Going Green On A Budget

The trend of saving the environment by “going green” has been slowly building into a stronger movement over the past few years. After Al Gore frightened America with his observations on the disintegration of our environment in An Inconvenient Truth, more people have wanted to get involved with trying to improve life for future generations. A good amount of tips to change the Earth often involve spending a lot of money, money that people don’t really have. College students, in particular, can’t afford that kind of advocacy, despite the fact that the majority are really passionate about changing the world in some way. There are easy ways to help the environment without shelling out cash to Greenpeace on the streets or converting every single household appliance to Energy Star brand. For those students who want to make a difference in a simpler way, I have tips to help them get started.

1. Buy cloth shopping bags. The effect using plastic bags once and tossing them is tremendously high. Not only do they hurt various animals, but they also add excessive amounts of carbon emissions to the air. Not only would cloth bags cut down pollution of plastic drastically, but they also could be bought in different styles, so one could mix or match however he or she pleased. Cloth bags are very cheap, depending on the store (I happen to buy my bags at thrift stores at a dollar apiece). Of course, people can still remain with plastic if they wanted. However, it is always good to remember to recycle the bags until they can no longer be used.
2. Convert your bills to paperless. A lot of corporations, including phone and cable companies, have many options for paying monthly fees, including paying bills online. This practice is good for the environment, since less paper has to be used overall. It also takes a lot quicker to pay and process a bill payment if done online, so this gives customers no excuse to pay their bills on time (except if they don’t have the money, of course).
3. Don’t wash semi-clean clothes. I don’t advocate this rule because I’m uncleanly. I love the scent of fresh clothes from the dryer and wear them until the feeling goes away and/or smell becomes unwearable. However, I’m not a fan of throwing clothes into the washer if they can still be worn. Jeans can be worn plenty of times, as can skirts, sweatshirts and most other throw-on tops. An exception gets made if any of these items get soiled, of course. Otherwise, save these items for future use until a full load has been reached. It’ll keep laundry times spaced out, which will save thousands of gallons of water from being used every year.
4. Unplug appliances when not in use. Surprisingly, household items that are plugged in but are not being used waste electricity. Unplugging everything before you get home saves extra energy for those who need it, and it also keeps your electricity bills down if practiced. This leads me to my next point…
5. Bundle up! Turning up the heat to above 72 degrees in the winter adds up on your utility bills. Keep payments down by taking out any open currents (air conditioners), along with stripping any doors and windows with cracks.
6. Take public transportation any time that you can. It’s already an obvious fact that an excessive amount of cars on the road brings about more carbon dioxide into the air, which in return can mess up some people’s health. Save the ozone layer (and yourself) hassle by taking the bus or subway to wherever you need to go. If this isn’t available in these areas, ask to carpool with somebody else. Or, if you’re more of an active commuter…
7. Invest in a bike. Biking is reemerging as the hot way to commute. If artists such as Talking Heads frontman David Byrne can promote this concept, how could it not be cool to do?

With doing some (or all) of these small little tasks, one is doing a huge favor to the environment in which he or she lives. Essentially, it doesn’t take much to be a crusader. It just takes the right sort of action to get that crusader to that position.

~ by jessicaobscura on October 18, 2009.