Read about some simple ways we can all contribute to conserving the earth while saving money.
There are several simple ways that we can conserve on our water and energy use. This saves money and cuts down on emissions at the same time.
Conserve Water
- Use a rain barrel and recycle the rainwater. Making your own is a simple process but you can also buy premade rain barrels. (Recycle the rain: A how to for installing a rain barrel)
- Conserve water by having shorter showers and turn water off when brushing teeth instead of wasting it.
- Put a jug of water in the back of the toilet or consider purchasing an energy efficient toilet.
Save on Food
- Grow your own organic fruit, vegetables and herbs. A small-scale garden can be successfully grown in small spaces such as balconies. Tomatoes, peppers,herbs and more work well in potted gardens.
- Create your own compost and use it for fertilizer.
- Water the garden with recycled rainwater from your rain barrel.
Save Electricity
- Switch to energy saving light bulbs such as compact fluorescents. They use a fraction of the electricity, save money and last longer. Environmental Defense has a complete list of 45 energy saving options depending on what features you require.
- Turn off lights when not in use and unplug your cell phone charger when not in use. Cell phone chargers burn more energy being plugged into the wall than they do charging your phone.
- Wash your clothes in cold water.
- Try ecological laundry disks. They pollute less and save on laundry soap by softening the water with ceramic beads.
- Hang dry your clothes. Some clothes you may want to tumble dry for 10 or 15 minutes to get the wrinkles out. This is a trick some Laundromats use for collared shirts and you can’t tell they have not been ironed because they look fresh pressed.
Recycle and reuse
- Buy used books and trade in old ones. Most book stores offer used books at half the price or less.
- Save those jam, pickle jars, and use them for drinking or storage.
- Recycle paper, plastic and tins either by using recycling bins or making practical crafts out of them. Tin cans can become candle holders, plastic bottles bird feeders etc.
Transportation
Even if you are not giving up your car, it does not mean you can’t walk, cycle or take the bus some of the time. It not only saves money but also cuts down on harmful emissions. You are also more likely to meet interesting people and walking and bicycling is good exercise.
Do it yourself
Learn new skills such as carpentry, plumbing, car repair, sewing etc. Do it yourself activities foster independence and creativity. They are also likely to lead to fulfilling small businesses for people. This encourages communities to rely on each other’s local services and cuts down on transportation.
- Simplifying our lives and conserving energy is good for our health, our community and our environment. If we all did some of these small things, we could contribute towards improving our planet.
The copyright of the article Save Money and the Earth in Environmentalism is owned by Sandra Williams. Permission to republish Save Money and the Earth in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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