Unless you have been living in a cave for the last few years, you have heard at least a few things about going green, or making your lifestyle more earth-friendly. Now, I don’t know about you but I don’t have the time or the room to compost my leftovers. I certainly don’t have the cash to spring for solar panels and I am not willing to give up my toilet paper for anyone.
If you want to do a little more to be kind to mother earth, here are a few ways you can lessen your carbon footprint without breaking the bank or going bonkers:
Reuse your bath water: I know it sounds gross, but I’m not suggesting you wash your dishes in the bath tub or serve everyone bathtub brew for dinner. Some simple ways to reuse bath water include putting a bucket in the shower to catch the water while it warms up and collecting bath water to use for laundry or watering plants. You can even use the bathwater to flush your toilet by pouring a bucketful into the toilet causing it to flush without using any fresh water.
Hang Dry Your Clothes: We do this with most of my jeans because they are so much harder to put on after you dry them. Instead of tossing your clothes into the dryer consider hanging them over doors, chairs and the shower to dry. You will save electricity and cut your power bill.
Buy a refillable coffee mug: If you can’t get through the morning without a latte, consider buying a refillable mug from your favorite coffee shop or bringing your own. Most shops will fill your own mug and sometimes you could save a little cash. If you buy coffee five days a week without a reusable mug, you will have contributed 312 Styrofoam cups to the landfill.
The same concept goes for water bottles, instead of purchasing individual bottles of water, invest in a high quality reusable water bottle to cut down on waste.
Leave the car home once a week: Consider biking, walking or taking public transportation to work once a week and letting your car have the day off. You may need a little extra time to get to and from work, but you can get in some exercise or take time to read a book on the bus. You can cut down on your gas bill and save the air from some harmful chemicals.
Bid farewell to your trusty phone book: How often do you pick up a phone book? Likely, not very often. With access to phone numbers from your computer or smart phone, the need for a phone book is limited. If you don’t plan on using it, call to have them stop delivery of your phone book. Some estimates show that phone book waste makes up 10 percent of all the landfills. Ouch. If you have one, don’t just toss it in the trash. Recycle that baby and save a little extra space in the landfill.
Going green doesn’t have to be stressful. We can all do a little bit to save energy, water and space in the landfills. In addition to feeling good about being earth-friendly, you may find that your budget just got a little bit bigger too. So go ahead and make your home a little greener!
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