6 Easy Ways to Go Green and Have a Greener School Year
Posted on: September 20, 2011
Living a “green” life style doesn’t have to be as drastic as it sounds. You don’t have to buy pricey eco-friendly products or become vegan to significantly reduce your own carbon footprint. Small changes to your daily life style can help you make the environment a more pleasant place to live. Being less wasteful can also help de-clutter your living environment and help you make your bank account look a little greener.
If you’re heading back to school this year, think about how you what you do daily and what you can change to help reduce your carbon footprint.
1. Water Filter/Reusable Water Bottles – Many people have a fear of tap water, because of the horror stories often associated with it. Instead of drinking free public tap water, people choose to purchase bottled water at an inflated price. What most people don’t realize is that a lot of bottled water is simply tap water that is purified and repackaged to look “safe.” Buying a water filter instead of bottled water can potentially save you hundreds of dollars over the years. If you need water to-go, pick up a reusable water bottle that you can fill up. You’ll also avoid all the empty water bottles around your living space.
2. Reusable Grocery Bags – Reusable grocery bags have been around for quite some time, but it is only quite recently that they have become more common. Still, many people don’t carry their own and go home with the wasteful standard plastic or paper. You can pick-up a reusable grocery bag in many stores for less than $5 and sometimes free! Reusable bags are also much more durable to carry around and will help you avoid all those plastic bags you have no room for.
3. Full Loads of Laundry/Hang Dry – Doing your laundry every week is extremely wasteful of water and money. Instead, wait every two or three weeks so you can make the most of your money and energy that is used. After washing your clothes, check to see what clothes you can hang dry. Hang drying your clothes may take a little more time, but you’ll reduce energy costs and avoid shrinking and wrinkling of clothes.
4. Don’t Run The Shower – A common thing that many people do in the morning is to run the shower before and during use. In colder seasons, warming up your shower is understandable. However, during warm weather, you can save water by taking baths instead of showers. Running a shower can waste liters of water in minutes. Instead, use a bucket for water, sponge, or wash cloth to bath yourself. If it is too cold, try to take shorter showers.
5. Unplug unused electronics – Electronics that are left plugged while idle are one of the main culprits of wasteful energy. Almost every idle device drains some amount of energy, but it’s hard to gauge how much it’s really costing you. PCWorld.com has a great article/guide on how unplugging electronics can save you money. Even cell phone chargers that are left plugged in can be costing you. It may not seem like much, but you may see a drastic reduction on your next energy bill.
6. Turning off your lights/Fluorescent Light Bulbs – Saving energy saves money. If you use incandescent light bulbs (standard) throughout your home, it’s important to shut off the lights whenever possible. Switching from incandescent light bulbs to Fluorescent light bulbs in your household can also help cut costs off your energy bill every month. Fluorescent light bulbs are more efficient for extended usage and produce less heat, which means they operate at a lower temperature throughout your rooms. You can learn more about saving energy from the US Department of Energy.
Remember, just by performing one of these small steps, you can drastically save yourself money each month. This school year, be less complacent and more aware of how your activities are affecting the environment around you.
image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coolmow/2985316111/
Source: blog.couponfinder.com
Citynetevents 
Leave a comment