- Use Compact Florescent Light bulbs. We replaced
16 light bulbs in the house and the electric bill went down
$40 a month!
- Put a brick in your toilet tank. The
tank fills to a certain level and then shuts off when flushed.
If you put a brick in the tank, it will take up space that water
used to and save that much water every time you flush!
- Recycle Aluminum cans. If you do or
don't have curbside recycling, saving aluminum cans and taking them
to your local recycling center can earn you some money. In my
area, Aluminum right now is getting around 40 cents a pound!!
It adds up quickly!
- Slow Down! Not only does abiding by
the speed limit save you money on tickets and insurance, it is safer
and it actually reduces the amount of gas your car consumes.
- Compost. Take a look at the things
that you are throwing away. A lot of that could be used for
compost. Please check out an online compost
guide here. Save money on potting soil and combined with
recycling, you could not only reduce the used up space in your local
landfill, but you will also reduce the number of garbage bags you
are using considerably.
- Bring your used grocery bags back to the
store to reuse, or drop in their recycling bin if they have
one. You can also switch to cloth bags and use them over and
over. You'll be using less plastic and saving the store money,
which if everyone did, prices might go down!
- Check with your local power company and
see if there are any places in your area that sell electricity from
renewable resources.
- Look into alternative power sources, such
as a wind generator for your home. This helps in many
ways. They are a little expensive at first, but if you get a
good enough system, the energy that it generates will go back into
the grid and your power meter will actually run BACKWARDS!!
You should make the money back within the first year or two. Most
power companies will not cut you a check, but you won't be paying
for electricity anymore and saving money and energy for your whole
community. If everyone did it, demand would go down and so
would prices. You will also still be hooked up to the power
company, so when there is no wind, you still have power. And
when the power goes out, some systems store power in batteries so
that you have power when everyone else doesn't.
- Ride a bike, walk, or use public
transportation. Whenever possible, you should leave your car
at home. With gas prices being what they are you will save
money and when walking or riding a bike, you are also improving your
heath!
- Reuse! Shop at thrift stores and
check out Craig's list or eBay.
There are many great deals to be had out there and Craig's
list actually has a free section. You'd be shocked at the
things that you can get for free on Craig's list. There are
also Yahoo groups in every area called "Freecycle."
They send out mailings to let people know what they have for free
that they don't need any more. The only requirement to get on
the list is that you have to give something away! Please also
check out Freesharing.
- Shop at your local Farmer's
Market. Not only is the food fresher and tastier, but often
bigger and cheaper. and we all know that farmers have it very
rough. It's always good to help out!
- Use your local library. You can read
the paper, check out magazines and books causing less paper use and
fewer trees cut down. You can also try ebooks. Cheap,
downloadable without going to the store and using more gas and paper
free!
More to come!! Please submit
your ideas and links to greener living to submissions@patriotstoolbox.org
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