I have already bought environmentally friends AC units and other things for the home, I recycle newspapers, clear glass bottles and aluminum cans. Those things are recycled in my area.
As a home owner I tend to look at the price tag and also ways to save money. I even tend to buy degradable trans-bags to help the garbage in my area since the bags I have used will take 1,000 of years to degrade due to the plastic used.
I make sure the lights are off when I leave and I have the temperature at a setting I can handle. What else can I do to save money and the environment at the same time. Am I missing something?|||I recycle everything possible! My old roommate taught me how to recycle, and then she taught me how to reuse everything. My next door neighbor finally asked me how I manage to hardly ever use my trash can, and I told her that I do this:
1.) If it is recycleable, it never goes in the garbage at my house. I recycle everything, and I get a $7 discount on my monthly garbage fees for doing it.
2.) If I can reuse it, I always do.
* Jars with lids are used for holding nuts, bolts, screws, nails, garden seeds, drinking "glasses", "watering containers", "vases" or to hold pet or human dry food so that mice and other pests cant get in it.
* Newspapers line my birds cages and are then composted with the poo. Newspapers are also torn up and used as bedding for my elderly rat.
* Plastic containers with lids are used as "tupperware". I wash my ziplock bags and reuse them, and even plastic utensils.
* Grocery bags are re-used for trash bags or recycling containers, which I then never have to buy, and often used as poop pick up bags for walking the dog. I also use them to put food inside, twist close and use as "freezer bags".
3.) If it can be composted, I compost it: coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells, vegetable and fruit scraps, weeds, garden waste, bird cage papers, rat and rabbit "litter" - anything organic goes into the compost bin that I built out of 5 discarded wooden pallets.
4.) If I dont want it, but it can still be used, I wash it and give it away. This goes for clothing, furniture, dishes, toys and everything else I own that can be re-used. I post free things on www.craigslist.com because someone else always needs them.
5.) I don't buy a lot of excessive "things". When I buy clothing or other items used, then I save money and save them from the landfill. I therefore don't end up with a lot of packaging materials in my home. Almost all of my furniture is used, much of it I've personally refinished / painted, or "dumpster dived" from the alleyway, or received from other people. I'm only directly responsible for a couple pieces of furniture, like my mattress.
6.) I feed my vegetable and bread scraps (as species appropriate) as treats to my rabbits, bird, rat and dog. They all love fresh food that will go bad before I'll eat it, and they can often digest things that human can't.|||There are a number of things you can do, from big to small.
On the big end, if you know you will live in your home for several years (and you own a home) you can pay several thousand to get a solar water heater. It has a quick payback (hot water heater is 1/4th your energy, and you can reduce the water heater consumption by half), without including that the sales value of your home will likely increase by as much as you spent on the system. Photovoltaic solar systems cost a bit more, so the return takes longer, but is an excellent long range money maker. Both have clear environmental benefits, and the systems require close to no maintenance.
Any new large home purchase (furnace, heat pump, washer/dryer, fridge etc.) should be as green as possible, as the cost will be paid off very quickly. Using the equipment well (run dishwasher/washer/dryer when full, turning off drying options for the dishwasher and running clothes washer on cold, etc.) are key to getting your money's worth from current equipment.
On the maintenance side, wrap your water heater and keep your air conditioning filters and dryer filters clean. Keep your car's tires at the correct pressure.
Look at your home energy bill, and consider an energy inspection or run your own. You can check for air leaks with a moist hand (check outlets by external walls, check insulation in the attic, etc.). There are good web sites out there for how to run tests. Some of the changes are very cheap (like outlet insulation kits, or cauking a bathroom exhaust fan) and will save you lots of money over time.
On the small end, change your bulbs to compact fluorescents. Eat a vegetarian diet when possible, organic when possible, and locally purchased food (support farmer's markets and encourage the growers to be organic), as this will vastly reduce the energy of the food you eat every day.
Use your cloth bags at all stores to reduce the energy of creating paper or plastic (and they are great for heavy loads). This reduces the cost to the consumer, which will trickle down to you eventually.|||Shower with a friend/|||When people suggest mass transit or getting rid of your car, they have no idea how the other half live. There is no public transportation of any kind where I live. We live far away from where we work. I only live 10 miles from where I work, but still too far to bike or walk. I used cloth diapers and dried the clothes outside on a clothes line. Canned and froze my own fruits and vegetables from my own garden. Used box fans in windows instead of central air. Schools could go back to hardback textbooks instead of all the different work books they have the parents buy.|||Well, the only thing I can think of is to grow your own vegetables. Not only is it more healthy but you save gas by not having to go to the store to buy them. In general, I think your doing damn good.|||Join Freecycle. Freecycle is a non-profit organization that connects people who are giving things away with others who are looking for things. It's a great way to keep usable stuff out of the landfill. Plus, it's all free. They have local groups all over the world. If you go to www.freecycle.org and click 'Find a local Freecycle Group' you can see if there is one nearby you. I just got some books from Freecycle and I got rid of an old computer printer and other office supplies. It's pretty handy. Good luck with your efforts!|||Are those lights flourescent? That'll save energy, as will insulating your home to a minimum or R-22.
You might also consider converting your car to run on methanol.|||Join your local Freecycle group. It's a listserv based in Yahoo Groups, with local chapters for cities/counties/regions. Instead of throwing out usable items, you post it, and someone will probably email you asking for it. In return you can also ask for items you need but don't want to buy (or monetary or packaging reasons). This reduces the amount of "garbage" that goes in landfills, and everything posted (and asked for) is FREE. Most groups are quite large so you will definately get a response for your items.|||Check to make sure that the coils behind your fridge are clean.They cool the fridge better when swept off periodically.Use only paper plats at parties,stay away from styrofoam.Take your lint filter out of your dryer and wash in hot soapy water to get rid of the build up of fabric softener.It will block the air flow in your dryer causing it to take longer to dry your clothes.Hope this helps,I use these tips all the time....|||go for bike ride or walks|||less use of the a/c units or don't buy at all. Coolers and heaters are among the most energy consuming units in a home.Try to put shades and insulations instead and have wide windows to let more circulation of air. When under extremes, close it. lighten or cover up with clothings according to climate.Trees or bodies of water around have good effects.|||There is so many things. Insulating your house or anything that makes it more efficient; cultivating grass, trees and other plants; and on and on and on.
The best thing is to be informed and try as hard as you can to sort the truth from the fiction. Example: Global Warming - truth or fiction. Believe it or not it is more fiction than truth!|||If you have a child than try using cloth diapers. There are many different brands out there to try that are very easy to use. Since you reuse the diapers they save you a lot of money. The detergents recommended for them tend to be better for the environment as well. Purchase their clothes at yard sales or stores that resale children's clothing. You can also pass their clothes on to friends and receive clothing this way. If breastfeeding is possible do it instead of formula. Not only will it save you money (free except for supplies such as pump and containers if needed) but it is better for the environment.
I second the opinion to join freecycle. You can host a clothing swap where friends and friends of friends bring clothing and accessories and you swap them with each other. This is a great and cheap way to add to your wardrobe.
Try to line dry some of your clothing and let your dishes air dry.
Donate old books and magazines to your local library.
Make sure that you don't have spoiled or unwanted food in your fridge. It takes more electricity to keep the temp down when it is overfull.|||I can help, i work for a company that is planet freindly and has already helped our planet and so many people become earth freindly go to www.shaklee.net/sabrinapein We have non-toxic cleaning products that are biodegradable organic and they are the best in the industry. We can also save you money our products are so concentrated that you only use a small amount to clean with. a little goes along way. I have small children and I will always use shaklee, i'll never go back to those disgusting toxins. hope this helps|||One of the best things you can do is join "citizenre". They are a company with the goal to have 25% of the houses in America using 100% solar electricity by the year 2025. It costs nothing spread the word and if you hook people up to leasing a system you get paid. The company guarantees to hold your electric bill to today's rates (for 25 years) at no cost to the home owner. It's getting people to switch to solar for FREE. E-mail me if you want to know more.|||Unplug any appliances that you don't use often they drain energy even when not in use. Same with TV's and computer components not used every day.
Recycle your batteries instead of sending the to a land fill. In California, Walgreen's' drug stores do this so perhaps they do in Kansas too.
Do not buy bottled water! Get a filtration system and put water in reusable sports bottles. Don't buy disposable plastic items like razors, dental floss sticks, cameras, cue tips with plastic sticks, plates, cups etc. Every little piece of plastic ads up both to make and to throw away.
By items like spices and pasta in bulk, less packaging and much lower cost because you don't have to pay for the packaging.
Compost all food products, great fertilizer for your lawn and less in the landfills.|||The two biggest sources of carbon that "regular people" have is a) their house and b) their car. Many people talked about ways to reduce household carbon output. There are others. Save water - don't flush the toilet as often or put a brick or sand filled bottle in the tank to make it low flow. Make sure there aren't leaks. Don't waste it watering lawns or washing your car.
Speaking of the car, keep it nice and clean by not driving it as much. It's difficult to live without a car, but it's surprising how much we use it when we really don't need to. If people would walk or bike places that are within a mile or two, we could save a lot of carbon output, end dependence on foreign oil and we'd all be healthier! Also consider mass transit when going further distances.
Buy reusable shopping bags for groceries or get paper and recycle them. They can go with "mixed paper" recycling. Many grocery stores also recycle plastic bags, so bring them back there instead of throwing them out.
Think of packaging when you buy something. Buy products that are made from recycled products. Use your library for books and magazines instead of buying them. There are endless ways. I bet the library also has books that suggest ways too.|||There are all kinds of things you can do. Use cloth towels instead of paper,use environmentally safe cleaners, plant trees and flowers, use natural fertilizers and pesticides to name a few. Then make sure your family, friends, and neighbors do too. Maybe starting a neighborhood environmental watch group would help.|||Try doing the daily tips on MTV.com they give you small steps to do everyday-(not sure about saving money some give you tips) but for the envoirment they give you some pretty good things to do!|||Hi there,
I'm guessing you're from the US of A as you say 'aluminum' instead of aluminium!
Anyway, few bits of advice to help you on your way:
Grow your own veg and fruit where possible.
Save water from your roof for veg/fruit garden.
Make your own compost from waste veg/fruit to put on your garden.
If it's not possible to grow your own, then buy locally produced organic food. Local is preferable to organic if the organic stuff has to be flown from the other side of the world.
No garden? Get an allotment or share a neighbours garden, or grow a few things in window boxes or containers, or sprout your own beans on the windowsill. Easy peasy!
Give up your car. Not easy in America, I know!
Get a wind generator or solar panels (bit pricey in the first place, but all your electricity is free once you've paid for them)
Join a LETS scheme. This is where you trade locally in services or produce rather than cash. So you babysit someone's kids, then they fix your car, or whatever.
Join a Freecycle group. This is where people offer their old stuff to anyone who wants it for free. You give your stuff away for free too. So less stuff in landfill, more money in your pocket.
Don't have any kids!!! BIG drain on the pocket and it's REALLY hard to say no every time they see toys/books/clothes/stuff that they want.
Anyway, that's a few things to get started, hope it helps!
Good for you to ask the question!
Cheers
Steve.|||one person cannot even affect the rate of pollution and deforestation much less "save" the environment. Give it up, your just doing this all in vain.
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