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GO GREEN WITH CHUCK
for quite some time, long before it became fashionable to go green, i have been involved in the "green" movement. now, you don't have to be as nuts about it as I am, but here are 10 quick, easy and pretty inexpensive ways to go green. some of these can actually save you money.
1. recylcle everything you can. most towns now allow you to put all of your recycling in one bucket, including glass, aluminum and paper. why not go one step further and recycle your batteries and ink cartridges too. your town probably will take the batteries and recycle them, and most stores that sell printer ink will take the used one back to be recycled.
2. change the lightbulbs in your house to the new low wattage CFL bulbs. they used to come only in flourescent blue and were spiral shaped. now they are made in soft-white and look like regular bulbs. they last for years and use about 20% of the electric a regular bulb does. you can buy a big pack at one of the chain home remodeling stores for about $ 10.
3. buy recycled products and eco-friendly products. if you buy bottled water, buy the ones with the thinner plastic and hour-glass shaped bottles. they take 30% less plastic to be made. ( and recycle them when you're done ). recycled products are now available for many of the things we use in life. the easiest ways to buy recycled is in paper products. napkins, paper towels, tissues, copy paper and yes, even TP are available in recycled form. ( don't worry, the recycled TP ain't what it sounds like...yuk ) and most of the recycled paper items are little or no different in price than the "regular" products they replace.
**here's an added note about plastic water bottles. some companies have
switched to a new smaller cap, that saves about 20 % of the plastic used
to make them. if annually caps take a million pounds of plastic to be made,
buying the smaller caps saves 200,000 lbs. of plastic a year.
4. plant a tree. trees help the environment in more ways than you
want me to type right here.
5. if you can afford a few extra dollars a month, buy your electric from the
windfarm just outside the marina area. if you rent an apartment, it costs
about $ 7 more a month. for houses, anywhere from $7 -22. ac electric
will make the switch for you, its easy and free to switch.
6. take advantage of the government's new cash for clunkers tax
credit. you get up to $ 4500 for your old vehicle, and you get a brand
new car. how does this help the environment and make you " greener " ?
newer vehicles have higher standards to meet for emissions and gas
mileage, both excellent for the environment. the car dealerships and
companies get to sell more cars, and you get a new car. everyone wins.
7. save yourself some money by shutting off all non-essential electric
when not being used, or you're not at home. you save money every
month, and enough houses or businesses doing this will make a serious
savings in electrcity useage and production. take a walk around your place
today. bet you'll find many ways to cut back on the electric you use.
8. buy a few cloth grocery bags. they hold more than paper or plastic,
so you may only need a few. they last a long time, and they save the environment from over useage of paper and plastic. its cheap and easy,
and once you get the cloth bags, you're good for a long time. now, until
you have the chance to get the cloth bags, make sure you recycle the paper
and plastics ones. you can recycle the paper ones right in your recycle bin
and the plastic ones you can take back to the supermarket and drop them
off. its easy and cheap.
9. if you like to work outside in the yard and in the garden like i do, ( its one
reason why i like living in the country ) then you probably have bushes, trees
and flowers. some of those flowers are probably annuals, which have to be
planted every year....or do they ? instead of pulling those dead plants out,
let them stay there all winter and drop their seeds. or if you do pull them out,
shake them real well when you do. those seeds will sprout again next year
and those plants that live only one year will give birth to many more, thickening
your garden with more plants and flowers. those plants and flowers do many
things to help our ecology including holding top soil, attracting birds,
butterflies and hummingbirds, and just making the place look nicer. goin green
is a lot more fun and attractive when the things you do make your yard and
home look more appealing.
10. probably something we are all guilty of from time to time, allowing too
much water to run when we brush our teeth, wash dishes, wash the car.
most people have to pay for their water, in one way or another. its not a
flat-rate per month, but a per gallon useage. so not only will being careful
with running water help conserve, but it should save you money too.
11. here's an added note for you to think about. about 2 years ago, my
town allowed single source recycling so that paper, aluminum, glass and plastic could all be thrown into the same cans. back then we used to put out 4 trash cans and 2 recycling cans each week. now, just 2 years later, its seldom more than 2 trash cans each week, sometimes even just one, and the recycling is now almost always 5 cans. full cans. and not just the little curbside buckets, but 5 full size trash cans. it didn't take any more effort, just had to plan it differently. does your trash still exceed your recycling ? then its time to change. c'mon, get going.
if i can do it, you can too.
got any go-green ideas of your own ? call me when i'm on the air and i may just mention it and you on the shark. 609-927-1037 gets you right into the studio with me...aren't you lucky! |
