How have you prospered by going green?

Question

There are dozens of ways you can actually save money by making small changes to live an earth-friendly life. My original concept of the "Latte Factor" -- the idea that all the little things we spend money on over the course of the day really add up -- has evolved into the "Litter Factor", the idea that wasting money and hurting the planet go hand in hand.

For example, if you buy a water bottle every day for a year, you’re spending about $500 on water. Cutting out this little habit will not only save you a lot of money, but you’re also saving the planet tons of trash. Or, have a "veggie night" once a week and save on your grocery bill. Make it a habit, and you’ll save over $300 a year.

What are some ways that you can save money by going green?

Yahoo! Canada Answers staff: David is the author of Go Green, Live Rich (Random House): http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385666145

Answer 1

Ensuring all electronic devices are energy efficient has cut my hydro bill, even though hydro prices are still rising! This includes, washer.dryer, dish washer, Switching CRT monitors for LCDs. energy efficient bulbs, tossing the cheap plastic devices that are always on. This has also been an ongoing project for 3 years. I simply couldn't replace everything immediately except the bulbs.

Make a plan to reduce your power usage! Start by adding up the watts per year everything is rated to use, and ask yourself if you really need it. You'd also be surprised how much power some devices draw when they are "off" but still plugged in.

Answer 2

2 year ago i retro fit my house new lighting

new stove ,fridge,windows and doors insulation and sealed everything

my house is so air tight its hard to close the doors

but my kilowatts went up from 12 to 53

now its costing me more then ever

when we turn our lights out for that hour

the hydro is going to cry that they lost millions of dollars and raise the rates

just my take on the hole thing

Answer 3

I reckon going Green is a little similar to believing in Santa if you believe it will do some good by making the person happy.

As for not buying water in bottles we could save a small fortune as the water out here in Eastern SK is not fit to drink and we would almost certainly have serious health issues and die young.

The big issue with water in clear plastic bottles is BPA. Denmark BANNED plastic bottles and drinks in metal cans years ago. All bottles are recycleable glass I believe less energy is used than washing and transporting the empties.



As for low energy bulbs there are serious issues with heavy and very rare metals bieng wasted.

Hydrogen cars are the biggest joke of the lot as the cost of making hydrogen is enormous, although GW Bush thinks Nuclear power could be used for making the hydrogen (and his bombs no doubt).

I am afraid that the only serious way to be greener is to use less energy by moving closer to your work and walking to work.  

Getting up with the sun and go to bed when it gets dark no TV or Internet. Oh dont forget the garden and the hundred mile diet, shopping with the walking distance diet.

Answer 4

I purchased a house in the country 4 years ago, and immediately installed a geo thermal furnace.  The whole system cost about $21,000 Cdn.  Has not paid for itself yet, but I am on my way.  Great heating and cooling technology.

Answer 5

We live in the city of Hamilton, Ontario.  Just over one year ago, we installed solar panels and a wind generator.  That has cut our electricity use almost in half.  We are installing more panels this year, to save more.

To make our solar electricity efficient, all our lights in the house are new fluorescent and LED(light emitting diode).  The LED's are even more efficient than the fluorescents.  The lights are only on in the rooms we're in.  When we leave a room, the lights go out.  Even my computer runs on solar energy!  

This year we will also be installing solar water heating, to save money on our gas bill.

We also cook in a solar oven and a parabolic cooker.  Both are run on the sun.  No gas or electricity needed.  So, we are saving money and the earth.  

We also use rain barrels to water our vegetable and flower gardens.  This also saves us money, because we have to pay for our water.  

We bake our own bread.  It costs us 50 cents a loaf.  In the store is $3 a loaf.  

I do laundry in cold water (have for 30 years) and hang them on the line to dry.  

We recycle over 65% of our garbage, to blue boxes and greencarts.  Save they earth.

What we do need, is more large scale wind generators in this country and no more Nuclear Reactors!  That would be cost saving AND good for the earth!

Answer 6

I'm not really sure I've saved a lot by composting, but I've been doing it for years and love to be able to spread my compost each spring without have to go and get a lot of chemical fertilizers for my garden.  And it's so convenient!  I know a lot of community are adding the wet recycling, but by keeping my own compost out it doesn't get as smelly and it has definitely reduced the amount of garbage we've put on the curbside.  

My other huge contribution to being green was cloth diapers when my children were little.  Honestly, I was forced into it because there little butts couldn't tolerate paper, but again it greatly reduced garbage.  Although the water consumption went up.

Answer 7

I usually take my bike outside on the road instead of the bus, it might take up more time but when there's a traffic jam I just slip though all the cars up to the lights. Also I get more exercise out of it then just sitting on the bus.

Answer 8

He is  very  right comments  to  save  environment.

I  propose  to  walk  for  shopping to  near by  supermarket  with your  kids or your  wife every week  three times  on evenings.

That  will  save  10 bucks a week  and total  52x10=540=1000 with maintenance and others.

Enjoy clean  air

Answer 9

The entire green / global warming movement is nothing more than a scam to tax people even more. Ever wonder why it's now called "climate change" rather than "global warming"?

Al Gore is nothing more than an "Inconvenient Idiot" who is trying to fleece the sheeple that follow him. His movie is pure fantasy and has been discredited by many scientists. All he wants is your carbon-credit tax dollars!

A friend of mine continually recycles his cardboard boxes even though he has a dumpster at his business. Do you want to know what it really costs to recycle these boxes? Factor in his time, fuel costs and other expenses and it's much more efficient and "environmentally friendly" for him to simply toss the stuff in the garbage. A perfect example of this nonsense on a country wide scale is an article written by Per Bylund (PhD student) and can be found at http://www.mises.org/story/2855 .

Everyone should try doing some research before they blindly follow the scare-tactics used by every person and group with an "agenda" about global warming (oops... climate change).

Answer 10

I had a domestic solar water heater installed. It makes its own electricity then pumps hot water into a reserve tank. I am saving about $400 every two months on oil. In addition, I have changed my habits. I use a power bar on the TV and computer. That has saved me almost $20 per month in electricity.

Answer 11

"For example, if you buy a water bottle every day for a year, you’re spending about $500 on water. Cutting out this little habit will not only save you a lot of money"

all very well - if your local water authority provided clean drinkable water - Im sure drinking the excessive chloramine , fluorine , pesticides , agricultural runoff and other muck in my local water supply would give me Cancer quicker than you can say PTB so back to the drawing board for that idea

Answer 12

Live in the city, use public parks,  get rid of car and comute with public transit and bicycle.

Answer 13

1.I’ve saved electricity by changing to compact florescent light bulbs

2.I’ve gotten in much better shape by riding a bike to work when weather permits, and saved money both on gas and by canceling the gym membership that I no longer need.

3.The grocery store where I shops gives a small discount for brining in clothe bags, or 4.reusing bags from previous shopping trips.

5.I bought an old house closer to downtown, which has allowed me to bicycle to work and walk to nearby stores.  The old house was far cheaper than a new construction of equal size would have been, and it only took a fraction of the difference in price to invest in home improvements (double pained widows, insulation in the walls and attic, remodeled kitchen & bathroom, refinishing wood floors), and now the old house is much nicer than a new house in my price range would have been.  To get a new house with the kind of craftsmanship that was put into my old house (stone fireplace, built-in hutches wood trim, moldings & box beam ceilings claw foot tubs ext.), would have cost far more than I could have afforded, required the use of much more raw material, and would have been 15 miles outside of downtown.

My original reason for buying and fixing up an existing house rather than buying a new one was not to promote suburban sprawl, but I have found that the communities are far more tightly knit in urban neighborhoods with houses close together and porches in front rather than patios in back that allow for more interaction with neighbors.  Every home improvement project becomes a job in which I have a crew of neighbors helping.  I also feel much more connected with my city by being closer to all of the community events downtown.  Of all the things I have done with the environment in mind, buying this house that we love in a neighborhood full of all our new friends, closer to work so we don’t have waste an extra hour each day on commuting has been largest improvement on my quality of life.

Answer 14

I can't say that we have prospered but it has helped our family financially by saving on energy costs as well as adding a sense of helping our planet.  Most of what we have done I call automated savings, the small things that add up without thinking about them.  You can see some of the things we have done at www.alterativeenergysource.org

Answer 15

having a garden, don't used pesticide's ,don't used plastic-bags make your one from cotton , cook your own meal.

Answer 16

I used to eat out during weekdays, which cost me a lot, and it also generated a lot of waste, through packaging, etc. Now I make my own lunch. Now, sure, it's a pain sometimes, but not only am I saving a lot of money, but I've found that I've become more interested in food and cooking. Because of that, I've found that I am able to buy better quality food for lunch. Instead of eating garbage from fast food joints, I can have a really great meal, if not at lunch, then at dinner, when I have more time to prepare.

I've also found that I enjoy shopping for groceries and cooking with my girlfriend. I guess it'll be hard for most people to believe, but when we cook something together, it tastes better, and the whole experience turns out to be more than it seems to be.

You know, going green is not just about saving money. I guess it sounds pretentious and a little patronizing, but if you go green, you're going for a better lifestyle that concerns more than the environment.

Answer 17

Shopping at thrift stores for reusable merchandise is not only money saving but fun, too!

Answer 18

If you own a supermarket you can stop giving out plastic bags and don't bother to pass the cost savings to your customers.

I'm an eco-friendly person, not and eco-dupe.  It seems just another opportunity for conglomerates to re-invent the way they operate and increase the bottom line.  

I drive a small displacement car that runs well, I recycle, and I put all my garbage in a bin.  Until the monetary benifit becomes mine and not someone else's, that's as green as I can get.  I respect what you have written and I agree with many of your concepts;  I just can't afford to pay out.

Here's my eco-tip:  don't get hosed by eco-carpetbaggers.

Answer 19

I don't feel I've done as much as I truely can... I walk to work most days, have invested in compact florecent lightbulbs, and invested in a few power bars so that I can shut down my "ghost" power products (like my T.V., V.C.R, stereo, microwave, computer set-up, and the like). I try to pack a lunch of work every day, using my "WRAP-N-MAT" for sandwiches instead of platic wrap or plastic sandwich bags. I have a stainless steel canteen kit that I use for cool items, and I have a set of "To-Go Ware" bamboo utensils so that I don't use plastic ones that fill the landfill (I bought all these items at www.reusablebags.com). I use cloth bags, and recycled plastic totes for my grocery shopping, and cotton sacks for my produce instead of plastic. I used to buy a bottle of water everyday for work, but have since bought a reusable water bottle that I fill from our water cooler at home and work, and by doing this I save ($780/year plastic bottles, less the $36/year cooler bottles) OVER $700 a year! Wow...until now I hadn't bothered with the math...

I have also been reading books about homesteading and self-sufficient lifestyle to get ideas on how to implement better ways into my existing lifestyle. I know that I still have a fair ways to go, but with each new baby step change I make, I get closer to bettering myself, my family, AND the environment.

Answer 20

I have found by going from incandescent light bulbs to the florescent lights i have noticed a big difference in my electric bill.

In addition i have found they last longer as well. I have had one that i bought 5 years ago and is still working.

I have moved closer to work in which I'm in walking distance, before i used to drive to work which cost me $50 dollars a week for gas. If i had to make that same trip now i would be looking at a $100 a week.

Going green is not only good for the enviroment, it will save money as well.

Answer 21

By buying a shampoo bar to use instead of bottled shampoo I save a loooootttt of plastic and money...love it.  It smells way better too.  Bahaha.

Answer 22

Cashiers are often surprised when they see how low my grocery bill is after they put through so many items....and then they realize it's because they are mainly fruits, vegetables, tofu, and nuts....AND they're usually organic!

Not taking the elevator to the fifth floor of my apartment and walking instead of driving has also helped my physical health, since school has been keeping me from the gym these days.

I try not to buy a lot, and if I do it's usually a coffee in my reusable mug that saves me money and doesn't generate waste.

I also save money and emissions by not using the dryer in my apartment building.

Answer 23

We've saved loads of cash by buying a home within biking distance of work, we're in better shape and spend a fraction the amount on gas and have far less wear and tear on our nerves. The notion that buying a house 50 KM's from where you work to save money on the mortgage is absurd, when you factor in the cost of gas, increased insurance, a much longer work day and the stress of threading your way through buffoons driving Hummers and Escalades, it's not worth it. Buy a house near where you work and eat local foods when possible.

Answer 24

Going green hasn't necessarily helped my pocket book, because the costs for natural tend to be a bit higher, but it has helped my health a great deal. I am a woman who suffers from Endometriosis and I made the change to chemical free, as much as possible, to help reduce my condition and keep it under control, along with natural supplements. I reduced the chemicals, because they mimic estrogen, causing a  hormone imbalance and making PMS and Endometriosos much worse. It made me feel better physically, but also made me feel better as a person, because I knew the changes I was making were to benefit my environment as well.

Answer 25

I don't know about prospered, we've got a young family and just felt we needed to be a tiny part of the soulution as opposed to part of the problem.

1) We reinsulated the attic

2) Installed Brand new double pane windows

3) Got rid of our Ford F150 pick up truck and got a Toyota  

Matrix

Unlike most chimps who drive sport utilities and pick up trucks we actually needed and used a pick up. We have a number of investment properties and are involved in real estate development. The carrying and towing capacity was being used all the time.   Now we use a trailer on the Matrix for lighter loads and pay a bit extra to have building supplies delivered on site. It makes alot more sense that driving a pick up truck that was not in tru work mode 70% of the time

Answer 26

I have changed all lights to compact flourecent, heat with wood pellets to save money and its cheaper than propane, I converted a full size street motorcycle to series hybrid electric, got it inspected and insured. Because its also a plug in hybrid, uses almost no fuel. fun to drive. Have a nice day.

Answer 27

coo, i have saved shedloads of money and been saved from being a wage-slave.

cheers!

Answer 28

Some of the ways you can go green are by taking the bus instead of driving, using lower wattage bulbs, carpooling, recycling more often, and of course reusing things like paper.

Answer 29

First thing is that I have stopped using hot water in my washer. The clothes are just as clean using cold.

I also keep my thermostat turned down to 65 and wear a sweater if I'm cold.

Unfortunately I live in a very small village and the well water makes me sick so we are drinking bottled water. I do though remove the caps and sort them and take them in to the recycle place in the nearest city along with my cans, cardboard and anything else  I don't throw in the trash. I have a garden and a composter so most of my scraps can go there and my plants love it.

I walk or bike to most places but I will admit that my other half couldn't care less, and as a farmer's son you'd think he would. I have a brother who is and environmental consultant as well as one who is a biologist along with his wife, all involved in saving our planet and so I do try.

Answer 30

Some of you guys are pretty selfish. We have to do it if we want to retain any of our honor as human beings. Forget about profit and grow up. And...recycling is window dressing. You have to make big changes in your ecofootprint if we have any hope of averting disaster on a global scale. I don't have the time to explain this more rigorously so there will be many comments against this I'm sure but just be honest with yourself; are you being fair to the future generations or poor people in other places who will not be able to afford the basics, not to mention air and water filtering.

Answer 31

Or as the old saying goes:  "Take care of the nickels and dimes and the dollars will look after themselves!"

People underestimate the value that little actions hold.  If you have 20 million people each saving that bottle a day for a year, it adds up.

Considering that most companies are selling you bottled municipal water it's pretty silly to really spend the money isn't it?  Not to mention the tonnage of plastic one would save.

And never mind JUST having veggies one night a week why not GROW them in your backyard?  Imagine if we all had a little 10 x 10 ft plot of our fav. veggies or better yet a wonderful herb garden.

We can each do a little every day and it all adds up to a lot in the end. I mean people should know by now all the little things they can do to conserve from turning down your heat to switching bulbs and conserving water and using public transportation and mostly, making our concerns known to manufacturers and government so everyone reduces waste and please, please RECYCLE and do not pour chemicals and drugs down your drains and toilets!!!

Use non-phosphonated detergents for laundry and dishwashers too.  Why this isn't mandatory in this day and age I'll never know.

Baking soda, vinegar and a little dishsoap makes the perfect cleaning solution for most surfaces.  So many sites online to concoct these mixtures that we really should try shouldn't we?  Especially in our kitchen who wants to use chemicals?

Please people, do not pour motor oil into the sewers either...this goes right into the lakes.

And I must say I REALLY agree with the concept of WORK WHERE YOU LIVE.

I think the price of gas will either force this issue or should in future.  This is really what is destroying our air quality, and costing taxpayers a fortune (salt/snow removal/road repairs!!!)  This is where I, personally, have saved a FORTUNE over the years whereas I know people who live to feed their vehicles for the most part.

Ditto on the cellphone usage too.  I know people don't think much about cellphones and you may be asking how does it relate to "green" but it's INSANE the amount of money people spend on cellphones and when you consider all the "noise" that all these silent signals give off, and the unfortold consequences to our health of this wireless but signal-full world we live in, all I can say is TG I'm still a land-line person as this saves us a ton of cash.  I have no use for one working from home but we do keep one for emergencies if the kids go somewhere that we can't reach them otherwise, and hubby has one for work so he's always reachable, and so we just top the spare off on a pay as you go basis for now. When the kids are older they'll have to pay for their own if they want one!  The biggest crime to me is letting payphones disappear from the planet.  You may need one some day and it won't be there.

I must say that necessity is the mother of invention.  People seem to always find a way to adapt to their environment, and mother nature is hurting and God Bless the people who hear her call and are kind to her!!