Why is living green expensive?

Question

Why is living green expensive?

Answer 1

It is, it's just the energy companies get nervous when their use goes down...so...they keep raising their rates to compensate.

The only way to win is to disconnect and generate what you need yourself.

Answer 2

Living green is expensive because people don't usually do it.  Now if you are going to be totally self supportive and use recycled things for other uses, generate your own power, use your waste for fertelizer for food you grow, use special solar heaters for heating your  water, or multiple other things, it will be expensive at first.  But eventually the amount you spend at the beginning will be way lower than the amount you'd be spending annually for regular things.

Answer 3

Truthfully, it's not expensive at all. Living green doesn't mean you have to build a 600k house with all the green fixings. Although that would be nice. It means being good care takers of the environvent we have been given. At least for starters. For instance, If you live in a cold environment you can take precautions to keep heat from escaping from your house. Start with that and calculate the money you save on average a month in heating. Now take those savings and put that in an account for....say a more efficient heating system. In the meantime if something else happens, at least that money is there for an emergency. Another example is carpooling; a cheap way to save money and live a greener lifestyle.  There are alot of things you can do to help the environment and save money aswell. Alluminum takes great amounts of energy to refine and produce, yet most states offer recycling programs of some kind. Recycle your cans and bottles ect.. The garbage company where I live takes recyclables away for  free, reducing my garbage fees. Every little bit can both help the environment and save you money. No big investments, just a small amount of effort here and there thats all.

Answer 4

Who says so?

Answer 5

Some green products are more expensive bec. they're made by smaller companies or companies that aren't using sweatshops, pesticides, & other practices that damage the planet. Getting an official organic or fair-trade certification costs money for a company -- they have to pay for inspections & applications, in addition to the costs of switching their whole business over. So in the beginning, companies may have to pass these costs along to the consumer. But as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Cheap toxic junk made in foreign factories harms the planet in the long run, & that's no bargain.

Answer 6

Eric, it isn't.  the "green" label is being slapped on as a marketing ploy and an excuse to increase the price, but real green living does not cost more than a high-consumption lifestyle.  

I've bought two new vehicles in my lifetime.  I can afford to buy new, and would certainly spend more if I bought new, but I can repair minor body damage and my husband is a good mechanic, so we've saved the planet from the cost of buying new cars. I've had acquaintances who buy new every 3 years.  At that rate, I've saved myself from the depreciation on at least 10 cars since I was 20.  If I figure a $4000 depreciation when I drive them off the lot, I've saved $40,000!  The cars I buy are generally pretty economical, too.  Because I don't feel a need to compete with the neighbors' driveways, I'm perfectly content with my vehicle.

It cost me to insulate my house.  The insulation paid for itself in the first 4 years in lowered energy bills.  Anything after that was gravy.

Buying less house than we could afford payments on saved us from the devastation of the falling prices of the local McMansions.  We are perfectly comfortable in a modest house, and it has saved us a fortune on mortgage expenses.

The only thing it might cost you in the long run is the emulation of people who are in debt up to their eyeballs.  I can live with that.  Can you?

Answer 7

it actually about the same.. if you do it right some aspects like cars cost more where are you are saving a lot of money on energy costs... if your think about solar panels they are a lot of start up cost but all in all you make the money back in a year or two lots of people even make money of it since they have extra energy which they sell to the grid..

if you live green correctly it doesn't ost anymore or anyless