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A lot of people think that going green will be too much effort and cost them too much money, so they simply do not bother, which is a real shame because going green can actually save you some precious green and make your bank balance healthier than ever before! Don’t believe me? Here are several ways you can save green by going green:
Solar Panels
Although you will need to spend some money to have solar panels installed on your property, you should treat it as a worthwhile investment because, depending on where you live, you could generate most of your electricity needs with them, which means that your energy bills will be slashed to near oblivion. Even when you factor in things like solar maintenance costs, you will probably find that, over their lifetime, you will save much more than you spend by installing solar panels.
Video Conferencing
Instead of paying lots of money to travel for business meetings, conferences and events, that are over in matter of hours, conduct your business through video conferencing services such as Skype and not only will you save hundreds, even thousands, of dollars and cut your carbon emissions, but you’ll be able to go home and sleep in your own bed at night.
Cloth Diapers
Disposable diapers use a lot of resources in the manufacturing process, and when they are used, they end up in landfill, which means they are far from eco-friendly. By switching them for reusable cloth diapers, you could save upwards of $2000, and your baby will probably find them more comfortable too!
Tumble Dryer
Of all the appliances, we have in our kitchens and laundry rooms, nothing uses more energy than the tumble dryer. If you dry your clothes outdoors on a line or indoors using a laundry horse, you could save hundreds of dollars over the life of your dryer, and your clothes might just last that bit longer too.
Buy in Bulk
If you can buy food in bulk, you will cut down on packaging, your carbon footprint will be lower, because you will be making fewer journeys to the store and because it costs less to transport bulk food, and you will save money because bulk foods tend to be heavily discounted.
Buy a Reusable Coffee Cup
If you drink a lot of takeout coffee, instead of getting a new disposable cup with each visit, buy your own reusable cup and have the barista fill that up each time to use less finite resources and avoid sending all those cups to landfill. Many coffee shops will even charge you a little less for doings o!
Upcycle
Instead of throwing things away when they start to be a bit worn and instead of buying lots of new stuff, try to recycle and repurpose as many things as possible. Paint old furniture to give it a new lead of life, use old t-shirts as dusters and, well you get the idea. Before you toss anything, try to think about whether you could use it in a new and interesting way to save money and the planet!
