Going GREEN and saving money in the process
The big buzz word going around today is becoming green. Exactly what is that? Well, becoming green is a combination of reducing your energy consumption (which also reduces your environmental footprint) and recycling.
I have done considerable research on this subject for a couple magazines and other trade newsletters and blogs. Professional video and multimedia people are conscience about the environment and there has been considerable interest in this trend and several requests were made from across the country about tips on how to become more green. Although the average consumer may not have as much equipment or use as much consumables as a business would, there are several things that you can do to help save the environment and some cash at the same time.
- One of the biggest energy wasters in the average home is lighting. This should be a no-brainer. Swap out your regular light bulbs for Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFL’s). The can be purchased literally everywhere; discount stores, hardware stores, even the corner convenience store. At first look, then may seem expensive, but the fact that they last 8 times and use 1/4 of the energy of conventional light bulbs, their payback is real over the life of the bulb. Look for multi-packs and sales to further savings. How much can you save? If you are consuming $25 per month for lighting and you changed all of your lighting to CFL’s, you could realize a monthly savings of $15 or more! Really.
- Removing wall transformers (commonly know as ‘wall warts’) when not in use. These are everywhere. Cell phones, cordless phones, portable GPS systems, the list goes on and on. Companies are doing this because it is easier and cheaper for them to use one of these external transformer/power supplies that it is to build it into the product. The problem is that we have a dependency to be lazy and leave them plugged in when the cell phone is charged. This wastes electricity, even though nothing is attached to it. Feel the transformer, is it warm? That tells you that is is using electricity. And unless you are using that to heat your house, you are paying the electric company money for nothing. When you cell is recharged or any device that goes unused for any length of time, unplug it. Over time, this electrical savings could add up to several dollars a month (all depends on how many you use).
- Any device that has a clock in it or uses a remote control uses electricity even when it is off. TVs, VCRs, DVRs, cable and satellite boxes, CD & DVD players, stereo units are just some of the electronics that are guilty of this energy waste. Solution? Unplug these type of devices if they are not used for extended periods of time. Daily use may not be worth the disconnection and many cable & satellite boxes and DVRs may result in loss of service is unplugged for any length of time, so I would not disconnect them.
- Transportation. There are several easy things that you can do to get better gas mileage and others to simply cut down on travel, all resulting in savings at the gas pump. The first is to check your tire pressure. Increase your pressure to the maximum pressure as indicated on the sidewall of the tire. Doing so will increase the rolling resistance of the tire, meaning that it will take less power to roll the car and use less gas in the process. The next thing is to clean out the backseat and trunk. For every 100 pounds of additional weight in your car, it could mean 1 mile per gallon less in fuel economy. So store the golf clubs, the case of oil and all the other sporting equipment somewhere else, not in the trunk. Other “common sense” things like keeping your car tuned-up, oil changes, staying below the speed limit and avoiding quick starts and stops all will add to the savings at the pump.
All of the above suggestions will not only make you more “green” but will help you keep more of your hard earned dollars in your pocket and not in the wallets of the utilities, big oil and foreign oil producing countries.
Now, some things that you can do to help the economy and not necessarily reduce your personal expenses, but will affect your monetarily in the long run. Recycling. There are several types of recycling that you can do to reduce the amount of trash going to over-flowing dumps and putting toxic products into the environment.
- No. 1 and No. 2 plastics are all recyclable. They take over 100 years to breakdown in a land fill, so toss them in the blue recycling bin. Those plastic bags that you get from most grocery and department stores are No. 2 plastic, BUT most communities do not allow them to be recycled (which I cannot understand). You can, however, recycle them at almost any store that hands them out. They will have deposit boxes at the entrance of the store to collect them. Many stores are now deducting 5 cents (per bag) from your total bill if you reuse those plastic bags for your purchase. You can also use the eco-friendly reusable bags and bypass the plastic all together (you will also get a 5 cent refund for using them).
- Batteries, especially rechargeable batteries are considered hazardous waste and should not be tossed in your trash. Many businesses that sell these type of batteries (like Home Depot) will also have bins that you can deposit your batteries, doing the environmentally correct thing. There is no charge for this service.
- Ink Cartridges. Home computer printers use ink that is contained in cartridges. When empty, most people just add them to their trash. Again, the remaining ink is toxic and should be disposed properly. How? Many office stores (like Staples) have collection boxes at their entrances for disposal. Some cartridges (HP, Lexmark and Epson) are reusable and can either be refilled (some Walgreens offer that service for less than half the price of a new cartridge) or given rebates ($3 from Staples) if you hand them in when you make a purchase.
There is more things that the average person can do to reduce the amount of energy that we use and to reduce the amount of waste that we produce. All reducing that carbon foot print. Look around your house or business and see if you can find any that you can do to help the earth. And watch the savings in your utility bills.
I will be adding more ideas for you to “get green”