From the Frugalist – a guy who loves to make lists here’s 57 tips on going green and saving money.
Some good ideas here although I’m not sure how he arrived at the dollar savings of going green i.e car pooling will save you $780 a year, but he’s right it would save a pile of money. As will many of his other green money savers — lots of great links as well.
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6 Easy Ways to Green your Transport and save $$
- Bike or walk to work. The only gas you’ll use with this option is oxygen. Savings: $1,560 per year.
- Telecommute. Learn about this quiet revolution [PDF link] in the workplace. Telecommuting twice a week can save you 40 percent of your gas costs according to the Telework Coalition. Savings: $624 per year.
- Carpool. If you must use your car, share your ride. Find a ride in your local paper or try craigslist. Savings: $780 per year if shared with one other person.
- Keep your car tuned. A well-tuned car uses approximately nine percent less gas than a poorly tuned car, and you can lose about two percent in fuel economy for every pound of pressure your tire is under the recommended level. Savings: $150 per year.
- Learn to drive. Rapid acceleration and braking can lower your gas mileage by five percent around town and 33 percent on the highway, or an average of $0.55 per gallon. And, you get less mileage for your money (23 percent less or $0.67 per gallon) if you drive over 60mph. Savings: $1.22 per gallon, or $634 per year.
- Decrease your drag. If you aren’t using that overhead luggage rack, take it off (do you really need to carry that much luggage in the first place?). Also, it may help to turn off the AC and open up your windows to conserve gas, but not when you’re cruising down the highway at 60mph. Open windows at that speed increases drag and is less conservative than using the AC
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Consumption, Consumerism and Global Warming – Connecting the Dots
Stephen Leahy, International Environmental Journalist 
The 2 biggest points I try to make are 1) going green doesn’t have to involve sacrifice because people always think they have to give up something and 2) anytime you conserve gas or electricity your wallet gets a little heavier, and since most people think with their wallets, it’s a good point to make.
Lately been thinking that our lives could be much better, happier and more satisfying in climbing off the consumption treadmill. If you could re-organize our economy to maximize these things how would you do it?
I did reply to you last week, but it must have gotten caught as spam or something. Well, it was really long, but the bulk of it said consumption is good because that’s how our economy is built. Keeping money squirreled away under a mattress is disastrous for our economy. And then I mentioned tax cuts, etc. for getting companies and individuals to go green. Sorry, that wasn’t nearly as informative as the original post. 😉
“Lately been thinking that our lives could be much better, happier and more satisfying in climbing off the consumption treadmill. If you could re-organize our economy to maximize these things how would you do it?”
Hi Stephen, We met while briefly doing a cab pool across Toronto at the Planet in Focus film festival. Pity this question isn’t being addressed better at government level. I’m not against growth per se but we need better measurement tools to define that growth. GDP is not helpful as a barometre of a nation’s quality of life – but it is the touchstone (or some might stay) millstone by which most progress is measured. I’d introduce at least one other measurement tool – perhaps the Ecological Footprint or Genuine Progress Indicator that would take into account social and environmental progress, not just economic growth.
[…] Talent Zoo has been recycling and striving to be a paper-less office for years now, but we’re also planning to do additional things this year to Go Green such as installing energy saving light bulbs and low-flow water regulators. There are many things you can do at home to Go Green. Check out this blog called 57 Tips On Going Green and Saving Money. […]
I really enjoyed these tips and will use them as much as possible. I also wanted to let people know about a new product that is eco friendly it is called the bamboo bed. If your in the market for a new bed you may want to try this one out. It is made from bamboo fiber and has 100% Recycled metal for the springs it is the newest bed at the brick made by serta. remember to think green 🙂
we love it,it helped us alot
JUST JOKING!!!!!!!1although going green really does make me feel good you have great tips that i will use you got some skills!
[…] 57 Tips on Going Green and Saving Money – Stephen Leahy […]
Hi Stephen,
After reading your tips for going green, I thought the following “Green holiday tips that will keep you out of the red” would be of interest to you to share on your blog and with your readers.
Millions of consumers don’t think they have the time or money to go green, ESPECIALLY during the busy holiday season.
With the help of Elizabeth Rogers, co-author of New York Times bestseller THE GREEN BOOK and author of the upcoming SHIFT YOUR HABIT: EASY WAYS TO SAVE MONEY, SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE, AND SAVE THE PLANET (March 2010), your readers can save money AND save the planet.
Here are 10 earth-friendly shifts to save more than $1000 this holiday season:
1. Skip the invites and e-vite! Savings: $20 per year on invitation and stamp costs, not to mention conserving trees, energy, water and waste. Take it one step further and replace your holiday cards with an animated e-greeting, saving you another $50 if you typically buy 15 cards per year.
2. Forget the flame. Use LED tea lights and candles. Paired with LED holiday lights, you’ll save $50 over their 20-year lifetime, and eliminate a carbon-emitting fire hazard.
3. Get real! Ditch the plastic tree and buy a live one. Savings: $100 or more over six years. You’ll rid your house of PVC plastic, and plastic trees contain nearly 70 grams of lead. Yuck!
4. Use your own washable dishes, glasses and silverware instead of disposable plastic plates, cups and cutlery. Save more than $25 and reduce plastic waste.
5. Use cloth instead of paper napkins and save $50 a year. If every person used just one fewer napkin per day, we’d keep 150 million of them from the trash each year.
6. Hit iTunes or check out Pandora.com to create your holiday party playlists. You’ll save up to $300 per year if you buy an average of three albums per month.
7. Buy high-quality, reusable holiday and party decorations instead of disposable ones, and save $100 per year! For example, buy a reusable advent calendar. Or if you’re feeling crafty, buy an inexpensive canvas over-the-door shoe organizer and create a homemade advent calendar with your kids.
8. Go vintage! Give a fashionable antique or collectible. Locate a hard-to-find toy, album, movie, book or piece of art. Reusing things that other people discard keeps them out of the waste stream and can save you $100 or more.
9. Don’t shred the gift wrap! If you re-use just half of it next year, you’ll save more than $15. Even better, get creative when wrapping. Use a scarf, comic book, newspaper, scrap fabric or personally decorated brown paper bag.
10. Finally, leave the car at home. When headed out for that much needed holiday vacation, take a shuttle service to and from the airport, and save up to $100 per trip. To be even greener, pack your presents in vintage or used luggage as opposed to new suitcases and save another $500.
TOTAL SAVINGS: More than $1000
And this is only the beginning! For an additional $50,000 worth of tips, check out http://www.shiftyourhabit.com. If you’d like to find out more about Elizabeth Rogers and the SHIFT YOUR HABIT movement, please contact me directly.
Karlyn Nelson
Freud Communications
6500 Wilshire Blvd Suite 1900
Los Angeles, CA 90048
t: 323 866 6063
f: 323 866 6093
karlyn.nelson@freud.com
I love being frugal.Being environmentally-friendly is just good economics – in our home and budget, and with the earth God gave us.