Everyone is looking for ways to go green as a way to help save our planet and save money at the same time. Going green is not as difficult as it used to be. Here are twenty (20) quick tips for a greener life, separated into easy, more difficult and advanced categories.
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7 easy green ideas:
- Maintain your automobile(s). Check your tire pressure and keep pressure at the manufacturer’s recommended level. Low tire pressure uses more fuel. Maintain a clean air filter. Clean air filters use less fuel. Remove unnecessary items from your truck. Heavier vehicles use more fuel.
- Use recycled paper products (paper towels, bathroom tissue, writing and printer paper, etc.)
- Separate household trash by type (glass, plastic, paper, metal, organic, etc). Take recyclable waste to your local recycling center. Consider a compost bin for your organic waste.
- Phone-in food orders for delivery and save your time and fuel. Make secure purchases on the internet and receive deliveries at your home or office, thereby spending less time in your vehicle going shopping.
- Take showers rather than baths. Showers use approximately one-fifth the amount of water required for a bath.
- Replace leaky faucet washers and repair leaky commodes. A dripping faucet or a commode that runs all the time wastes huge amounts of water.
- Unplug charging devices for cell phones, battery chargers and pretty much anything that uses electricity. The phantom power of these devices really adds up.
7 more difficult green ideas:
- Buy products with minimal packaging. This may be more difficult in certain areas of the world. Look for packaging that is recyclable or bio-degradable. More such products will become available very soon.
- Replace all of your light bulbs with high-efficiency light bulbs and use only the amount of wattage required for safety. Reducing lighting wattage greatly decreases energy use.
- Use public transportation, ride a bicycle or walk. This is easier in some places than others. Whenever possible, use ways of transportation that do not require a personal automobile.
- Install low-flow shower heads, faucet heads and commodes. An alternate to replacing commodes can be to place a brick in the tank of a tank-type commode. The added volume generally reduces water consumption and provides an adequate flush.
- When shopping, use re-useable shopping bags made from cloth or another fabric. At the minimum, save and recycle your plastic or paper shopping bags.
- Install a programmable thermostat or regularly reduce your thermostat settings when sleeping or when no one is at home.
- Use rechargeable batteries in all of your battery-powered devices. Waste batteries release harmful chemicals into the environment when placed in landfills.
6 advanced green ideas:
- Install new energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment and a demand (tankless) water heater. Demand water heaters provide an endless supply of heated water without the cost of heating a storage tank around the clock. At the minimum, if you have an electric water heater, a timer can be installed to turn the water heater off during periods of non-use.
- Ask your utility provider(s) if green-source utilities are available in your area. More areas are being added regularly.
- Upgrade to a laptop computer. Laptops use less energy than traditional desktop computers. New computer monitors are more efficient as well.
- Drive energy-efficient automobiles, such as ethanol-powered, biodiesel powered or electric vehicles.
- Work from home. Many corporations and professions are able to work from home using an internet connection. Ask your employer to implement such a program.
- Seal air leaks in your home. Use a candle to locate drafts and air leaks near windows and doors. Caulk or seal leaks with appropriate sealants.
There are a multitude of methods to reduce energy use, save money and save the environment. These are just a few ideas you can use. Look for new and innovative ways to recycle, reuse and renew the products we use every day.
