Going green and conserving our natural resources doesn’t mean spending a lot of money.
Here are seven relatively painless and frugal ways to go green:
1) Switch to paperless statements and online billing. I pay nearly all of my bills online. You’ll save hundreds of trees, not to mention the environmental costs of sending that snail mail.
2) Refuse a bag with purchase or use a reusable tote. I hate it when I go to store and buy one small thing and they try to give me a plastic bag. It’s far easier to just grab the item, the receipt and go. You can also use a reusable tote and prevent all those plastic bags from ending up in landfills.
3) Walk or bike. Human power can save a great deal of pollutants from the atmosphere. And you never have to worry about the price of gas!
4) Make your own household cleaners. Household cleaners are cheaper to make and more environmentally friendly than those you buy in a store. Many of the best homemade cleaners are kid and pet friendly and do a good job, too.
5) Line dry your clothes. By hanging your clothes out to dry instead of using your dryer, you can save a ton of energy. And if you do a lot of laundry, that can add up to a big savings on your monthly utility bill.
6) Change your thermostat. Just adjusting your thermostat by a few degrees can yield huge energy savings.
7) Recycle. I’m not just talking about paper, plastic and aluminum. I’m talking about passing on things you don’t need to folks who could use it (think Freecycle). I’m talking about taking an old pair of jeans and turning it into a quilt. You can save money by repurposing old things, and you can even make money by recycling things like aluminum cans.
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