Going Green Doesn’t Have to Cost a Lot of Green
I am a stay-at-home mom that was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and arthritis. It is hard for me to work a conventional job, so I need to be on a strict budget when it comes to food, clothing, transportation, and even frills like furniture and appliances. I don’t have a lot, if any money to “play” with so I do what I can in and around the house by reusing things, buying less, and conserving.
One of the biggest things that I can do for the environment is to use my car less. This may be hard for some people in rural areas, but I live in a well established town with lots of shopping centers that are in walking distance. If I need, say a gallon of milk, I will not use my car to get that milk, I’ll use my legs. This cuts down on CO2 emissions, my gas bill for the week, and I even get the extra bonus of exercise in the process.
The next big thing I conserve on is electricity. Lights can give off a lot of heat and can also use a lot of energy just by being on. I personally will not use a lot of light in the summer because the house gets hotter from the bulbs. Sure, I could go out and buy those expensive alternative florescent bulbs that are supposed to be better, but I see little point in wasting what I already have since it still works. I just use them less now. I also unplug everything that is not in use like my cell phone charger, mini food processor, toaster, and any other small appliance you can think of in order to save on electricity and help the environment.
I use less water by washing large loads of laundry, washing the dishes per meal, instead of per dish, and taking shorter showers. Using less water is an important thing for all of us to think about since our water supply as a whole is getting less due to contamination and less rainfall. I find that waiting to do a load of dishes or laundry is helping us save the environment because I use less water this way. We live in an apartment, so I do not have grass to water, but I do have indoor plants that need water. I save on watering by filling a watering can with water per week instead of watering per day. This not only controls water intake, but it also helps the plants. By keeping the water in a container overnight, the chlorine dissipates, and becomes healthier for indoor houseplants to drink.
Using fragrance-free products or “green” cleaning products also helps the environment by emitting less toxic fumes into the air. There are many people who have allergies in today’s day and age, my family is among the allergy-prone people. Using products that contain no fragrance, helps out with this. I buy laundry detergent, dryer sheets, and even bar soap that contain no fragrance to help with our skin irritants. I also use cleaning products that contain little fumes to help with our allergy related asthma. Products like white vinegar and water, baking soda, and even trademark products like Murphy’s Oil Soap, and Borax have little fumes to breath in and work just as good as any other product out in the market today that’s used to clean your house.
You can save the environment by using your dryer and dishwasher less too. Letting your clothes and dishes air dry saves on your energy bills and helps the environment. Air drying your dishes is also better for you because it is harder for bacteria to live on the dish if it’s dried by the air. Some molds and bacteria love heat and can multiply quite fast in hot temperatures. Allowing some time for the air to get at your dishwasher and your dishes, will eliminate this potential threat.
Recycling is a word that has been around for a while and most people know how to throw out their garbage today because this term is used so often, but some people forget the other meaning of recycling, which is to try and reuse what you have, or give it to someone else who can. For instance, that old tee-shirt that doesn’t fit could be converted into a shopping bag to use at the store in place of their plastic counterpart. You can stitch up the bottom of the shirt by sewing it or using iron-on tape and then cut out the sleeves to make your handles. The tee-shirt can also be used as a dust rag or even a sponge for washing your floor, car, or even the family dog. You can use old pasta sauce jars as storage containers for nuts, bolts, nails, beauty products, or even food and cooking herbs. And how about that laundry detergent bottle or coffee can being turned into a piggy bank for the kids or even a pot for a plant. An egg carton can be transformed into an organizer for ornaments or even craft accessories. There are many different things that we have in our possession that could be used for something else with a little creativity and this helps out the environment by keeping it out of a land fill. Another popular recycling craze is called free cycle. This is a group of people in your community that will give away clothing, furniture, toys, and even coupons to others for free. These groups are popping up on the internet in online communities like Yahoo! Groups, AOL, and even MSN. They are passionate people who are dedicated to keeping good products out of a landfill. I personally belong to such a group and I think it’s a great idea.
This is just a short list of what can be done to “go green” without spending a lot of green. But if each and everyone of us did something small to “go green”, we’d all be doing something big while saving and conserving for our planet. And that’s really what “going green” is all about.
