Everyone seems to be on a “green” kick right now – which is great – and there’s a lot of good material out there. What we fail to look at in most cases is that going green can actually save us money in the long run. Sure, sometimes there’s a pretty big upfront cost on certain things, but overall, the items on this list will eventually save you money.

With that said, let’s start talking ways to go green and save money!

At Work or Home Office

1.) Use recycled paper for your printers.

2.) Use spell check before printing out documents to avoid excessive reprinting.

3.) Recycle ink and toner cartridges. Some office supply stores are even offering a discount towards your next purchase if you bring in your old cartridges

4.)Teleconference rather than travel, when at all possible.

5.) Turn off your computer completely – don’t just leave it in sleep mode.

6.) Direct deposit your checks to save on paper and trips to the bank.

7.) Take the stairs rather than the elevator.

8.) Use a manual pencil sharpener.

9.) E-mail the office memo rather than passing out paper.

For Vehicles

10.) Properly inflate your tires.

11.) When looking to buy, get a hybrid or smart car.

12.) Consider driving on 100% used vegetable oil. A word of caution here, though. This is not considered a legitimate fuel by the EPA or IRS, and does not usually hold up under factory warranties. There is also no evidence that this fuel does not cause long-term damage to the engine. But, it does save you money on gas as most restaurants would be willing to give you their unwanted oil.

13.) Carpool when possible.

14.) Use the car wash instead of washing at home. Washing at home is actually pretty environmentally unfriendly. The waste from the wash runs directly into the storm drains and eventually into bodies of water, causing toxins from the soap to flow with it. This is poisonous to most aquatic life and wreaks other ecosystem havoc. Commercial cash washes are required to drain their wastewater into sewers so that it is treated before being sent back into nature.

15.) Use public transportation when possible.

16.) Walk or bike when possible.

17.) Take the junk out of your trunk.

18.) Drive to save gas: slow down and don’t idle for too long.

19.) Park your vehicle and go inside restaurants rather than use the drive-thru.

20.) Combine errands to avoid lots of driving.

At Home – HVAC

21.) Use the thermostat a little lower in the winter and higher in the summer.

22.) Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees.

23.) Insulate your water heater – unless specifically instructed not to do so.

24.) Annually drain a bucket of water from the water heater to prevent sediment from building up. This allows your water heater to run more efficiently. HOWEVER…doing this with older water tanks can cause serious damage, so it is highly recommended that you contact your public utility company for guidance before doing this.

25.) Weather strip and caulk.

26.) Keep dampers closed on furnace and fireplace when not in use.

27.) Close heating and cooling vents in unused rooms.

28.) Clean your air filters regularly. This goes for your car, too.

29.) Close curtains in the summer to keep out the sun.

30.) Open curtains in the winter to let the sun in.

31.) Put on a sweater instead of turning on the heat.

At Home – Appliances

32.) Use rechargeable batteries.

33.) Replace burnt out bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs.

34.) When purchasing new appliances, go with energy efficient ones. Energy Star appliances are the most highly recommended.

35.) Clean your refrigerator coils annually to keep it running efficiently.

36.) Air-dry clothes rather than using the dryer.

37.) Use power strips and turn them off when not in use.

38.) Clean the lint screen in your dryer after every use.

39.) Air dry dishes in the dishwasher instead of using the dry cycle.

40.) Fill the dishwasher before running it.

41.) Decide what you want BEFORE opening the refrigerator door

At Home – Water

42.) Fix any water leaks from faucets or the toilet.

43.) Save with every flush. Put a bleach bottle full of water in the tank after your next flush. The average tank uses anywhere from 3-7 gallons of water per flush. The bleach bottle will displace about a gallon of the water, so less water is wasted.

44.) Use cold water to wash clothes whenever possible.

45.) Use filtered water rather than bottled water.

46.) Install low-flow shower heads.

47.) Harvest your rain and bath water.

48.) Don’t run the water while you brush your teeth.

At Home – Kitchen and Food Habits

49.) Reduce what you throw away. Studies show that American’s throw out an average of 4.4 pounds of trash per day, yet only a pound of that is recycled, composted, or reused. Landfills are brimming to the top with garbage that could otherwise have been put to better use. Incinerators are releasing harmful toxins in the air. And, having either of these in your area seriously devalues the price of your home.

50.) Use cloth bags rather than plastic bags.

51.) Buy in bulk to reduce packaging.

52.) Use reusable containers rather than wrapping food in foil.

53.) Use wash cloths to clean a mess rather than paper towels.

54.) Compost your scraps and start a garden.

55.) Use a tea kettle to heat water instead of a pan for quicker boiling.

56.) Cover saucepans with lids to reduce cooking time.

57.) Grill out during the summer to avoid overheating the house.

58.) Don’t peek in the oven. You lose 25% of the heat in the oven every time you open the door.

59.) Eat organic fruits and vegetables.

60.) Consider grass-fed beef. Just a few of the benefits associated with this are: a reduction in greenhouse gases, decreased soil erosion, and improved air quality.

61.) Use environmentally friendly cleaners instead of chemicals. This means make your own cleaners. I found a few good ones you might like to try.

Window Cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar in one quart of warm water.

Oven Cleaner: Mix 1 part vinegar with 4 parts water in a spray bottle. Use baking soda on any stubborn spots.

All-Purpose Bathroom and Kitchen Cleaner: dissolve two tablespoons of baking soda in one pint of warm water. Add lemon juice or vinegar to cut grease. Now, I’m a bit of a clean freak, so I worry these won’t clean surfaces and such properly. If someone tries these, let me know how they work!

62.) Use cast iron pans instead of nonstick. Apparently Teflon releases some dangerous stuff into the food as you cook. For more information on it, check out this website.

63.) Grill corn in the husk instead of foil.

64.) Use reusable coffee filters.

65.) Allow food to cool to room temperature before putting it away.

66.) Go with fresh produce instead of canned or prepackaged.

67.) Buy locally grown produce. Cheaper shipping means you get a better price!

68.) Invest in cloth napkins.

At Home – Yard Care

69.) Build a bird house to attract bug-eating birds.

70.) Pull weeds instead of using chemicals.

71.) Use a push mower to trim the yard.

72.) Don’t use plastic bags to clean pet waste.

73.) Use natural and organic pest control methods. I read somewhere that you could use soap and warm water to kill roaches. I don’t really know about that, though. I would think as resistant as they are to pesticides, warm soapy water would simply be like a bath for them. But I could be wrong.

74.) Consider solar panels.

75.) Plant a tree. Will add shade when it grows up, and improves air quality. It’s a good thing!

At Home – Personal and Hygiene

76.) Mend and repair clothes, toys, and equipment rather than buying new.

77.) Wear organic or sustainable clothing.

78.) Use aluminum-free deodorant – avoid antiperspirants.

79.) Use bar soap over liquid body wash. Since body wash is mostly water, it costs quite a bit more to transport, which in turn costs you more money.

80.) Shop at second hand stores for clothing.
Miscellaneous

81.) Stop the junk mail/paper mail. It’s been suggested that the amount of junk mail we receive in one day produces enough energy to heat a quarter of a million homes. Plus, it’s just really annoying to get all that. Visit www.DMAchoice.org and watch your junk mail decrease by 80% or more.

82.) Participate in recycling programs in your community.

83.) Small children don’t need clean paper to color on. In fact, get them something like the Magna Doodle or the Aqua Doodle so there’s no paper involved whatsoever!

84.) Turn off the lights you don’t need, especially when you’re leaving a room.

85.) Recycle your sneakers with Nike Reuse-A-Shoe. This is only available in certain states, but Nike uses the athletic shoes to make Nike Grind Material. This material is used to make sports surfaces, i.e. courts, tracks, fields, and playground surfaces. For more information, and to see if your state participates, visit Nike’s website.

86.) Recycle glass, electronics, and aluminum cans. You might even be able to get some money out of the deal!

87.) Use the library, or read e-books.

88.) Go with bamboo on flooring, cutting boards, etc.

89.) Send e-cards rather than actual cards that will just get thrown away anyway.

90.) Use biodegradable diapers – or better yet, cloth diapers.

91.) Download music instead of buying CDs. Most CDs go obsolete within a few years and end up in the landfills.

92.) Subscribe to online newspapers.

93.) Buy soft drinks in a paper cup from the fountain when possible as the paper is easier to recycle.

94.) Buy tickets online for easier recycling. The cardboard and magnetic ink they use on the tickets when purchased at the airport are much more difficult to recycle because of the chemicals. Besides, it’s less hassle to purchase online.

95.) Use a digital camera. The celluloid from regular film releases chemicals into the ground that are bad for the ecosystem when left in the landfills.

96.) Forego copies of cancelled checks. You can still balance without these, and like it or not, these are going away anyway. With the advent of Check 21, this became pretty obsolete, and as more and more merchants start running your checks through electronically, there won’t be any cancelled checks to send back anyway.

97.) Invest in “green” funds.

98.) Say no to a receipt at the ATM. I personally don’t like this because I know how hard it is for folks to balance their checkbooks. I say keep the receipt until you’ve balanced your books and then you can recycle it.

99.) Find a Freecycle group to trade with. Freecycle is a network of people actively looking to reuse things rather than throw them away. Essentially, people are giving the things they can’t sell away for free to others who may want or need them. Sometimes there’s some trading involved, so it’s a win-win for everyone. If you want to find a group in your area, check out their website.

100.) Decorate with plants to absorb indoor pollution.

101.) Use candles instead of air freshener. Air fresheners can poison pets and cause problems with your own health. I must admit, since I switched to candles from air fresheners I’ve had a lot less headaches.

There you have it folks, 101 ways to go green. As I mentioned, all of these options will in some way help you save money, be it up front, through healthcare costs, or just over time. But, it’s important that we all take steps to start preserving the resources we have and reducing our carbon footprint. The choices we make today affect our kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. It’s not just about us.

Ok, so what are your thoughts on this list? I know some of you have probably seen a good deal of these before. I tried to go outside of what other websites have posted when they’ve done 101 ways to go green, so I hope there’s at least one or two new ones on the list for you! Do you have anything you would add to this list?

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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