Is it too expensive to go GREEN as a College student?! i def scrap for pennies!?

Question

any ideas on how to on a budget???

Answer 1

Going green can a actually save you money.  As in:

Limit your driving to "have to"-drive the speeed limit, saves gas, and don't use your air conditioner around town unless you have too.

Don't buy disposable items to clean with, buy reusable.

Go to www.about.com and use their seachbox for vinegar and baking soda. You'll find every cleaning solution recipe you need-and those items are cheap! Good for the planet too!

Try and find uses for things laying around your home for new uses. Instead of eventually tossing out, I'm trying to limit buying anything I can find something else to use instead that I already own.

And so on.........It becomes fun and you will save money!

Answer 2

Of course opportunists have stepped on the green band wagon

but originally the concept of green was an economical path .

to prevent waste .using things more often than once ,cutting corners ,and cutting costs

.

And that still holds ,it is a way of conduct in principle ,http://byderule.multiply.com/journal/ite...

but on the consumer side green items can be more expensive

However with technology as with alternative energies it will be cheaper in the end ,as well as being kinder on the Environment.

http://greenhome.huddler.com/products/

Answer 3

not at all!!

some say its $$$ only because of the washer/dryer/fridge/ac units/cars/kitchen appliances &such that they have available to green. but as a college student you have no need to buy any of that stuff!!

it will actually save you $$$

-re-use the plastic bags you get from walmart for the next time you go shopping(they may look at you wierd but just smile!)

-lower your food intake and try eating more local foods(may be pricier than walmart, but if you lower the amount then its even!...we dont need cheesypoofs at 2am neways right!)

-keep the shades down and a/c a little higher

-turn to ceiling fans if you can rather than the a/c

-in winter use the oven as a heater...jus leave it open...it warmed up my small apartment perfect! saved me $$

- turn off all lights you dont use...i usually just use a ceiling fan and keep the shades open for natural sunlight(healthier for you neways)

-dont drink bottled water!! i know its sooo easy to grab on on ur way to class or from but dont!! buy a good waterbottle and jus start carrying that around

-recycle! i just have 3bins by the trash and use the trash can for old food and the 3 bins for plastics,papers, glass(alot easier than i thought...as long as they're there im like well i might as well throw them in seperate ones!

ppl might also say its pricy bc of eco-home friendly cleaning products can be expensive..but look: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...  !!!!!

goodluck and have fun in college!!!!

Answer 4

Im a college student and I definitely go green on many aspects of my life.  Do you pay an electric bill?  Change all of your lights to flourescent bulbs; big upfront cost that saves you money within a few months.  If your air conditioning is making your electric bill go up, make sure you have a programmable thermostat.  With this, you can program times when you will be in class or at work and have the air set to a higher temperature.  Set it to turn back down to your desired temperature 10 minutes before you get home and you will not even notice the difference!  Do you recycle?  Even if your city does not recycle you can still collect cans, glass, paper, and other industrial products and take them to a local recycling plant.  Many will even give you money for doing this!  Do you live near campus?  Try walking to class or riding a bike, even a little gas skooter is better for the environment than your car.  How about your shopping habits?  Buy in bulk, this not only saves money in the long run, but it also saves a-lot of unneccessary packaging material from being used.  Dont throw away your old clothes, donate them to GoodWill or another non-profit agency that will re-use them.  Once you start using your imgination there are a million ways that you can begin to go green.  Its the little things that make a big change!  Good Luck -Alan

Answer 5

You don't have to be completely green! Remember...every little bit helps! On of the first things I've done is stop using plastic bags at stores. Many stores have cloth bags you can purchase for about $1.00 that you can use every time you go shopping! The supermarket by my house even gives you a 5 cent return per bag every time you use it so eventually that bag will cost you nothing! Also, live by the rule "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Don't get new stuff unless the old stuff is totally beyond repair. This helps save stuff from going unnecessarily to the landfill. When you do get new things, opt for the eco-friendly versions. Hope this was helpful!

Answer 6

No going green depending on what it is.  It's less money.  So rather then driving a car.  Go on your bike or walk to school.  Less paper being used = less money to spend on that. Less power you use the less costly bills you get. etc.

Answer 7

ABSOLUTELY== START BUYING YOUR GROCERIES AT SAM'S CLUB OR COSTCO'S, THEN ONLY BUY  IN PLASTIC BAGS,  PLASTIC AND ALUMINUM. MOST FOODS IS ALREADY COOKED AND ONLY NEEDS HEATING IN A MICROWAVE. ALUMINUM YOU CAN SELL TO RECYCLE AND GET RE-IMBURSED A LITTLE. LESS COST= LESS GARBAGE= SAME BUYING COST FOR TWICE AS MUCH. ALSO GET A OLD REFRIGERATOR, BUT MAKE SURE THE SEAL AROUND THE DOOR IS GOOD BY OPENING AND CLOSING= A SLIGHT SUCTION FEEL. THEN CLEAN OUT AND ONLY PUT YOUR DRY GOODS IN IT. IT'LL STAY FRESH LONGER.

Answer 8

As a fellow college student, I feel your pain. However, I have cut my costs significantly by doing things that are more environmentally sustainable. So, to answer your question, it is too expensive NOT to go green as a college student.  :)

How to save money and live sustainably.

*Cook for yourself, don't eat at restaurants, especially fast food.

*Shop at thrift stores rather than getting everything new

*Eat more Fruits, Veggies, and Grains rather than Animal products

*Avoid pre packaged foods and highly processed foods, eat as many whole foods as you can

*Buy in bulk from a local food co-op and use your own containers

*Ride a bike, walk, or take the bus instead of driving

*Cancel your Cable Television service

*Read more

*Periodically scan dumpsters for discarded treasures

*Don't buy bottled water, ever.

*Quit soda too, massive waste of money on empty calories

If you want more ideas and stuff I've done, I guess you can send me a message or ask another question. Good luck, and don't give up!

Answer 9

Just do whatever you can, every bit helps.

I'm a BROKE college student myself, but I try to do whatever I can to conserve.

Recycle.  That's free.  Turn your air conditioner temperature up a few notches.  That one will of course SAVE you money.  Buy non-chemical cleaning products...like Clorox Greenworks.  Those are usually actually CHEAPER than the harmful chemical cleaning products!  Drive slower speeds to save gas and reduce harmful CO2 emissions, and turn off your car AC...roll your windows down.

Just a few tips :] but there are lots more!

For more ideas go to:

http://www.greenyour.com

Lots of ideas on that website!  I use it all the time.

Answer 10

It is expensive, hard and meaningful to act in enviro neutral ways, or ways of less harm. HOWEVER, there is an idea that gree is for the upper class because they are the only ones who can afford to totally do so.

What you can do use a bike or pt as much as possble. Don't buy highly packaged things, etc.

O and if it's yellow let it mellow- if it's brown flush it down!

Answer 11

You can very easily go green and SAVE money, as above explained.  Turn off lights and electronics and turn down heat or a/c when you leave the dorm (I know this won't save you money, it'll save the school money and save the enviro).  Find creative ways to re-use instead of buying new, type free-cycle {your area} into google to see if there is a free-cycle club where people list used items they no longer want rather than throwing them away.  If you're on a meal plan make sure you get vegetables and grains with every meal (meat consumes more acreage per calorie).  Consider saving money on insurance and gas by getting a bicycle or motor-cycle (cool & green).

Answer 12

It's expensive and, frankly, pointless.  If after you get out of school and work a few years, you still feel like going green, knock yourself out, untill then, consider it an impulse.

Answer 13

Um... I remember my college days and money was tight... I look back and realize... I was GREEN.

Girl you already are green and probably don't know it.  Do you drive to school every day?  Probably not.  Do you walk to class?  Can you recycle?

Are you spending a ton of money - or your parents money on stuff you don't need?  Are you living a totally consumptive lifestyle?

Maybe you live in the dorms... talk about reducing your footprint!

You see what I am saying...

That guy who answered first is a moron.  He has no idea what it means to go Green.  He's just been listening to talk radio.

It's in college where we learn to live simply, adopt a non-consumptive lifestyle and become "green."

Answer 14

NO JUST USE $ WISELY, AND LOOK FOR A DISCOUNT GROCERY STORE