Bathroom
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In The Home
17.
Install an efficient toilet
Many local municipalities and utility companies offer rebates and incentives for installing more efficient toilets.
Flickr 19: bunnicula
Toilets installed prior to 1980 are the worst wasters, using upwards of 5 gallons per flush (gpf), while those installed between 1980 and 1994 use on average 3 gpf. Newer, more efficient models will use a lot less water, and generally come in two model types: high-efficiency and dual flush. High efficiency toilets work just like older models but use about 1.6 gpf every time, whereas a dual flush toilet one amount of water for solid flushes (perhaps 2.2 gpf) and a different volume for liquid flushes (say 1 gpf). Either model will cut your water use considerably. How does this help save the environment? Using less water is important for the health of aquatic systems in your local community. Saving water helps to preserve limited water resources for future generations. How does this save money? Cutting water consumption in the bathroom with a more efficient toilet is a no-hassle way to save money on your water bills. Estimated amount saved A high-efficiency toilet can cut your water use by as much as $90 every year, or $2,000 over the lifetime of the toilet. A dual flush system will save you the most water over the lifetime of the unitapproximately 17,000 gallons per year or 23-32 percent higher savings than high-efficiency toilets! Read more Eco Efficient Bathroom
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In The Home
18.
Install a composting toilet
Flickr 20: redjar
A composting toilet is a great way to treat your own human waste on-site while producing for yourself safe fertilizer that can be used to amend the soil on your property. How does this help save the environment? The US EPA estimates that Americans are responsible for the dumping of 1 billion gallons of raw sewage into US waterways every year (3,000 gallons per person). This waste can harm aquatic life and make waterways unswimmable for humans, too. Composting toilets protect against this kind of pollution. Treating sewage also requires a lot of energy50 billion kWh every year so a composting toilet saves energy required for treating sewage. Composting toilets require no water so they can save lots of water per person per year. How does this save money? By cutting water consumption, youll have lower water bills. Using the finished fertilizer made by your composting toilet will save you on fertilizer purchases every year. Estimated amount saved This will depend greatly on the number of people in your home and the frequency that your toilet is used. Read more Composting Toilets The No Bull#$% Guide To the Ultimate Green Appliance
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In The Home
Laundry Room
Flickr 21:Aaron Gustafson
Our laundry rooms are places where we get everything clean, but they can also be sources of tremendous environmental dirtwater waste, chemical use, and energy consumption. Cleaning up your laundry habits and systems is important if you want to really shrink your overall environmental footprint.
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In The Home
19.
Wash laundry in cold water
Flickr 22: akeq
Believe it or not, nearly 90 percent of the energy you use in an average load of laundry goes to heating the water! Its obvious, then, that choosing to wash in cold water gives you automatic, no-cost savings per load. Just be sure to get cold-water laundry soap to ensure an effective clean. How does this help save the environment? Washing in cold water reduces energy consumption per-load by 50 percent. How does this save money? Lower energy use means lower energy bills. Its that simple. Estimated amount saved Annual savings using cold water for your laundry could be close to $63 in energy costs. Read more The Environmentally Friendly Way to Wash Your Clothes
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In The Home
20.
Use a front-loading washing machine
Flickr 23: Nick Holloway
You know those front-loading washing machines you see in laundry mats? Ever wonder why they dont use top-loaders instead? Its because front-loaders are inherently much more efficient than top-loading washing machinesfront-loaders use significantly less water and energy than top-loaders. So if youre in the market for a new washer, go for one thats front-loading. Your savings will more than pay for the extra up-front cost. How does this help save the environment? With a front-loading washing machine, your water consumption will be much less since frontloaders can turn laundry end-over-end in a small amount of water to get the same result as filling a giant tub full of water. It takes much less energy to toss laundry in a front-loader than to swish it in a top-loader. Front-loaders also seriously cut your detergent requirements, resulting in fewer chemicals in the environment. How does this save money? Youll save in three ways: lower energy bills, lower water consumption bills, and lower water disposal bills. Estimated amount saved Save up to $100 annually in electricity costs by opting for a front-loader the next time youre in the market for a new washing machine. Save even more by using less detergent. Read more The Environmentally Friendly Way to Wash Your Clothes
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In The Home
21.
Hang laundry to dry
Flickr 24: VinceHuang
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) tells us that the average American household will expend over 1,000 kWh of electricity to dry their laundry every year which puts more than 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Drying clothes in an electric or gas dryer certainly gets them dry fast, but it uses energy and will wear out your textiles much more quickly, too. Air-drying your laundry, on the other hand, is a simple, cost-free solution for drying your laundry. How does this help save the environment? By air-drying your laundry, youll cut your gas or electricity consumption which will trim your carbon footprint. If you live in a dry climate, drying your laundry indoors will add valuable humidity, which will reduce the load on your indoor humidifier. You wont need dryer sheets, which will reduce your laundry waste. Your clothes will last longer with air-drying, which will save you from having to throw away worn attire over the years and adding to landfill waste. How does this save money? Air-drying will save you in energy costs for drying and humidifying, will cut your dryer sheet costs completely, and will lower your clothing replacement costs. Estimated amount saved Hang your laundry to dry instead of running the clothes dryer to save $135 in energy yearly.
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In The Home
22.
Keep your dryers lint filter clean
Flickr 25: dno1967
Your lint filter is the trap used by the dryer to keep fluff and debris from clogging your ventilation system. The freer your ventilation system is of lint, the more efficiently your dryer will run and the more quickly it can dry your laundry. Keeping your lint filter clean is therefore an inexpensive way to boost your dryers efficiency. How does this help save the environment? When your dryer runs more efficiently, it uses less energy, which means lower greenhouse gas emissions. How does this save money? When your dryer works less hard, your energy bill will go down. Estimated amount saved You may just be able to save 30 percent or more on drying energy by cleaning the lint filter every time you run a load.
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In The Home
23.
Use an energy-efficient dryer
Flickr 26: hitormiss
Although ENERGY STAR doesnt regulate the efficiency of electric or gas dryers, there are ways you can get a dryer thats more efficient. Things you want to look for in an energy efficient dryer include a moisture sensor (which will shut the dryer off when the laundry reaches desired dryness) or a gas dryer, which tends to use less energy than an electric dryer. How does this help save the environment? Using less energy means that youre producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions. How does this save money? The lower your energy consumption, the smaller your monthly energy bills. Estimated amount saved A moisture-sensing drying will use about 15 percent less energy than one without a moisture sensor. A gas dryer, though more costly up front, will save you about 60 percent on drying energy needs. Read more The Environmentally Friendly Way to Wash Your Clothes
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In The Home
24.
Insulate your hot water heater
Flickr 27: greenforall.org
Your hot water heater can add significantly to your monthly energy bill, in part because its not as efficient as it could be at storing energy. Wrapping your hot water tank in an insulating blanket or wrap will help to boost its efficiency at a very little cost, reducing your hot water-related energy consumption year-round. How does this help save the environment? When your hot water tank is well insulated, it will use less energy to keep the water warm. This results in lower emissions of greenhouse gases. How does this save money? Lowering the energy requirements of your hot water tank will help to save money on either gas or electricity for keeping your H2O warm. Estimated amount saved An insulation wrap, which can cost as little as $20 could pay for itself in a couple of months, and will then continue to save you money for a long time thereafter.
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In The Home
Heating & Cooling
Flickr 28: kainr
Keeping the interior of our homes comfortableeither cool enough or warm enoughcosts the planet and our expense accounts dearly. Finding ways to reduce your heating and cooling impact will go a long way to reducing your environmental footprint and will easily save you money every single month.
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In The Home
25.
Use a programmable thermostat
Flickr 29: schnaars
If you havent already, you should seriously consider investing in a low-cost programmable thermostat for your homes heating and cooling systems. They allow you to program when temperatures will be adjusted for maximum comfort so that youre not wasting energy while youre sleeping or out of the house. With a programmable thermostat, you wont have to remember to adjust temperatures! How does this help save the environment? Heating and cooling your home results in a big load on your carbon dioxide emissionsover 2,000 pounds just for air conditioning in an average year! A programmable thermostat will reduce the energy needed to condition your home by as much as 20 percent. How does this save money? Since close to half of your energy budget goes to heating and cooling your home, reducing the amount you need for this purpose could have a big impact on your monthly energy bills. Estimated amount saved Programmable thermostats are relatively inexpensive ($20+ depending on how many bells and whistles you get) and will easily pay for themselves in less than a year in energy savings. Choose an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat to save even more. They are even more efficient than other models and tend to save $180 in heating and cooling costs annually.
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In The Home
26.
Turn up your a/c thermostat
Flickr 30: Mercury47
Air conditioning your home could be using up nearly 16 percent of your household energy and adding a lot to your average energy bill. Turning the temperature on your thermostat up (so that your house is a little warmer) during the summer is another free action you can take to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions and cut your energy bills. The idea is to raise the temperature to about 72F. How does this help save the environment? Increasing your thermostats temperature during cooling season is a simple way to lower your emission of greenhouse gases. How does this save money? Air conditioning is an expensive household cost. Reducing your energy consumption to keep your home cool will help to reduce your regular energy bills during hot months. Estimated amount saved Most people can live with a temperature thats a bit warmer than they think. Adding 3F to your thermostats setting is a quick way to save approximately $19 annually by lowering your air conditioning costs.
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In The Home
27.
Turn your heating temperature down
Flickr 31: mulmatsherm
Like cooling your home, heating your home is a costly endeavour, and a very good place to start when looking to reduce your energy costs. And similar to turning your thermostats temp up during the summer, youll want to decrease the temperature on your thermostat during the winter to 68F or lower (even lower when youre sleeping or not at home). How does this help save the environment? Lowering your thermostat temperature during the winter, especially when youre out of the house or sleeping, will reduce the pounds of carbon dioxide you expend for staying warm. How does this save money? Heating accounts for a significant portion of your annual energy budget, so being smart with how you use energy is a no-brainer way to save money on energy costs. Estimated amount saved If you lower your indoor temperature by 5 to 10 degrees when your home is unoccupied or at night, you could save upwards of 20 percent in heating costs every year!
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28.
Weatherize your windows and doors
Flickr 32: Architecture & Food
Depending on when your home was built and how efficient the windows and doors are, you could be losing a lot of energyin the form of heating and coolingthrough your doors and windows. Weatherizing them with caulking, weather stripping, and insulation will help to decrease this energy loss. How does this help save the environment? Heat loss adds considerably to our nations energy consumption. Sealing up the leaks will go a long way to reducing this waste of energy so that we can reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and cut our greenhouse gas emissions. How does this save money? There are always opportunities to save money when wasted energy is involved. Keeping energy from moving between the inside and outside of your home will easily reduce your heating and cooling costs. Estimated amount saved If you weatherize your windows and doors, you could save upwards of $33 every year on heating/cooling costs. Get an exact estimate of your savings by checking out the Home Energy Saver Calculator.
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29.
Use a ceiling fan
Flickr 33: !!!! scogle
As weve already mentioned, cooling your home is a big annual expense. Using a ceiling fan is one of the most cost-effective means of cooling your home, since moving air automatically makes a room feel less warm. Running a ceiling fan has a much lower energy cost than running an a/c unit and they usually come cheaper than air conditioners as well. How does this help save the environment? Even if you use a ceiling fan to supplement your air conditioner so that you use the a/c less, youll be using less energy, which means fewer greenhouse gas emissions sent into the atmosphere for you to keep cool How does this save money? The operational costs of a ceiling fan are much smaller than an air conditioner. If you can shut your air conditioner off altogether on certain days, youre sure to save a bundle in energy costs during the hot months of the year. Estimated amount saved
With a ceiling fan, you can raise the temperature on your air conditioning unit without losing comfort. A ceiling fan can reduce air conditioning energy requirements by up to 60 percent on milder days.
An ENERGY STAR ceiling fan is even more efficientmoving more air with 50 percent less energyand can save you more than $15/year on each cooling unit. Read more Going Green in Your Bedroom
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30.
Add window film for insulation
Flickr 34: Tambako the Jaguar
In a typical American home, windows and doors can add upwards of 30 percent to the homes heat loss and gain. Some of this energy loss occurs through conduction when heat is transferred between the interior and exterior of the home through glass surfaces. Adding a reflective window film to your windowsless expensive than replacing them altogethercan reflect solar heat by 70 to 80 percent (good in locales that have many more warm than cold days) and retain 55 percent of interior heat (better for colder climates). How does this help save the environment? By preventing heat to transfer through your windows and windowed-doors, youll be reducing the energy you need to heat and cool your home, thereby cutting your carbon dioxide emissions. How does this save money? Lowering your heating and cooling requirements by adding a window film will cut your energy bills annually. Window films also tend to protect interior textiles and furnishings from getting sun-damaged, saving you even more money in the long term. Estimated amount saved Adding a window films to existing windows could save approximately $21 every year on your energy bills.
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31.
Use your blinds to prevent heat transfer
Flickr 35: natzanette
Using interior-mounted shades on your windows will help to reduce the heat transfer between the indoor and outdoor air. But they wont do you any good if you dont use them properly! To get the most out of even the most inefficient blinds (some are better at blocking heat transfer than others), keep the shades open during the day and closed at night during colder months. The exact opposite is required during warm months to prevent heat gain during the day. How does this help save the environment? Lowering the shades during summer days and raising them during winter days will help to control heat gain to your advantage, which means your air conditioner and furnace will work less and emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions. How does this save money? Using your shades to control solar heat gain and loss will decrease your heating and cooling bills. Estimated amount saved Lighter shades will help to reduce the solar heat gain 43 percent better than darker colored blinds. Read more Sustainable Living Room
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32.
Upgrade your air conditioner
Flickr 36: akeddy in NYC
If youve got an old, clunky air conditioner sitting in your home, dont fool yourself into thinking that youre saving money by keeping it rather than buying a new one. Inefficient air conditioning units will do nothing but add to your monthly energy woes. Replacing your old unit with a more efficient model may cost you some money up front, but in the long run, your wallet will thank you. How does this help save the environment? Wasted energy from inefficient appliances is a huge source of carbon dioxide emissions. Upgrading old appliances is one way to reduce your carbon footprint by consuming less energy. How does this save money? A more efficient air conditioner will tend to use less energy during hotter months, which will lower your electricity bills during the summer. Estimated amount saved One way to find a more efficient air conditioner is to look for one with a SEER rating of 9.0 to 12.0. This could cut cooling costs by $27 annually. Choose an ENERGY STAR air conditioner to save up to 50 percent on cooling energy bills. Read more Going Green in Your Bedroom
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33.
Upgrade your furnace
Flickr 37: photofarmer
If weve said it once, weve said it hundreds of timesyour heating and cooling costs can make up nearly 50 percent of your annual energy bill. Replacing an old, inefficient furnace with a newer model is an excellent way to cut your energy consumption when it comes to warming your home. How does this help save the environment? A more efficient furnace will be able to produce heat without a lot of wasted energy, which is good news for climate change. How does this save money? Though investing in a new furnace will require an up-front cost thats larger than some other improvements you can make to your home, it is a great long-term investment, since it will cut your heating costs for many years into the future. Estimated amount saved Check the AFUE rating on a new furnace and make sure its between 0.50 to 0.96 AFUE to reduce your heating bill by $215 every year . Get even more out of your furnace by looking for an ENERGY STAR model and you could further cut heating/cooling costs by $200 annually.
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34.
Add insulation in your attic
Flickr 38: zieak
Speaking of home improvement upgrades that can save you energy, increasing the insulation in your attic is yet another action you can take that has certain savings for your heating and cooling costs. Lots of energy is lost through the upper surface of your home, so making sure you insulate it properly is a sure-fire way to cut your home conditioning costs. How does this help save the environment? According to the Rocky Mountain Institute, you could shave as much as 4,000+ pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from your annual footprint by adding insulation to your homes attic. How does this save money? As with all other heating and cooling costs, cutting your heat transfer will reduce the amount of money you have to spend on keeping the temperature in your home at a comfortable medium. Estimated amount saved Adding insulation in your attic will cost you a bit (though not as much as you might think!) and can result in annual $100 savings on heating and cooling. Read more Sustainable Living Room
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35.
Insulate your basement
Flickr 39: MNqilen
Just like your home can lose energy out the top through the ceiling, so can your home lose energy from the bottom, out through the basement. If you have an older house that lacks insulation in the lowest level of your home, youd do well to upgrade the home with new insulation. Even newer homes can have inadequate insulation in this portion of the structure. How does this help save the environment? Anything you can do to reduce your energy use for heating and cooling will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions youre adding to the atmosphere every year. How does this save money? Lower energy bills for heating and cooling are guaranteed to mean financial savings over the long term. Estimated amount saved Increase the insulation in your basement to achieve savings upwards of $60 every year.
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36.
Insulate ducts and pipes
Flickr 40: jon a ross
If youve got heating ducts or hot water pipes running through your home, youve got an opportunity to save more energy. As warm air or warm water passes through your home via uninsulated ductwork and plumbing, it will inevitably lose some of the heat it started with, resulting in inefficiencies. By simply insulating these pipes and ducts, you can prevent heat loss and thereby reduce your heating and hot water energy requirements. How does this help save the environment? Both home heating and water heating systems require a significant portion of your homes energy. Reducing their consumption by wrapping pipes and ducts with insulation will help to reduce heat loss and cut energy consumption overall. How does this save money? Youll see lower numbers on your heating and energy bills if you improve your homes heat highways by insulating them. Estimated amount saved Savings with insulated ducts and pipes are pretty bigup to 60 percent every year!.
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37.
Get a home energy audit
Flickr 41: Kecko
Start your home energy improvement project off right by getting a home energy audit. Professionals certified in the business with come to your house to conduct tests like the blower door test, a thermographic scan, an a PFT air infiltration measurement to determine where youre losing energy. Their recommendations for home improvements will give you a great idea for where to start in upping your homes energy efficiency. How does this help save the environment? You could have dozens of inefficiencieslarge and smallin your home. A professional will pinpoint the areas where you can get big carbon dioxide wins for your home. How does this save money? Combined with rebates and incentives, the improvements you make to your home as a result of your audit will no doubt reap great savings in heating, cooling, lighting, and other energy costs. Estimated amount saved This will depend greatly on your home, though most pay for themselves in due course.
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38.
Provide shade for your air conditioner
Flickr 42: Quinten Yearsley
Whenever your air conditioner is sitting in direct sunlight, it has to work a whole lot harder to create cool air. Relieve it of some of the burden by shading it with an awning, a tree, or some other structure. Its a simple way to save money and reduce your energy consumption. How does this help save the environment? An air conditioner than can work more efficiently will use less energy, which reduces your overall carbon footprint. How does this save money? An efficiently-functioning air conditioner will cost you less in electricity every month. Estimated amount saved On average, a shaded air conditioner will consume about 10 percent less energy than an unshaded one. Read more Going Green in Your Bedroom
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39.
Cool your home with an evaporative cooler
Flickr 43:AlishaV
Alternatively called swamp coolers, evaporative coolers will add moisture to your air to reduce the indoor temperatures with much less energy than youd use with an air conditioner. Theyre suited best for dryer climates and can reduce indoor temps by as much as 35F. How does this help save the environment? Since a swamp cooler uses much less energy to produce cool air, it will also produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Itll also add valuable moisture to homes in dry climates, so your humidifier can work less, too. How does this save money?
By decreasing the need for air conditioning and humidifying, youll save money on electric bills.
Estimated amount saved Evaporative coolers use about 75 percent less energy than the average air conditioner. Read more Going Green in Your Bedroom
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40.
Keep your air conditioner working efficiently
Flickr 44: Wootang01
Like any appliance, your air conditioner will work best when its being properly maintained. Performing routine maintenance tasks on your air conditionerlike replacing the filters, cleaning evaporator coils and condenser coils of dust and debris, and checking levels of refrigerantwill keep your a/c unit humming with as little energy as possible. Get ideas on maintaining your air conditioner at: How does this help save the environment? http://www.energystar.g Performing at peak efficiency, your air conditioner will use ov/index.cfm?c=heat_co less energy and create fewer climate-warming gases. ol.pr_maintenance How does this save money? When your air conditioner works at top efficiency, itll use less electricity and reduce your monthly utility bill as a result. Estimated amount saved Keeping air-flow problems at bay could help to improve your a/cs efficiency by 15 percent. Read more Going Green in Your Bedroom
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41.
Upgrade your skylight to an ENERGY STAR model
Flickr 45: Bryn Pinzqauer
A skylight can either be your best friend, or your worst enemy. An inefficient skylight will transfer warm air out of your home in the winter and allow rain and heat to leak into your home during the summer. But an efficient skylight can actually provide excellent ventilation in the summer as well as natural, free sunlight without the heat gain. An ENERGY STAR skylight will give you the best of all worlds. How does this help save the environment? An efficient skylight will reduce lighting energy requirements by allowing the sun to illuminate your indoor space. With an efficient skylight, you can vent hot air out of your home in the summer, reducing air conditioning energy requirements. How does this save money? Find the most efficient ENERGY STAR model and youll reduce both lighting and cooling energy costs. Estimated amount saved A skylight can help to reduce lighting energy requirements by 30 to 80 percent. A skylight can reduce cooling costs by as much as 30 percent. ENERGY STAR skylights are 40 percent more efficient than a conventional models.
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42.
Use plants to reduce heating and cooling costs
Flickr 46:Osbornb
Landscaping your home for energy efficiency is a great way to add beauty to the exterior of your property while saving energy inside, too. Planting trees, shrubs, and other plants in front of your windows, for instance, will help to reduce heating and cooling costs by providing shade in the summer and allowing sunlight in during the winter (if appropriate). How does this help save the environment? Adding eco-friendly plants (native species that require little irrigation and chemicals, preferably) to your landscape will provide habitat for wildlife. Plants can help to reduce heating and cooling energy requirements, reducing your greenhouse gas emissions. How does this save money? Youll save money on cooling and warming your home with strategically chosen and placed plants. Estimated amount saved According to the US Department of Energy, three strategically-placed trees could save you up to $250 annually on energy costs!
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In The Home
Home Office
Flickr 47: headsclouds
Many of us use home offices to catch up on bookkeeping or to do work on the weekends. Make your home office buzz with green activity by choosing habits and products that will get you saving energy and money.
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43.
Buy efficient computer components
Flickr 48: mkosut
Our lives are so wired these days that we hardly think about the energy were using when we flip open our laptops or print out a memo. The home office is so infused with technologyenergy-consuming technologythat it would hardly be complete without a computer, a printer, a fax machine, some speakers, charging stations for portable electronics, and more. Each of these devices will use energy, both when theyre on and when theyre not, so choosing the most efficient options is a no-brainer. How does this help save the environment? There are many ways to reduce the energy consumed by home office electronics, and each of them will help to minimize your energy consumption and cut your greenhouse gas emissions. How does this save money? Turning the energy use down in your home office will no doubt cut your monthly electricity bill. Estimated amount saved ENERGY STAR computer componentsCPU, monitor, printer, fax machine, etccould cut your energy use by $115 over the lifetime of your equipment. When it comes time to replace your computer, consider seriously choosing a laptop over a desktop. These use a lot less energy (some as much as 90 percent less!) and could save $25 in electricity yearly.
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44.
Plug electronics into a power strip
Flickr 49: mlinksva
With all of those wires, the electricity youre using in your home office should come as no surprise. But did you know that some power supplies and electronics actually consume energy even when theyre idle? You can put a stop to this waste by plugging all of your devices into a power strip. When youre done using them for the day, simply power them all off at once to keep them from stealing power. How does this help save the environment? Phantom power theft through inefficient electronics is a crime thats easy to stop and will cut your greenhouse gas emissions with the flick of a switch. How does this save money? A power strip makes it easy to ensure all devices are powered-down when theyre not in use. Estimated amount saved If all Americans installed power strips for their electronics, this could cut $750 million from our annual electricity bill as a nation. Read more Go Green at Home
An ultra-efficient power strip called a Smart Strip will monitor power consumption and sense when computers and other devices are idle or in use. When your devices are off, it shuts off the power to eliminate phantom power draws and will pay for itself in energy savings in as little as six weeks.
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45.
Enable power saving features
Flickr 50: Guillermo
Hidden in the programming of many of your electronic devices are features that, when turned on, will reduce your idle power consumption without you having to think about it! Your computer, for instance, will automatically conserve energy by going to sleep when it stands idle for a specified period of time. Enabling these power management features on televisions, computers, printers, media centers, and other devices is a cheap way to reduce your home office energy consumption. How does this help save the environment? Dont let y our devices steal energy from your home by using electricity when youre not even around! Power management features will put this energy theft to rest. How does this save money? With a few simple selections in your software, you can cut your electricity bills. Estimated amount saved Use your computers power management features to ensure it shuts down when not in use to save between $40 and $80 annually in electricity.
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46.
Charge cell phones efficiently
Flickr 51: kiwanja
Unfortunately, cell phone chargers are some of the worst energy stealers around. If youve ever felt a hot power source attached to your phone whether its connect or not, you know that theres energy being wasted (energy thats being turned into heat). Getting a phone or a charger thats more efficient is one way to reduce this energy waste. You can also cut the consumption by opting to plug your regular charger into a power strip. How does this help save the environment? Energy can trickle away through a wasteful cell phone charger, expending carbon dioxide emissions unnecessarily. How does this save money? Wasteful chargers are sneaky, stealing energy even when youre not charging your cell phone, smart phone, or PDA. Put a stop to this money waste with a better charger or a power strip. Estimated amount saved Reduce the energy used by your cell phone by up to 95 percent by plugging your charger into a power strip.
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In The Home
Baby/Childrens Rooms
Flickr 52: TedsBlog
Though small, our children can really have a relatively big impact on our green credibility, and our pocketbooks, too! Finding ways to green your childrens roomswhether theyre 3 months or 3 years is another excellent way to save money and live a more eco-friendly life.
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47.
Use cloth diapers
Flickr 53:tiffanywashko
Though the diaper debate is riddled with controversy (to name a few: cloth diapers require more water to wash than disposables, but disposables require more resources per use and arent biodegradable), most environmentalists agree that cloth diapers are the eco-friendly way to go (especially if you choose organic cotton or bamboo, and if you wash them in cold water and hang them to dry!). Theyll also save you from month to month (and child to child) on diapers costs, too! How does this help save the environment? Cloth diapers result in fewer non-biodegradable disposables going to landfillsAmericans use 18 billion every year and take 500 years to decompose! It saves resourcesdisposables require 250,000 trees and 83,000 tons of plastic. They also require 3.5 times more energy to produce and waste 2.3 times more water. Conventional disposable diapers are made using chlorine (for whitening the wood pulp) which can create dioxins which are carcinogenic. How does this save money? Youll reduce your per-poop diaper cost significantly by choosing diapers than can be reused hundreds of times rather than only once. Estimated amount saved No doubt, reusable diapers are investment (about $300-500 for a three-year supply), but youll spend way more over your childs life on disposable diapersabout $2,000 to $3,000! Read more Buying, Making, and Using Cloth Diapers
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48.
Get used clothing and furniture for your kids
Flickr 54:Mark.Pilgrim
Kids go through their clothes and furniture so quickly, growing as fast as they do. Choosing used or secondhand optionswhether you get them from a clothing swap, a secondhand store, or your sisteris a very simple way to save money while helping the environment. How does this help save the environment? By keeping usable baby clothes and furniture from the landfill, youll also be reducing the new materials required to make brand new items. How does this save money? Used clothes and furniture are almost always cheaper than the new version of the same piece and can often be found for free if you ask around with family and friends! Estimated amount saved This will largely depend on how fashion- and style-savvy you and your baby/children are! Read more Green Living with your Baby Find used clothing and furniture online or in store through companies like these: Craigslist Freecycle Once Upon a Child
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49.
Choose power-free toys
Recycle old batteries by finding a local recycling center through Earth911.
Flickr 55:Unhindered by Talent
Anytime you or a friend gives your child a battery-operated toy, youre guaranteeing that youll incur more costs in the way of batteries or electricity. Youll also be adding to the earthly burden by opting into a system that requires environmentally-toxic mining for heavy metals that are poisonous for the planet when not properly disposed of. How does this help save the environment? Non-powered toys require no batteries, so youre not supporting dirty mining industries. Battery-free options also require no fossil fuel power (for recharging), so their carbon footprints are smaller, too. Battery-operated toys are also made of toxic materials and are hard, if not impossible to recycle, so when they break (which they will inevitably), the only disposal option is the trashcan. How does this save money? Youll save money in energy costs for charging and powering your devices. Youll save money by not having to replace dead batteries. Estimated amount saved A package of disposable batteries will cost between $5 and $15 so you can minus those costs from your monthly shopping bill. If you have battery operated devices, go for rechargeable batteries to save upwards of $650 annually (a charger and battery package will run about $115 but will last for hundreds of uses). Read more Eco-Friendly Birthday Parties
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50.
Make your own baby food
Flickr 56: eyeliam
Buying pre-made food is costly for both you and the environment. Making your own, however, will reduce your monthly baby food costs significantly and shrink the mound of baby food jars that are piling up in your recycling bin, too. How does this help save the environment? Pre-made baby food comes in glass and plastic containers that require resources and energy to make and shipmaking your own requires much less packaging, especially if you harvest fruits and veggies from your own garden. Most baby food containers arent recycled, ending up in waste resources and landfill space. How does this save money? Making your own baby food will require a bit of time, but is much less expensive per-meal than pre-made options. Estimated amount saved Consider that a bag of peas, which can make the equivalent of 24 servings of food, will cost you about $1.50, which is significantly less than youd pay for 24 individual jars of food. Read more Green Living with your Baby
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Lighting
Flickr 57: trenttsd
According to the US Department of Energy, lighting accounts for about 22 percent of our yearly electric bills in America. Upgrading your outdated light bulbs and light fixtures can therefore put a real dent in your lighting costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
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51.
Upgrade lighting with compact fluorescents (CFLs)
Flickr 58:Paul Keller
CFL bulbs are much more efficient than regular incandescent bulbs in more ways than one. They use between 65 and 80 percent less energy, last 10 times as long, and produce virtually no heat, so will reduce your cooling costs, too. Switching from regular bulbs to CFLs will require a bit of an investment, but your wallet will definitely be fatter for doing so. How does this help save the environment? More efficient light bulbs like CFLs use significantly less energy, so theyll cut the tons of carbon dioxide you emit into the atmosphere. How does this save money? Over the course of your new CFLs life, itll save you many times its original cost in energy savings. Estimated amount saved Replace the five most used incandescent light bulbs with CFLs and save $60 yearly. Read more Reduce Your Office Energy Consumption Most CFL bulbs contain a small amount of mercury (much less than your oldstyle thermometer) so they should be properly recycled when they burn out.
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52.
Install light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
Flickr 59:youngthousands
If you want the ultimate in lighting energy savings, then opt for LEDs. Theyll last upwards of 22 years, theyre basically unbreakable, and theyre even more energy efficient than CFLs. Theyre so small in terms of energy use that they can be powered by small solar panels, making them extremely useful for outdoor applications (like landscape and holiday lighting). How does this help save the environment? LED lights will sip even less energy than CFLs and are certainly more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs, so their carbon footprint is really small. How does this save money? With lower energy bills, youll see a drop in lighting electricity costs for sure with these. Estimated amount saved LEDs reduce lighting energy use in both outdoor and indoor fixtures by 75+ percent. Use ENERGY STAR qualified strings of light-emitting diode (LED) decorative lights for your holiday decorating, too.
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53.
Look for ENERGY STAR lighting
Flickr 60:trenttsd
Its one thing to invest in high-efficiently bulbs like CFLs and LEDs, but did you know that you can save even more with these bulbs by looking for brands that are ENERGY STAR qualified? These items will be guaranteed to save a particular amount of energy, making them a sure-fire way to cut lighting electricity costs and greenhouse gas emissions. How does this help save the environment? Lighting can be costly in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, but with ENERGY STAR qualified models, youre sure to be getting the most efficient option in its class. How does this save money? ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs will garner you fool-proof electricity savings. Estimated amount saved If you go for the ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package (ALP) designation for lighting throughout your home, you could save $65/year or 75 percent in energy costs! Read more Go Green in the Office.
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54.
Use automated lighting controls
Flickr 61: d00d
As we know, lighting can add considerably to our annual electricity budgets, so finding ways to minimize electricity waste in this area is key to saving money and reducing our carbon footprints. One of the things many people struggle with is remembering to shut lights off when they leave a room. Solve this problem by installing automated lighting controls, like timers, motions sensors, and heat sensors. How does this help save the environment? Youll no longer have lights left on in the bathroom, closet, or garage because the automated controls will shut them off for you! This will mean less wasted greenhouse gas emissions. How does this save money? Its easy: lights off waste no energy. Estimated amount saved Put lighting automations in places like your bathrooms, closets, the garage, or even hallways to save on lighting energy costs by between 35 and 45 percent for those fixtures. Read more Go Green in the Office.
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Whole Home
Flickr 62: The Pug Father
There are some green acts you can take that will improve your green reputation throughout your home. The tips that follow will have wide impacts that will result in valuable savings in a variety of household systems.
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55.
Make your own cleaning products
Get lots of eco-friendly cleaning recipes at: http://www.greenyour.c om/home/housekeeping /cleaning-products/
Flickr 63: Evil Erin
You scrub, wipe, shine, and scour the surfaces in your home on a regular basis with the aim of ridding yourself of germs, dirt, and debris that builds up over time. But did you know that your conventional cleaning products could be poisoning the planet? How does this help save the environment?
Homemade cleaning supplies keep mainstream house clean4ing chemicals like 1,4dioxane (a probably carcinogen), alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEsendocrine disrupters), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs that can contribute to asthma and other respiratory problems) out of the environment. Youll protect your family from becoming ill as a result of these chemicals, too.
How does this save money? Using common ingredients found in your pantry, like soda, vinegar, and vodka, you can create inexpensive cleaning supplies. Estimated amount saved
Its estimated that the average American family spends between $117 and $188 annually on laundry and cleaning supplies. Making your own could cut this number by more than 50 percent.
Read more Great Tips For Eco-Friendly Cleaning
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56.
Buy an energy-efficient TV
Flickr 64: William Hook
As Americans, we love to watch TV, but this leisure activity could be adding to our greenhouse gas emissions and our carbon footprint, especially given the number of hours we spend in front of the boob tube. Lesson your TV-watching emissions by upgrading your old television with a newer, more efficient model. How does this help save the environment? Reducing the amount of energy you use during your down time is a great way to feel better about taking a break, and itll also reduce your carbon dioxide emissions in the process. How does this save money? Watching the television with less energy for every hour its on will save you money as you relax. Estimated amount saved If youre going for a new television, always look for an LCD over a plasma since these models cost about $60 less every year to run. Like many other electronics in your home, older models will waste energy even when not in use. Buy a new televisions with an energy-saving standby feature and be sure to activate ityoull cut your TV bill by between $10 and $40 every year. Read more Sustainable Living Room
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57.
Look for ENERGY STAR on electronics and tools
Flickr 65: njvack
Whether its a new power drill, DVD player, a game console, a television, or a stereo system, youll want to look for the ENERGY STAR approval logo on all new electronics (especially battery-powered options) that you purchase throughout your home. How does this help save the environment? These always use less energy than other standard models on the market, so youre assured that theyve been tested for energy efficiency. How does this save money? Whether youre charging batteries or flipping a power switch, ENERGY STAR models will cost you less to run, guaranteed! Estimated amount saved An ENERGY STAR television will use 30 percent less energy than a standard model. The ENERGY STAR logo on battery-powered devices will come with battery charging systems that are 35 percent more efficient than conventional models.
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58.
Watch less TV
Flickr 66: Mr.Thomas
While we dont think it realistic for the average American to quit TV-watching altogether, cutting back on the number of hours you spend in front of the TV is a simple way to save energyassuming you choose a less power-hungry activity to replace it! How does this help save the environment? TV-watching is inherently an energy-intensive activity. Getting off of your butt and getting outside will get you Here are some great appreciating nature more (always good for the Green Hour ideas to environment) while helping you emit fewer greenhouse encourage your kids to gas emissions. partake in non-TV How does this save money? watching activities. Every hour you spend in front of the TV will add to your monthly electricity bill, making less TV watching a natural way to cut your energy use. Estimated amount saved For every hour your 130 watts television and 35 watts cable box is on at $0.08 per kWh, youre spending $1.42. Multiply that by 5 days a week and 52 weeks in a year, and youve got over $350 in savings.
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59.
Turn your water heaters thermostat down
If youre like most Americans, you probably spend about 15 to 25 percent of your annual energy bill on heating your waterwater that you use for showers, laundry, dishwashing, pools, and more. Turning the thermostat on your water heater down is another free solution you can use to reduce your hot water energy consumption. How does this help save the environment? Turning down the temperature of your hot water tank will Reducing the temp on help to reduce the energy you consume to heat your your hot water tank by 20 water, which will in turn reduce your use of fossil fuels degrees to 120F could and your expenditure of greenhouse gas emissions. remove almost 200 How does this save money? pounds from your A lower monthly energy bill is guaranteed if you turn greenhouse gas emissions down the thermostat on your hot water heater since annually. youll be using less energy. Estimated amount saved For every 10 percent you reduce your hot water temperature, you can cut your energy costs related to heating water by between 3 and 5 percent. A temperature of 120F is usually sufficient for showers, yet most water heaters are set to 140F or higher.
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In The Home
60.
Use a power monitor
Flickr 68: majortk
Educating yourself about just how much energy various electronics and appliances use in your home is a great way to understand how things work while giving you ideas about how to reduce your energy consumption. An energy meterthat either plugs into an individual outlet or gets installed adjacent to your energy meteris a device that measures energy use in realtime to give you an accurate view of your energy use. How does this help save the environment? Kill-a-Watt users in Austin Knowing where youre wasting the most energy makes it were able to reduce their much easier to pinpoint where you need to invest some collective carbon dioxide time and money to reduce your energy consumption so emissions by 70 tons in that you can cut your greenhouse gas emissions. one month! How does this save money? As you become attuned to various energy consuming portions of your home, you can make adjustments where it really counts to cut your energy costs with great efficiency. Estimated amount saved Two popular power metersWattson and the Kill-a-Wattwill give you great energy statistics for your own home, and theyre not too pricey, either. Some local libraries and municipalities have a power meter sharing program so you dont have to invest in your own!
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In The Home
OUTDOORS
Our outdoor environment presents even more opportunities to live green and save green. From the amendments you add to your soil to the water you use to the way you design the entire landscape, there are numerous methods for cutting waste and saving money.
Gardening
Flickr 69: jo-h
Our gardens are a place of rest and relaxation, but they may also be places of poison and waste. You can change how your garden affects your green lifestyle with some simple cost-cutting techniques that will give you a safe, nontoxic habitat for you, your family, and local wildlife.
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Outdoors
61.
Grow your own vegetables
New to gardening? Explore Cornell Universitys vegetable gardening guides: http://www.gardening.c ornell.edu/homegardenin g/scene0391.html
Flickr 70: eren | thisvintagechica
Buying organic produce at the grocery store and making a trip to the local farmers market are two great ways to go green with your diet. But you can do one better by growing your very own organic, local produce in your own backyard! How does this help save the environment? Growing your own produce means youre not supporting an agriculture industry that uses petrol-based chemicals (pesticides, fertilizers) and keeps these nasties from harming wildlife. Harvesting from your own veggies lets you skip a car ride to the grocery store. How does this save money? Growing your own produce is much cheaper than buying from a store or a farmers market. Estimated amount saved Consider, for instance, that a $3 package of tomato seeds can produce more than $60 worth of tomatoes. And gardening at home will save on gas to the store, too. Remember that you can install a plot for veggies anywherefront or backyard. You can even grow fruits and vegetables in containers. Dont have space on your own property for a fullfledged garden? Look into a local community garden for some shared garden space nearby. The American Community Garden Association can help: http://www.communitygarden.org/connect/links.php.
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Outdoors
62.
Apply mulches
Flickr 71: David Blaine
Mulcheswhether theyre wood chips, recycled newspaper, grass clippings, stones, or some other materialwill provide many benefits to your garden. Theyll add organic matter, prevent evaporation, maintain even soil temperature, balance pH, and prevent weeds. Theyre a hard-working, chemical-free way to maintain a great garden. How does this help save the environment? You wont need to use chemicals to suppress weeds, so its less toxic for the earth. Youll use less water so youll help reduce water waste. How does this save money? Youll need fewer chemicals to control weeds. Youll save on irrigation costs. Youll help your plants stay alive longer and healthier so that youll save on plant costs, too. Estimated amount saved This is highly dependent on the size of your garden, but you can find lots of low-cost mulching ideas at Less Lawn - Mulch for Less Moola. Read more Koala Action Pine Rivers
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Outdoors
63.
Use a mulching lawnmower
Flickr 72:Rennett Stowe
A mulching lawnmower will leave grass clippings on your lawn so that they can provide nutrients and protect against evaporation. It also means youll be bagging fewer grass plant matter, so thatll save you time, too. How does this help save the environment? Leaving your grass clippings on your lawn will reduce the amount of fertilizer you have to apply, keeping nasty chemicals out of waterways and our soil. Grass clippings protect against moisture loss, so youll waste less water. How does this save money? With lower fertilization requirements, youll save on lawn chemicals. Your water bill will be smaller because of lower irrigation requirements. You may also save some money if you are charged by the bag for garbage removal. Estimated amount saved This will depend largely on the size of your lawn, but Read more An Eco Friendly Backyard
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Outdoors
64.
Use a rain barrel
Flickr 73: fireballsedai
Theres plenty of free irrigation water falling from the sky through the summer season, providing you with an inexpensive and eco-friendly way to water your lawn, garden, and indoor plants, too. You can even use rain water to wash your car (provided youre using biodegradable soaps). How does this help save the environment? Collecting rainwater helps to lesson your requirement for water from other sources. Keeping water from the stormwater system can help to prevent overflow, which in turn can reduce the chance of sewage contamination. How does this save money? Using rainwater for all sorts of outdoor water requirements will lower your monthly water bills, especially during hot summer months. Estimated amount saved This will depend a great deal on the size of your landscape and your local climate. Read more An Eco Friendly Backyard
Page 77
Outdoors
65.
Install a drip irrigation system
Flickr 74: tom.arthur
A drip irrigation system will provide targeted irrigation directly to plant roots, rather than spraying water indiscriminately through your outdoor landscape. These systems can be very easy to install and conserve enormous quantities of water by preventing evaporation and putting water only where it is needed. Soaker hoses are a simpler alternative, although not quite as water-efficient. How does this help save the environment? Water is a precious resource and should be conserved whenever possible. A drip irrigation system is one of the most water-saving techniques for outdoor irrigation. How does this save money? Using a drip irrigation system will significantly reduce the size of your water bill during warmer months. Estimated amount saved If you use a soaker hose or drip irrigation, you may be able to lower your outdoor water consumption by as much as 60 percent. Read more Salinity
Page 78
Outdoors
66.
Use a push or electric mower
Flickr 75: Dan4th
The average lawn mower will emit the equivalent of 11 cars-worth of air pollution in just one hour and they represent 5 percent of US air pollution. These very inefficient grass cutters will seriously add to the bill you incur for maintaining your outdoor landscape. Choosing a more eco-friendly way to mow your lawn with whether an electric mower, which is much more efficient, or a push mower, which uses only human-power, is a great way to lesson your impact in this area. How does this help save the environment? Using fewer fossil fuels to cut your lawn will result in lower quantities of air pollution put into the atmosphere for the sake of a perfect green carpet outside. How does this save money? Both push mowers and electric mowers are much less expensive to run than gas mowers. Estimated amount saved An electric mower will run about $5 in electricity bills annually, whereas a push mower will cost you nothing to run for years and years. You can often find rebates for trading in your old gas mower, too. Read more An Eco Friendly Backyard
Page 79
Outdoors
67.
Garden organically
Flickr 76: kretyen
Gardening organically means cultivating a chemical-free green oasis where you produce vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other fine plants. Being able to grow your garden without chemicals is great for the environment and healthier for your family and your pets, too. How does this help save the environment? Organic gardening eschews the use of fossil fuel based fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, opting instead for nontoxic methods of controlling weeds, pests, and disease. How does this save money? You wont have to buy expensive treatments for what ails your gardenyoull use manual and other home-grown methods instead. Estimated amount saved This will depend on how much you traditional spend on gardening chemicals. But you can also save on medical billsa trip to the emergency room because of an accidental poisoning can be quite alarming! Read more An Eco Friendly Backyard
Page 80
Outdoors
68.
Grow native plants
Flickr 77: Unhindered by Talent
Native plants are those that grow naturally in your local climate and have done so for decades or centuries. They have adapted naturally to thrive under harsh conditions and without human intervention, and they therefore do not require artificial irrigation, fertilizers or pesticides, weeding, or pruning. How does this help save the environment? Using native plant species in your garden will lesson the water you need for irrigation and chemicals you need to keep your plants healthy, resulting in a garden that requires much less time and effort to maintain, too. How does this save money? Youll save time because a native garden is so low-maintenance. Your water and chemicals bills will both be lower as well. Estimated amount saved No-cost gardening is all the rage and can go a long way to cutting your gardening bills. Read more An Eco Friendly Backyard
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Outdoors
Outdoor Activities & Adventures
Finding ways to enjoy the great outdoors without bringing harm to the planet is especially important if you want the pristine environment you know to be available to future generations. Here are some great ideas for making your outdoor activities and adventures as eco-friendly as possible while saving you some money for even more outdoor fun!
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Outdoors
69.
Cover your pool and spa
Flickr 79: aliwest44
An average American pool will cost the homeowner $2,000 every year to run and consumes the same amount of energy as an average home uses in three months! If youre a pool owner, then youve got tremendous opportunities to cut your average electricity and water bills by improving on your current design! A pool cover is a great place to start, as it will reduce evaporation (loss of water) and heat loss, too. How does this help save the environment? As water evaporates out of your pool, the water level decreases, which requires that you add more water. Cutting this water waste off will mean fewer gallons of water are used to fill your pool Loss of heat from an uncovered pool results in higher energy bills in order to keep the water at an even temperature. Covering your pool or spa will put a stop to heat loss. How does this save money? Using less water and less heat will inevitably reduce your bills for these utilities. Estimated amount saved A high-quality pool cover can cut pool evaporation by 70 percent and heating costs by close to 90 percent. Read more Cedar Hot Tub or No Hot Tub Can Green Your Backyard
Page 83
Outdoors
70.
Install a solar thermal water heater
Flickr 80: Abri Beluga
You use hot water for all types of purposesshowering, washing laundry, cleaning your kitchen messes, and general house cleaning. But another huge consumer of hot water is your pool or spa. During pool season, these systems can add considerable energy and water requirements to your homes overall needs. Using a solar thermal water heater for your pool or spaor for your whole home for that matteris one of the most cost-effective ways to save energy with renewable power. How does this help save the environment? By harnessing solar heat, a solar hot water heater will provide warm water for all of your needs without the need to tap into fossil fuels, thus cutting your greenhouse gas emissions considerably. How does this save money? By lessening your use of dirty fuels to heat your pool or spa water, youll be saving a bundle on summertime water heating costs. Estimated amount saved Typical solar thermal systems will run between $2,000 and $4,000, but they have the quickest payback of any renewable energy systemas little as 1.5 years! Read more Go Green and save with Solar Pool Heating
Page 84
Outdoors
71.
Upgrade your pool pump
Flickr 81: billjacobus1
Typical pool pumps are often less than efficient, using much more energy than they need to circulate your water properly. Getting a more efficient pool pump will mean it has to work less. These pumps come in a variety of speeds which allows you to adjust the circulation patterns to suit your requirements. How does this help save the environment? Improving the efficiency of your pool pump will reduce the energy required to keep your pool clean throughout the pool season. How does this save money? Lower energy requirements for daily pool pump operation will result in smaller electricity bills during the summer months than youd otherwise have. Estimated amount saved Replace your old pool pump with a more efficient, and properly -sized model to reduce energy consumption by about $100. Read more Energy Efficient Pool Pumps
Page 85
Outdoors
72.
Shorten pool pump operating times
Flickr 82: billjacobus1
How long you run your pool pump will also have an impact on how much energy you consume to keep your pool in tip-top shape. Shortening the time allotted for regular pool pump operation within healthy boundaries is a simple, no-cost way to cut your pools energy consumption. How does this help save the environment? As long as you circulate your water enough to maintain a healthy pool environment, you can reduce the amount of time it operates to lower your energy consumption for pool maintenance. How does this save money? Shorter pool operation times result in lower electricity bills. Estimated amount saved If you can shorten your pool pump operation time to less than 3 hours per day (youll still have healthy water quality), you could cut this energy consumption by up to 60 percent. Read more Energy Efficient Pool Pumps
Page 86
Outdoors
73.
Lower your hot tub temperature
Flickr 83: lewisha1990
Enjoying a relaxing evening in the hot tub is a great way to unwind after a hectic day or week, but dont let your leisure activities rob the earth by adding greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere unnecessarily. You can lower the environmental cost of your luxurious time in your spa by lowering the temperature on the tub just enough to save some energy. How does this help save the environment? Using energy to keep your hot tub temperature higher than you can stand or when not in use is a waste of greenhouse gas emissions. Lowering the temperature can quite simply cut this environmental cost. How does this save money? Keeping water hot is pretty expensive. Lowering the temperature on your spa can reduce your electricity bills with a simple turn of the dial. Estimated amount saved Savings through lower temperatures are especially good when youve got a portable spa thats used once a week or less. You can save 5-10 percent in heating costs just by lowering the temperature by 3 degrees. Read more Energy Efficient Pool Pumps
Page 87
Outdoors
OUT AND ABOUT

Everyday Activities
Your life has an impact on the planet almost every daywhether youre out shopping, running errands, picking the kids up from school, or having coffee with a friend. In almost every case, you can save money and reduce your impact on the earth with a few simple tricks.
Page 88
Out and About
74.
Check out your local library
Flickr 84: timetrax23
Sure, its great to have your own personal library for your favorite books, magazines, DVDs, and music collection, but think about all of the resources youre consuming to maintain a set of resources that will only be used, at best, by you, your family, and your friends. Cut down on your personal resource consumption by opting to check out books, CDs, DVDs, magazines, and other materials from your local library. How does this help save the environment? Using a library can save in a variety of ways. Theres the paper used to print books and DVD/CD jackets, the plastic Find your local library at for jewel cases, and the ink required to put it all together. http://www.publiclibrari Not to mention the physical storage space in your home es.com/ that it requiresshelves and other storage systems in rooms that must be heated and cooled. Thats a lot for an occasional read! How does this save money? By avoiding the high cost of buying books, DVDs, and music for your own private collection and sharing with others, youll cut down considerably on annual investments in these consumer goods. Estimated amount saved The annual membership fee is generally less than $20, and depending on how much you buy every year, could save you hundreds of dollars every year!
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Out and About
75.
Shop online
Flickr 85: Incase Designs
Shopping online might not seem like the greener choice, given the packaging and fuel required to ship your parcel directly to you, but it can definitely be greener if you do it right. Make sure you order from a company that minimizes packaging (or uses recyclable packaging, at leastno Styrofoam!) and uses the most efficient transportation possible and youll be doing very well indeed! How does this help save the environment? Shopping online reduces the heated/cooled retail space required to store products until they are purchased. Combining shipments to like destinations through a delivery company can be more efficient than you driving your vehicle to the store. How does this save money? You can often find bargains online, and youll save the gas money you would have expended to get to the mall. Estimated amount saved Shopping online can reduce the fuel expended to deliver your order by 40 percent if you choose non-overnight transport.
Page 90
Out and About
76.
Use reusable bottles
Flickr 86: evelynishere
We need to stay hydrated, but hopefully not at the expense of the planet! You can improve your drinking habits by kicking the disposable water bottle habit and opting instead for a reusable water bottle made of either stainless steel or glass. These will give you hundreds of uses and will save you loads of money! How does this help save the environment? Using a reusable water bottle will keep disposable bottles out of the landfill where most of them end up. It requires a lot of water, resources, and energy to make disposable bottles, so youll be cutting down on this waste as well. How does this save money? Youll save money by avoiding the expensive per-gallon cost of one-serving beverages. Estimated amount saved Depending on how much bottled water you drink in a year, you stand to save close to $1,400 annually! Read more Avoiding Toxins in Plastic Packaging
Page 91
Out and About
77.
Quit smoking
Flickr 87: Qfamily
Smoking is a dirty habit for your body and for the planet. Not only does burning tobacco result in greenhouse gas emissions, it emits pollutants into the atmosphere that poison us all, including wildlife. Kicking the smoking habit can have great consequences for your health, your finances, and the planet. How does this help save the environment? By butting out, youll be helping to keep our atmosphere cleaner and reducing the waste associated with trashed cigarettes. How does this save money? Smoking is an expensive habit and so youll save loads in cigarette costs. Estimated amount saved Depending on how much you smoke, you could save more than $1,500 every year by quitting. Read more Urban Air Quality
Page 92
Out and About
78.
Pack your own lunch
Flickr 88: Carly & Art
Eating out and/or using disposable dishes to transport your meal are both ways to certainly jack up your food costs and add more trash to the environment. So prepare meals for while youre on-the-go by packing your own lunch or snacks in non-disposable dishes to pocket the savings and stay healthier, too. How does this help save the environment? Keeping disposable baggies and containers out of landfills helps to preserve land space and resources. Eating food prepared at home will always require fewer resources and produces less trash. How does this save money? Eating out is much more expensive than eating home-prepared meals. Choosing reusable containers is much less expensive than using disposable baggies and containers. Its healthier to eat homemade food, so your health care costs will be lower, too. Estimated amount saved If you eat out on a regular basis, you could save between $5 and $6 daily by choosing to pack your own lunch. If you used to eat out 2/week, that could amount to $520 every year!
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Out and About
79.
Remove yourself from mailing lists
Flickr 89: Casey Serin
Every year, the average American receives approximately 41 pounds of unsolicited mail! All of that paper requires trees to be harvested, chemicals to be expended, and energy to be used to produce the finished product, most of which will just be trashed. Its also seriously aggravating to receive so much junk. Reduce the hassle of junk mail by getting yourself on the do not mail list. How does this help save the environment? Choosing to opt out of junk mail will save trees, water, chemicals, and greenhouse gas emissions, too (since cutting trees are important in the fight against climate change). How does this save money? Youll save money in garbage disposal costs and mental anguish, as well. Estimated amount saved By joining the do not mail movement, you could help to save America the whopping cost of $320 million every year for dealing with unsolicited mail. Read more Recycling Is Key To The Go Green Revolution
Direct Marketing Association (DMA) to have your name added to the do not mail list.
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Out and About
80.
Shop secondhand stores
Flickr 90: pixeljones
No matter what you need, you can likely find it at a thrift store, a garage sale, or an upper-crust secondhand store. Clothing, furniture, household items, landscaping tools, vehicles, and more can all be had at used retail outlets and swaps all across the country. Choosing used is almost always less expensive than buying new and can save the planet a bundle, too. How does this help save the environment? Used items require no new resources to make, thus protecting wildlife habitat and natural resources. Used items require no energy to be expended to produce, either, so their carbon footprint is much smaller than a new item. How does this save money? Buying new is extremely cost-efficient and will help you save loads on all kinds of regular purchases. Estimated amount saved Almost unlimited!
Page 95
Out and About
Car Buying & Driving
Flickr 91: Alex92287
We love our cars in America! But they do cost us dearly, both in terms of environmental degradation and in terms of our financial bank accounts. As a country, we use upwards of 100 billion gallons of gasoline every single year collectively, with each gallon adding 20 pounds of carbon dioxide as well as other air pollutants to the atmosphere. Reducing this impact is significantly important for anyone wanting to go green.
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Out and About
81.
Keep tires inflated
Flickr 92: david.nikonvscanon
US cars burn through approximately 126 billion gallons of fuel every year, adding considerably to our countrys carbon footprintand yours too if you drive a car or truck. Tires that arent properly inflatedwhich is an epidemic problem in Americawill add to this fuel burden since theyll require more energy to push across the pavement. If every vehicle in the US were to have properly inflated tires, wed save 11 billion pounds of CO2 or 600 million gallons of gas collectively. How does this help save the environment? Driving on properly inflated tires means youll expend fewer greenhouse gas emissions driving your vehicle. Tires properly maintained will last longer so that youre sending fewer of them to the trash. How does this save money? Youll reduce your fuel consumption and prolong the life of your tires. Estimated amount saved You can minus 0.4 percent from your fuel efficiency by driving on underinflated tires. Conversely, if you do a monthly tire check you might be able to save as much as 7 cents/gallon. Read more Think Green with Transportation
Page 97
Out and About
82.
Stop idling
Flickr 93: DaGoaty
Whether youre waiting for your kids to finish their soccer game, your fellow carpoolers, or waiting in the fast food lane, idling will waste a relatively large amount of fuel every month. You consume the equivalent of one mile of driving for every two minutes of idling. And dont believe the myth that restarting your vehicle will consume more fuel than idling because its not true! 10 seconds of idling consumes more fuel than restarting. How does this help save the environment? Idling less results in fewer carbon dioxide emissions sent into the atmosphere, as well as other air pollutants. How does this save money? Idling costs you much more than driving your vehicle, so putting a stop to this habit will cut your monthly fuel bill. Estimated amount saved You could stand to save $0.01/gallon for each idle-free 2-minute interval. Read more Eco-friendly Commuting
Page 98
Out and About
83.
Take a load out of your trunk
Flickr 94: tylertate
Driving around with camping gear from last months outing? Or perhaps youve got equipment for a home project sitting in your back seat. Whatever the extra weight in your car, if you dont need it on any given trip, youd do well to remove it. Extra weight will always decrease your fuel efficiency. How does this help save the environment? Taking the extra pounds out of your vehicle will help your vehicle to work as efficiently as possible so you emit fewer greenhouse gases. How does this save money? Higher fuel efficiency means more money in your pocket. Estimated amount saved For every 100 pounds of stuff you take out of your car you could improve your mileage by 1-2 percent. Read more Simple tips to make your commute energy and eco friendly
Page 99
Out and About
84.
Slow down
Flickr 95:bigmick
Speed demons take note: Driving fast may be fun, but its costing you in fuel efficiency so you may want to slow down. Conservationists recommend an average fuel-saving speed of 55 mph if you want to maintain the most efficient fuel consumption levels. How does this help save the environment? Driving more slowly will help to improve your fuel efficiency by reducing wind resistance by as much as 15 percent. How does this save money? Lower speeds mean lower fuel consumption and more money for you! Estimated amount saved Reduce your speed by 5 mph on the highway to achieve fuel consumption savings between 7 23 percent, which could result in fuel savings of $0.17-$0.56/gallon. Read more Think Green with Transportation
Page 100
Out and About
85.
Even out your driving pace
Flickr 96: chris.corwin
According to the Federal Highway Administration, it costs the average driver between 22 and 29 cents per mile to keep their car going. You can reduce that cost per mile by driving more evenlygentle on the gas, gentle on the brakes. Steady as she goes means greater fuel savings. How does this help save the environment? Driving more steadily helps to keep the fuel consumption at an even, conservative pace so that youre expending only as much greenhouse gases as necessary. How does this save money? Spirited drivers have the greatest potential to reduce their fuel consumption by driving more evenly. Estimated amount saved You could boost your fuel efficiency by as much as 33 percent or the equivalent of $0.12 and $0.81 per gallon. Read more Think Green with Transportation
Page 101
Out and About
86.
Keep your vehicle maintained
Flickr 97: Beth and Christian
On average, Americans spend 17.6 percent of their income every year on getting from place to place in their vehicles. Thats about $7,522 annually, which is more than we spend on food! Try to aim to keep your vehicle costs lower than this by keeping your vehicle running in tip top shape. Maintaining your vehicle with regular check-ups and oil changes, etc will help to keep it running as efficiently as possible. How does this help save the environment? A well-oiled machineincluding your vehiclewill work more efficiently and burn less fuel than one that is neglected. How does this save money? By visiting the gas pump less frequently, of course! Estimated amount saved Four percentthats how much you could improve your fuel efficiency by maintaining vehicle, a habit that could save you $0.10/gallon. Read more Think Green with Transportation
Page 102
Out and About
87.
Choose the right oil
Flickr 98: modenadude
Choosing the right grade of oil for your vehicle is important if you want to save money on fuel and vehicle maintenance. Sure, you might be able to save a couple of bucks by opting for a cheaper grade than what is recommended by your manufacturer, but in the long run this will end up costing you more in decreased fuel efficiency. How does this help save the environment? Choosing the correct oil grade will improve your cars performance and reduce friction, making it last longer so that you have to do fewer repairs and replacements. The correct oil grade will also mean fewer greenhouse gas emissions. How does this save money? In the long run, the investment in the correct grade of oil will save you by allowing your vehicle to drive more efficiently, which will save you at the pump. Estimated amount saved You can improve fuel efficiency by 1-2 percent by getting the recommended oil grade the next time you get an oil change. Read more Think Green with Transportation
Page 103
Out and About
88.
Use your GPS
Flickr 99: 2Tales
In the US, twenty percent of our greenhouse gas emissions come from driving our vehicles. Thats a big burden on the planet, but you can reduce the environmental cost by choosing the most efficient route to your next destination. A GPS device is one of the most efficient ways to ensure youre taking the shortest, more efficient route and could end up saving you a bundle in wasted fuel by avoiding traffic jams, construction, and driving in circles.. How does this help save the environment? Taking the more direct, efficient route to your next destination means that youre expending as little fueland carbon dioxideas possible. How does this save money? Keeping fuel costs down by driving straight to your destination while avoiding slow traffic will help to cut your fuel consumption. Estimated amount saved A GPS system will help you find the most efficient route to your destination to avoid wasted fuel. Read more Think Green with Transportation
Page 104
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89.
Combine trips
Flickr 100: tracitodd
Youve got a lot to do in a day, and many errands that may require you to drive. But instead of taking many small trips to and from your home or workplace throughout the day, you should attempt to combine your trips as much as possible to save on fuel. So plan to take the car out once or twice a day to do all of your running aroundgetting groceries, picking up the kids, etcat the same time. How does this help save the environment? Combining trips will help to reduce your overall fuel consumption and reduce your burning of fossil fuels. How does this save money? Youll make fewer trips to the pump by combining your trips. Estimated amount saved If you can cut the total miles you drive by 5 percent every year, you could save up to $65 on gas costs. Read more Think Green with Transportation
Page 105
Out and About
90.
Remove your roof rack
Flickr 101: placid casual
You know that roof rack you have on your vehicle from the recent road trip? If youre still driving around with itwhether its empty or notbut dont really need it from day-to-day, take it down to do your fuel costs a favor. Driving with a roof rack adds to your vehicles overall drag, which will inevitably add to your monthly fuel bill. How does this help save the environment? As with other vehicle improvements, removing the extra roof rack will improve your fuel efficiency and cut your production of greenhouse gas emissions. How does this save money? Driving without your roof rack will automatically improve your fuel efficiency and save you at the petrol station. Estimated amount saved Improve fuel economy by 5 percent by removing your roof rack. Read more Think Green with Transportation
Page 106
Out and About
91.
Use your a/c less
Flickr 102: Marcus Q
Like air conditioning in your home or office, the a/c in your vehicle can add considerably to your fuel bill. It can also put ozone-depleting refrigerants into the atmosphere, so using it conservatively is a great way to help the environment and save a little cash. The best rule of thumb: In town, turn it down; going fast, let it blast. In other words, turn the a/c off and roll down the window when going 45 mph or less and keep the windows up with the a/c on when going faster than 45 mph. How does this help save the environment? Youll be reducing your vehicles use of fuel to run your air conditioner. Youll be expending fewer ozone-depleting chemicals. How does this save money? Your gas bill will be smaller by using your air conditioning as efficiently as possible. Estimated amount saved Did you know that your car will use the most fuel for cooling when your a/c is set at maximum? So dial it down to boost fuel efficiency by 5-25 percent. Read more Think Green with Transportation
Page 107
Out and About
Commuting
Flickr 103: tronics
Getting to and from work is a necessity for most of us, a habit that costs the planet and our bank accounts a lot every month. Its expensive to travel a long distance repeatedly from week to week. But you can cut your commute costs and reduce your planetary impact by choosing greener commuting methods.
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92.
Opt for public transit
Flickr 104JasonDGreat
On average, it costs a regular driver $1,194 every year to sit in stop-and-go traffic on the way to and from work. Thats just the cost you pay for being stuck in traffic, not to mention the costs you pay for driving when traffic flows smoothly. So skip the time- and energy-wasting car commute by getting to work using public transit. Youll avoid the stress of driving, save money in fuel costs, and save time, too. Its a win-win-win. How does this help save the environment? Public transportation is much more efficient in terms of per-person fuel consumption, so youll produce much fewer greenhouse gas emissions with this option. How does this save money? Youll cut the amount of income-earning time youre spending on driving to work. Youll reduce your monthly fuel costs dramatically. Youll shrink the wear and tear on your car by using someone elses vehicle. Estimated amount saved Reduce your transportation costs by $8,000 annually by taking public transit. Read more Eco-friendly Commuting
Page 109
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93.
Walk, run, or ride to work
Flickr 105: richardmasoner
One of the healthiest methods of commutingfor both you and the planetis to get there under your own power. Whether you ride a bicycle, use roller blades, run, or walk, youll be exercising your body so that you stay healthy while expending no fossil fuels at all in the effort. It also significantly reduces your commute costs. How does this help save the environment? Using your own power to get to and from work expends no fossil fuel energy, so your carbon footprint will shrink. The equipment needed to commute to work under your own power will require much fewer resources to manufacture compared to a car. How does this save money? Your health bills will be lower since youll be staying in better shape and will require fewer trips to the doctor. Your fuel bill will be significantly less with this commute method. Estimated amount saved If you walk two miles to and from work (a short commute compared to the average!) five times every week, youll spend no money at all. If you drive that amount instead and pay about $3/gallon for fuel, you would end up spending more than $150 over the year. Think of the savings for a longer commute! Read more Eco-Friendly Vacationing
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94.
Telecommute
Flickr 106: deryckh
Isnt it everyones dream to go to work in their pjs? Well, if thats your dream, start planning a greener future because telecommuting is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. By avoiding the daily drive, youll be expending much less fuel to get to work. And as long as you dont crank up your homes a/c or heat just for you, youll be saving on overall heating and cooling costs, too. How does this help save the environment? Youll reduce the energy needed to get you to work and to condition an extra office space. How does this save money? Your gas bills will be much less simply by skipping the commute. Estimated amount saved Telecommute just one day weekly and you could reduce your gasoline costs by $1,000 every year. Read more Eco-friendly Commuting
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95.
Carpool with workmates
Flickr 107: Richard Drdul
If telecommuting isnt an option, and public transit hasnt caught up to your home, then consider finding a carpool-mate. Sharing a vehicle rather than going to work solo in your own vehicle is much more efficient for both of you, and will give you the added bonus of getting to know someone better! How does this help save the environment? Youll be wearing out only one vehicle rather than 2, 3,or 4, which should result in lower repair and maintenance resources costs for the environment. Sharing a car means more people per expended gallon of fuel, so fewer greenhouse gas emissions. How does this save money? Your fuel bill will be much lower by sharing a vehicle with other people in your area. By driving your own vehicle less, youll be saving on repairs and maintenance costs. Estimated amount saved Carpooling just one day weekly could save you $339 every year. Read more Eco-friendly Commuting
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96.
Work a compressed workweek
Flickr 108: pvera
Getting an extra day at home every week or every other week sounds nice, doesnt it? You could have this if you negotiate a compressed work week with your employer. By working longer days (four 10-hour days, for instance) and taking one day off every week you will reduce your commuting days from 5 to 4, which could reduce your monthly fuel bills, for sure. How does this help save the environment? Driving one less day to work will help to reduce the amount of fuel youre consuming in an average month. How does this save money? Driving less will result in lower fuel costs. It will also mean less wear and tear on your vehicle, provided you dont spend your entire day off driving around town running errands. Estimated amount saved Compressed workweeks can reduce your fuel costs by 20 percent or $500 annually.
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97.
Sign up for car sharing
Flickr 109: Jason Rodriguez
Whether you need to get to work or youve taken public transit to work and have got a mid-day errand to run, using a car sharing program may be a great solution. Simply pay a small fee to use shared vehicles, pick it up from a convenient location, and then drop it off when youre done. Its like shortterm renting so that you dont have to have your own vehicle. How does this help save the environment? If you choose to do car sharing instead of owning your own vehicle, it will help to save the resources to make a single-family car. Youll expend less fuel if you can supplement car sharing with public transit. How does this save money? Often using a car sharing program is much cheaper than owning your own vehicle and it will save you on car payments, oil changes, fuel fills, and maintenance, too. Estimated amount saved Join a car share program and realize up to $6,500 in savings every year over owning and maintaining your own vehicle. Read more Eco-friendly Commuting
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98.
Use a power-assisted bicycle
Flickr 110: Augapfel
If you cant bring yourself to arrive to work sweaty and out of breath, consider using an electric bicycle to get to your office or workplace. These are significantly more fuel efficient than cars, motorcycles, and even scooters, and most are electric so they dont burn fuel directly. Get a solar panel to power it up and youll have a really green commute! How does this help save the environment? Choosing a vehicle thats fuel-free will mean fewerif anygreenhouse gas emissions. It takes significantly fewer resources to manufacture a vehicle of this size, too. How does this save money? Powering an electric bike is much cheaper than putting fuel in a car. Estimated amount saved Power-assisted bicycles have ranges between 40 and 50 miles, can go between 14 and 30 mph, and can pay for themselves in as little as a few months in gas savings. Read more Eco-friendly Commuting
Popular models of powerassisted bicycles include Avanti Electra, Schwinns Streamline, and the Stokemonkey.
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Going on Holidays
Flickr 111: Steve & Jemma Copley
We all long for vacationstime away from work and the hassles of everyday life. And getting away is important for rejuvenating and gaining enough energy to keep going from day to day. But our vacation habits are costly for our budgets and the planet, so lets do something about that, too.
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99.
Go on an eco-volunteer vacation
Flickr 112: tomnono
Want to really help the environment on your vacation? Take an eco-volunteer holiday! These trips allow you to get your hands dirty in service of the planetcleaning up hiking paths, participating in a beach clean-up, or whatever!--and will educate you about environmental causes in the process. Theyre especially great for those who like to be active while away from home. How does this help save the environment? Youll be actively participating in the clean-up of the earth. How does this save money? Often times these trips are subsidized, and because they sometimes involve rustic accommodations, they can be somewhat cheaper than luxury hotels. Estimated amount saved This depends widely on the trip you take. Read more Eco-Friendly Vacationing
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100.
Turn the power down while youre away
Flickr 113: midnightcomm
A simple way to reduce your carbon footprint while on holiday is to turn down your various energyhogging devices around your home, since you wont be using them anyway. Things like dialling down the temp on your thermostat and your hot water tank, turning off electronic devices and unplugging appliances are free ways to reduce your costs at home while away. How does this help save the environment? Your water and energy consumption will be less. How does this save money? Youll have lower-than-average utility bills while youre gone from home. Estimated amount saved Skys the limit, really! Be creative and find lots of ways to save energy so that when you come home, youll be pleasantly surprised by the lower bills. Read more Eco-Friendly Vacationing
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101.
Opt for airline alternatives
Flickr 114: Amtrak russ
If you can, opt for getting to your destination without taking an energy-sucking flight. Traveling by air is the biggest guzzler of energy, and any other optionmotor coach (bus), passenger train, road trip, etcwill put you in better green standing. How does this help save the environment? Flying uses the most energy of any form of transportation, so using alternates will reduce your production of greenhouse gas emissions. How does this save money? It often costs less to travel by bus or train or to take your own car on the road. Estimated amount saved This will be largely dependent on your destination, but the savings could e quite substantial! Read more Eco-Friendly Vacationing
You can let me know if you want more or share your own tips via www.supergreenme.com Meanwhile I wish you happy, healthy, ecologically sustainable, money-saving green living!
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101 Ways To Go Green & Save Money

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101 Ways To Go Green & Save Money

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101 Ways to Go Green & Save Money