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By now, we all know the “inconvenient truth”—the Earth’s environment is endangered. But here’s a convenient truth: You can help Mother Earth while also saving money.
Links between going green and saving green are undeniable. But a misconception persists that making an environmental effort will cost you money or convenience. That can be true in some cases, but today there are many examples of how you can help Mother Earth while being kind to your wallet.
1. Avoid Bottled Water
Money doesn’t grow on trees, but water does fall from the sky—for free. Yet Americans spend in the neighborhood of $16 billion a year on bottled water. Maybe it’s no accident that Evian spelled backwards is naive.
Bottled water can easily cost $10 per gallon—far more than gasoline. Meanwhile, plain tap water, which for generations has been a perfectly fine source of drinking water, costs about half a cent per gallon. Bottled water is no safer than tap water, nor does it necessarily taste better. In fact, some of the leading brands of bottled water are filtered municipal tap water.
The environmental damage that bottled water causes is widespread, ranging from oil used to make the bottles to gasoline to transport the bottles to the bottles themselves ending up as litter and in landfills.
At home, drink tap water or filtered tap water. While heading out to work, on errands, or to the gym, instead of taking bottled water along, bring a reusable water bottle for carrying tap water or filtered tap water. Nice bottles are available from mysigg.com and kleankanteen.com, to name a couple of online retailers. If you want to really go green, buy reusable bottles made from corn and quickly biodegrade from newwaveenviro.com.
2. Step Off the Gas
In the short term, you might not have control over what you drive, but you have total control over how you drive. Don’t be a lead foot. Driving 75 mph, rather than 65 mph, could cut your fuel economy by 15 percent.
And don’t drive like a jackrabbit. Anticipate traffic conditions to avoid sudden braking and acceleration. Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent in the city. While driving, imagine you have an uncovered cup of hot coffee in your cup-holder. If you don’t want it to splash and spill, you’ll have to drive smoothly.
Check your tires’ air pressure. Underinflated tires can increase fuel consumption more than 3 percent. The correct pressure usually can be found on a label in your vehicle’s driver-side doorjamb. Also, check for the lowest gasoline prices in your area. The Website www.GasBuddy.com and others allow you to compare gas prices in your area as reported by fellow drivers.
Buying a gas-efficient car is a good idea, but selling a paid-for gas guzzler to buy a new hybrid vehicle may not make financial sense. Alternatively, group car trips while running errands and, if possible, plot a clockwise route to take advantage of the right-on-red rules. Right-hand turns help avoid idling while waiting at a red light or for opposite traffic to cease to make a left. Joining a carpool or taking public transportation to work or to go shopping will also help save gas.
3. See the Light
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) saves you money, both on the bulbs and on electricity costs. In fact, each bulb will save you at least $30 over its life compared with incandescent bulbs, according to conservative estimates by the U.S. Department of Energy. Replace your five most-used lights with CFLs to see how well you like them. They’ll last far longer than incandescent bulbs and use a quarter of the electricity. Today’s CFLs are much better than those of a generation ago. It’s time to try them again.
4. Be a Smart Battery Buyer
Like CFLs, rechargeable batteries are much better than they were a generation ago. Try the new “hybrid” rechargeable batteries. The main knock on rechargeables is that they self-drain and might need to be charged when you need them most. But new pre-charged hybrid batteries can retain 85 percent of their charge after a year of sitting idle. Today’s rechargeables last longer than regular alkaline batteries and can be charged hundreds of times. That makes them far cheaper in the long run than disposable alkalines that can cost $1 or more each.
While getting a better deal, you save hundreds, even thousands, of disposable batteries from ending up in landfills. It will be many years away, but once the rechargeable batteries don’t hold a charge anymore, remember to recycle them. Drop them off at such retailers as Sears, Radio Shack, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Staples, and OfficeMax, or visit www.call2recycle.org for a list of battery recyclers near you.
5. Keep Paid-for Air Indoors
When you pay to heat or cool your house, do your best to retain that conditioned air. Replacing windows may save some energy, but you might never recoup in energy savings what you spend on replacement windows. Alternatively, seal windows, doors, and cracks with inexpensive insulating kits from your local hardware store or home center. Pay special attention to cracks, such as those around pipe cutouts to the outdoors, gaps around chimneys, recessed lights, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Seal them with inexpensive caulking and insulation.
In winter, lowering your thermostat by one imperceptible degree can save 5 percent on heating costs. In summer, raising your thermostat—assuming you have central air conditioning—can save 3 percent. Don’t junk perfectly good appliances, but if you’re buying new ones anyway, it’s usually worthwhile to buy an energy-efficient Energy Star–rated model. And remember that ceiling fans create a wind chill that only makes human skin feel cooler; it doesn’t actually cool your house. So turn off fans unless a person is nearby.
6. Reduce Paper Waste
Opt for online billing. Some of the regular companies you pay each month will give you a discount if you forgo a paper bill. Also, automatic online bill paying saves the cost of postage, and might save you some late charges besides avoiding paper checks, envelopes, and bills.
Identity theft can be a hassle and expensive. One way to avoid this is to stop credit card offers from arriving by mail, as they can be intercepted by thieves who apply for credit in your name. Visit www.optoutprescreen.com or call (888) 5OPTOUT to stop credit offers.
If you’re not already on the Do Not Call list, eliminate telemarketing calls at www.donotcall.gov or call (888) 382-1222. For more ways to eliminate junk mail and catalogs, see the Fact Sheet No. 4 at privacyrights.org.
7. Slay the Vampire
In the average home, 75 percent of electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. These “vampire” appliances are neither fully on, nor fully off. They suck electricity constantly. For instance, over its life a microwave oven consumes more energy powering its clock than it does cooking food, researchers have found. Computers, DVD players, VCRs, TVs, battery chargers, garage-door openers, and cable and satellite TV boxes are other examples of potential vampires. If the device stays lit or warm when off, or has a clock or remote control, it’s likely a vampire.
It may not be practical to unplug your microwave after use because it’s a hassle to reset the clock, but for electronics grouped together, try using a power strip. That allows you to flip a switch to cut all power to each of the components plugged into the strip. And remember to always power off your computer when it’s not in use or place it in a power-reducing standby mode.
8. Reduce Water Waste
Install a low-flow showerhead to save up to five gallons of water a minute. To save water—and perhaps enhance your relationship—shower with a spouse. And to save toilet water, adhere to the admittedly crude mantra, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” Fix leaky faucets and toilets, as a leaky toilet can waste up to 52,800 gallons a year. To reduce water used in toilet flushing, try placing a plastic bottle filled with water in your toilet tank; this can save 11 gallons of water per day.
Turn off the water when you brush your teeth and you’ll save four gallons a minute—a family of four can save 200 gallons a week by doing just that alone. Also, turn off water when you shave or shampoo. Soak pots and pans to scrape them clean, rather than letting the water run. Outdoors, water plants early in the morning rather than midday to reduce evaporation.
9. Watch the Washers
Energy-efficient clothes washers and dishwashers give the double-whammy of saving both water and electricity. Replacing a working washer probably doesn’t make financial sense because you won’t make up in energy savings what it costs to buy a new one. However, if you’re replacing the appliance anyway, get an energy-efficient one. Wash your clothes in cold water, which can save $63 per year. Use detergents formulated for cold water; your clothes will get just as clean.
With dishwashers, save up to $100 on combined water and energy bills over the lifetime of an Energy Star dishwasher. Compared with conventional models, they can use 25 percent less hot water and energy. With both clothes and dishes, run washers only when they’re full.
These are just some small steps you can take to save some green while helping save the environment. Over time, you’ll find each small step adds up.
Gas-Savings Myths
Myth: Fill up in the morning.
Truth: The idea is that air is cooler in the morning and the gasoline will be denser, giving you more gas for the same money. But the temperature of pumped gasoline varies little, so any savings will be negligible, according to Consumer Reports.
Myth: Additives can improve gas mileage.
Truth: Gas-tank additives and devices that attach to your car won’t give you better gas mileage, regardless of marketers’ claims. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tested more than 100 of them and found that none made a significant difference.
Myth: Lowering windows lowers gas mileage.
Truth: Both running air conditioning and lowering windows don’t have a significant impact on gas mileage. Do whichever you want to stay cool.
Helpful Energy Websites
Alliance to Save Energy, ase.org
U.S. Department of Energy, eere.energy.gov/consumer
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, aceee.org
Energy Star program, energystar.gov
Energy Savers, energysavers.gov
Kids Saving Energy, eere.energy.gov/kids
Green Energy Choice, greenenergychoice.com
Consumer Energy Center, consumerenergycenter.org
Smart Energy Living Alliance, smartenergyliving.org
Gregory Karp is a nationally published newspaper columnist and author of Living Rich by Spending Smart: How to Get More of What You Really Want (FT Press, 2008).
