Be and Save Green Throughout the Entire Year
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! On this day when everything (and everyone) seems to be turning green, we thought we would share some easy tips for how you can be–and save–green throughout the entire year.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag)
Bringing your own bag to the store not only saves the planet, it could be saving you money. Some states now have ordinances that ban plastic bags and/or have added small fees to paper bag use. Click here for a pretty comprehensive list of bans and fees by state and county. In addition, some major retailers actually offer you a discount for using a reusable bag–Target gives a 5-cent for each reusable bag! Click here for a great list of current offers from retailers.
Really Turn Off Electronics
Although you may be in the habit of turning off TVs and computers when you leave a room, you may still be drawing “phantom energy”. Phantom energy is the electricity drawn from outlets when items are off but still plugged in. According to Cornell University and The Daily Green, phantom energy can cost you $200 per year (a more detailed look at the cost each household item is taking from you can be found here). The solution? Invest in a power strip so you can hook multiple items into one power source–with just a flick of the switch you are stopping the flow of electronic energy from multiple items.
Stop Rinsing Dishes
Stop rinsing dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. Yes, stop rinsing them. Most dishwashers today are strong enough to get through the grime and you will be saving an estimated 20 gallons of water per load. Speaking of the dishwasher, make sure you use it in very energy-efficient ways such as always washing a full load, turning down the heat and air-drying clean dishes. TreeHugger.com gives you some great tips here.
Stop Pre-Heating the Oven
In addition to not rinsing dishes, you should also stop pre-heating your oven. The website 50WaystoHelp.com suggests turning the oven on when you put the dish in–unless you are making bread or pastries which benefit from a pre-heat. In addition, some experts suggest turning off the oven 15-minutes before the completion time.
Implement Meatless Monday
One day a week, go vegetarian for your dinner. In addition to being good for the planet (it is estimated that it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef!) and good for your overall health, it is also good for your wallet. According to MeatlessMonday.com, eating one less meat meal a week could save you up to $80-$100 per month.
Talk to us: How are you really going green this St. Patrick’s Day?
image courtesy of flickr CC/Judith Doyle