Save the Planet, Save Your Money

Not everyone believes Global Warming is caused by humans and not everyone even cares if it is. None the less the Earth is a mess, a garbage dump for human activity. We should at least try to clean up the planet for the sake of having a cleaner planet. For the very reason of having clean air, clean water, and better lives for all of us. Here are some simple steps we can take that will not only help save the planet BUT will also save us money.

1. Do Not Get Take-out Coffee

   Personally I do not drink coffee, I am more of a tea person, but I do not even get take out tea. Take out anything generally uses disposable cups (only a small portion of people bring their own reusable mugs). All these disposable cups add up. But also take out coffee is highly marked up, the price you pay when you brew your own is pennies in comparison. I go even further myself, when in restaurants I usually only have water to drink. You know yourself how much a bottle of pop costs, so why pay a fortune for pop (or any drink) that the restaurants get much cheaper?

2. Grow your Own Food

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   Everyone, even apartment dwellers can grow something. If all you have is a small balcony, you can at least grow container tomatoes or strawberries. If you have bigger space you can grow a bigger assortment of vegetables, potatoes, or fruit. Plus a fruit tree provides some shade. When you grow your own food it is healthier as you control the amount of chemicals used. You save money because most things only cost you for the pack of seeds. You save the environment because there is no shipping in getting the final product to you. Some plants are so productive you can share with your friends, family, and pets.

3. Do Not Clean Your House

   Well, okay, still clean it but do not use all those chemicals. Use simple things like vinegar, or baking soda in hot water. Bleach, although not entirely environmentally friendly is still better than most chemical cleaners. When you think of spray disinfectants, ask yourself what would you rather be exposed to, a germ for which our bodies are naturally prepared to deal with, or a chemical we have no tolerance for?

4. Turn off…

   Turning off water when you are not using it, even when you are brushing your teeth, will save a lot of water. Turning off lights, radios, televisions, etc when you are not in the room will save a lot of electricity. Doing both will save you a lot of money.

5. Shop at Second Hand Stores

   You would be surprised at what you can get. Some stores often receive new goods. I often find clothes in second hand stores with their original tags still on, presumably bought by a shopaholic who never wore them and passed them on. Who knows, but I must say you can find good value and often unique items in second hand shops. In return I also pass on any unwanted clothes or other items to the second hand stores. Buying new things means we use the planets resources. Buying used is a great alternative to raping mother earth.

6. Do not take Shampoo from the Hotel

   A small thing, but it helps. If hotels were not expected to provide shampoo and soaps, ultimately the cost of rooms would go down. Probably only by a dollar, but still its a dollar. Fewer tiny plastic bottles would be in the garbages and everyone would be better off. If you need the shampoo by all means, use it, but do not just take it home for the fact of taking something home you will never use. I wonder how many hotel soaps end up in peoples bathroom cabinets and ultimately in their garbage. And why stop there?? Do not take ANYTHING you do not need. Do not ask for ketchup in your bag if you have ketchup at home to use, do not take free stuff just because its free, if its not something you need or can use.

7. Don’t Idle Your Car

   New vehicles do not need to be warmed up. Often times their own manuals recommend only thirty seconds. If you are stuck in a traffic jam, or in a drive through, or are waiting for your kids to come out of school, turn off the engine. In most new vehicles after fifteen seconds of idling you would have used less gas by shutting off the engine and restarting the car. Also many cities now have idling by-laws where you can be charged for running your engine too long. I live in Canada, if I do not have to idle my engine, nor do you.

8. Turn down…

   Turning down the heat or air conditioning really can make a difference. Both in your car (where they use gas) and in your home. If you are going out, make sure you turn these down. At night you should also turn these down.

9. Alternative Sources

   Sure I wish I could afford a new hybrid, or electric car, but I can’t (well not yet anyhow), however I do have solar powered lights outside. Even something like rechargeable batteries or crank flashlights are a good idea. Heck, I wish I could have wind power or a giant wind turbine in my back yard or solar panels on my roof.

10. Eat Less Meat

    I am not saying to go vegetarian, just to cut back, have some meatless meals or at least smaller portions of meat. The average American eats enough meat in one meal to feed a family of four in Japan. Our portion sizes are out of control. The correct size should be equivalent to the size of a deck of cards and meat is not needed every day. In some countries they are lucky to get meat once a month, and oddly enough many of those people live long lives. Meat is environmentally unfriendly not only because of cattle flatulence, but also because of the deforestion to keep cattle or raise food for them.

11. Do Not Buy Junk You do not Need

    (see shopaholic in #5) Nobody needs knick knacks, shoes for every day of the year, or half the stuff stores sell. Everything comes at a price, and the price is not what you see on the tag. The price is the destruction of the planet. We rape the planet of its resources, making things in factories that pollute the sky and water. You do not need it, it is of no use, do not buy it.

12. Shop for Locally Made Items

    Sadly items made locally are often more costly than those made over seas, but sometimes you can find items at farmers markets, or arts and craft sales that are lower in cost. Ultimately keeping the money in our local economy benefits us best. Even if you can find something made in your own country, you reduce shipping, so you have helped.

13. Breast Feed your Baby

    It’s free and it saves the planet because you do not use formula or bottles. It is safer for your baby and healthier. But mostly its free. How can you complain about free? Come on people.. its FREE!

14. After that Baby… STOP!

    Something people don’t think about, but should, is that every human being on the planet is a consumer… Eating, pooping, needing, consuming. Every person needs food, shelter, and toilet paper (hopefully toilet paper made from recycled paper) for their bums. The more people you have the more of a demand it places on the planet. The more children you have the more of a demand it places on your wallet. Oddly enough studies have shown the more educated a person is, the less likely they are to have a big family. What do they know? Anyhow with over 6.5 Billion people, we do not really need any more.

Okay so now you are all set to save the planet and save your self a bunch of money… and what are you gonna do with all that money you saved??

I would encourage you to invest it in more money saving things like environmentally friendly light bulbs, solar panels, more fruit trees, your very own egg laying chicken, or a hybrid car.