21 ways to go green on a budget

Going green. Does the phrase make you want to hold your wallet a bit tighter? Look around and it would seem you’d need to spend more cash to be in tune with Mother Earth.

Drinking organic milk could cost you twice as much as regular milk. Dressing in earth-friendly clothes, which includes materials such as bamboo, hemp, and organic cotton, costs more than a standard set of threads. And the hybrid car? That could cost you thousands more than its traditional counterpart.

Are there ways to help the planet without parting with all the green in your wallet? Yes. Here are 21 ways.

Save money while being eco-friendly

There are probably as many ways to go green as there are flavors of ice cream. So how do you decide which ones to pursue first? Start with simple fixes that have a quick payback:

1. Switch out your lightbulbs. By replacing your regular lightbulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs),* you can cut your electric bill. These bulbs use less energy and last longer than regular bulbs.
2. Use a programmable thermostat. Using one of these so you’re not heating and cooling a house when no one’s in it could save you about $100 a year on your energy bills. If one in ten households did this, more than 17 billion pounds of greenhouse gases could be prevented from being emitted into the atmosphere, according to Energy Star Action Guide.
3. Kill vampires. The typical household has 20 appliances that use electricity even when they’re turned off, according to a Cornell University study, costing $200 a year. (The displays on these TVs, DVD players, stereos, and electric toothbrush docks continue to glow even when “off.”)  To kill these vampires, you can plug these into fuse-protected power strips (also called surge protectors) that allow you to cut the juice with the flip of a switch.
4. Replace the shower head. By replacing your current shower head with a low-flow one, you could save 20,000 gallons of water per year, assuming two six-minute showers a day.
5. Pay bills online. This will save you the price of stamps and trips to the post office (which will save you gas), and eliminate paper waste.
6. Keep your tires pumped. When you drive with tires that are properly inflated, you could improve your gas mileage by more than 3%, according to Kiplinger.com.
7. Shop at the local farmers market. Do this and you’ll not only get fresher produce, but you’ll be buying food that didn’t require a lot of gas to transport from across the country or from another continent. To find a farmers market near you, use your zip code to search Localharvest.org.*

Drive less

Let’s face it: If it were easy to do, we’d all be driving less and pocketing the savings. Easier said than done. But if you’re determined to save on fuel, here are four ways to go. Do it right, and you may even trim your waistline.

1. Walk to the train or bus.
2. Ride your bike instead of driving to run local errands.
3. Carpool. You may be able to find a carpool in your area through Carpoolconnect.com* or Erideshare.com.*
4. Consider a car-sharing program. Companies in some cities have cars that you rent by the hour, so you have a car only when you need one. You pay either an hourly rate or a flat rate for the day. The cost includes insurance, gas, and miles. Two examples are Zipcar.com* and Ucarshare.com.*

Go easy on the landfills

By buying less new, and reusing or recycling what you already have, you can help reduce the amount of waste going into our landfills.

1. Shop consignment stores. You don’t need to look like you walked out of a 1970s fashion magazine to save money on used clothing. There are plenty of consignment shops and online auctions that sell today’s fashions at a fraction of what they’d cost new. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, secondhand clothing stores prevent more than one billion pounds of textile from ending up as waste in landfills.
2. Recycle your electronics.  When you donate your used electronics,* you keep them out of the landfills and allow families and schools to obtain computers and other electronics they otherwise couldn’t afford. To find out how to recycle other things, go to Earth911.com.*

Gadget corner

Hooked on gadgets and gear? Here are five that can help you on your quest to protect the environment:

1. Use a travel mug for coffee or tea, instead of paper cups.

1. Use a long-lasting water bottle, instead of disposable ones.

1. Buy reusable shopping bags.

1. Use a rain barrel* to catch water you can use in your garden in drier weather.

1. Invest in a compost bin* to slow the growth of landfills. You can also build your own, whether it be a small one* or a larger one* made out of a 32-gallon garbage can.

Other things you can do

1. Plant a Victory Garden. Grow your own fruits and vegetables* in your backyard. You’ll not only eat more healthily and save money on your grocery bill, you’ll help fight global warming by eating food that requires no transporation to your home.

1. Be skeptical of buying stuff with vague green claims like “All natural.” Mercury and lead are naturally occurring elements, but you still don’t want them in your food or shampoo.

1. Try a volunteer vacation. You can visit some truly outstanding destinations for less money and help the environment at the same time with organizations such as Wilderness Volunteers* or American Hiking Society.*

Getting a low-carbon footprint

By following one or more of these 21 suggestions, you’ll do your part in helping to prevent a rise in the Earth’s temperature.

For more ways you can reduce your carbon footprint, check out Carbonfund.com.*

*When you access any of the sites mentioned in this article, you will be leaving our site. Vanguard is not responsible for the accuracy of information on third-party sites. Vanguard receives no remuneration for website links in this article. This article is for educational purposes only.

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