When I speak about green living, some people automatically assume it’s going to cost more money. Yes, some green actions do cost more, but there are SO MANY things you can do that don’t cost a penny. Here are my 10 Easy Green Actions You Can Take Right Now In Your Home That Don’t Cost a Penny AND Will Save You Money.
Download my PDF tip sheet to post in your home and/or office and share with others.
A more detailed list is below.
At a very early age, I learned when you leave a room, turn off the darn light! If you have kids or adults who leave lights on, train them to turn off the lights in any room when it is not in use. It takes little effort, but will save you money. Now THAT is an easy, green action!
Unplug your TV, DVD player, and phone charger when not in use. Items with remote controls are not truly turned “off” but merely in “standby ” mode waiting to be turned on again. Similarly, even if an appliance or an electronic device is not officially ON, if it is plugged in, it is still drawing energy, often referred to as vampire energy and wasted energy is 10% of your energy bill!*
Many of us have entertainment centers with lots of cords plugged into a power strip, so this task can be made easier my simply flipping the OFF switch on the power strip.
Only wash something when it is truly dirty — it has a stain or smells. Otherwise, keep wearing or using it. Also, wash in warm or cold water and always rinse in cold. It will save energy since you won’t be heating the water to hot.
To learn more about what I do with my laundry, watch my video 3 Low Waste Laundry Tips.
Wash dishes by hand or run the dishwasher only when it is full. These days, most dishwashers are so powerful you don’t need to rinse plates in advance. On the other hand, if you have a casserole dish with baked-on pasta sauce, you might not want to let it sit for a day or two until the dishwasher fills up. When I’m in this situation, I rinse my dishes with gray water, extra water I have captured in a bowl from hand washing dishes. When you think about it, it makes no sense to use perfectly clean water to rinse dishes that are then going to be cleaned in the dishwasher!
To learn about how I conserve water when washing dishes in the kitchen, and other water-saving tips, watch my video You Don’t Need to Drink Urine to Save the Planet.
6. Plastic Bottles
Say NO to bottled water and other plastic bottled beverages because more than 80% of plastic bottles are thrown away or become litter.* And trust me, I’ve picked up that plastic litter! Plastic water bottles are so last century and they — and other plastic items — are made from petroleum and are killing our planet — especially our oceans.
7. Thermostats and Water Heaters
Don’t let your vehicle idle for more than 20 seconds. Ten percent of all our fuel use is wasted in idling. After only ten seconds, you use less gas to turn the ignition off.*
Bring your own bags everywhere. Americans throw away about 100 billion plastic bags a year; less than 1 percent of these are recycled.* Plastic bags — and other plastic products — are made from petroleum. Yes. That petroleum. And producing paper bags uses four times the energy as making plastic ones.*