The Ridiculously Long List of Ways to Go Green to Save Money

Going Green With What You Drink

1. Drink filtered tap water
2. Get draft beer at bars, since few bars recycle their bottles
3. Get a reusable water bottle
4. If it comes in plastic, don’t buy it
5. If you make coffee, use a reusable coffee filter

1. If it’s cold, set thermostat for 68
2. If it’s hot, set thermostat for 76
3. Use a programmable thermostat
4. Turn down water heater
5. Use a low pressure shower head
6. Don’t buy cleaning solutions, instead make your own
7. When cold, open blinds to let sun in
8. When hot, close blinds
9. Unplug items from electrical sockets that are not used often
10. Use plants instead of air purifiers to clean air in your home
11. Live in a location with a high walk score
12. Get an energy audit
13. Learn to weather strip your doors
14. Use CFL lights wherever possible
15. Use “smart” power strips
16. Maintain your furnace
17. Replace air filter for your furnace in your house regulary
18. Turn off pilot flame for your furnace in the summer
19. Buy quality furniture that lasts
20. Buy quality used furniture
21. Decorate your house using sites like Freecycle, Craigslist, and Etsy
22. Learn how ceiling fans work
23. Use old socks and t-shirts as rags
24. Put a faucet aerator on your sink to reduce flow
25. Buy energy star appliances
26. Add insulation to your attic
27. Don’t buy a home phone if you have a cell phone
28. Don’t allow shoes inside the house
29. If floors are cold, buy a rug instead of turning up heat
30. Buy a blanket for your water heater
31. Turn off your lights if you’re not in the room
32. Use rechargeable batteries
33. Instead of turning up the heat, wear quality socks and sweaters in the winter

Saving Money and Going Green in Your Lawn and Garden

1. Share lawn equipment with neighbors
2. Rent equipment that you only use once a year
3. Start a garden
4. Plant trees to block sun coming in
5. Use electric instead of gas powered lawn equipment
6. If you have a small yard use a push mower
7. Don’t water your grass
8. If you need to water your grass, manually place sprinkler as to not water driveway, street, and sidewalk
9. Never use automatic sprinklers, check grass yourself before watering
10. Collect rain water
11. Shovel your snow with a shovel
12. See if your park district gives away mulch
13. Use solar powered lighting for your yard and garden
14. Learn how to maintain your garden without pesticides
15. Water plants when cool, to prevent water from evaporating
16. Leave your grass clippings after mowing
17. Never use a hose to wash your driveway, use a broom
18. Adjust lawn mower to high setting, this allows the grass to retain more moisture

Going Green with Transportation

1. Buy only cars that have a high MPG
2. Buy a small car
3. Buy a used bike
4. Take public transportation
5. Walk everywhere possible
6. Ride a bike
7. Car pool
8. Don’t drive more than 55 MPH
9. Set cruise control whenever possible
10. Instead of buying a car, use public transportation and rent when needed
11. When idling, turn car off
12. Learn how to care for your own car, including changing your own oil
13. Fill your tires to their proper pressure
14. Read your car manual (most cars don’t require an oil change every 3,000 miles)
15. If taking a long road trip, pack your own food
16. Get rid of any excess weight in your car, usually found in your trunk
17. Accelerate and brake gradually
18. Tigthen gas cap
19. Roll downwindows and turn off the AC
20. Take stairs instead of an elevator
21. Combine errands
22. Don’t warm up your car in the winter, instead  drive it slowly at first

Clothing/Laundry

1. By quality items, second hand
2. Instead of throwing clothes out, give away and take a tax deduction
3. Make your own laundry detergent
4. Air dry your clothes
5. Wash clothes only if they smell or are dirty, not after every use
6. Use the “warm” setting on your washer, instead of hot
7. Wash only full loads
8. Share formal clothing (shoes, purses, suits, dresses, etc…) that you don’t use often, with a friend similar in size
9. Take your wire hangers and plastic bags back to the cleaners
10. Better yet, don’t buy clothes that need to be dry cleaned
11. Buy basic clothes that match all your other clothes (For example, just buy one black suit with multiple shirt and tie combinations)
12. Don’t use bleach
13. Don’t use fabric softener
14. Clean lint trip thoroughly after each use
15. Check if clothes  in the dryer are done before timer goes off
16. Consider buying a front-loading washing machines, which are usually more energy efficient

Finances

1. Pay attention to tax laws that encourage sustainable living
2. Request paperless statements to avoid any account fees
3. Combine home and auto insurance with one company to reduce paper costs and to save money
4. Monitor your energy bills on a month by month basis

How To Turn Your Fitness Routine Green

1. Don’t workout with anything that needs to be plugged in
2. Workout outdoors, whenever possible
3. Multi-task, walking or biking to work can be your workout for the day
4. Buy only basic equipment like shoes, jump rope, yoga mats, etc… instead of shake weights and ab rollers
5. Use your body as a weight, i.e push ups, pull ups
6. Use nature as equipment, i.e. trees are pull up bars and the lake is your swimming pool

Save Money In Your Bathroom

1. Take a navy shower
2. Take cold showers
3. Don’t buy disposable razors
4. Install a dual-flush toilet
5. Lower water level in toilet
6. When shaving, fill the sink with a little warm water instead of letting it run
7. Don’t let sink run when brushing teeth
8. Just about everything in the bathroom can be cleaned with vinegar and water
9. Use bathroom towels multiple times before washing them
10. Don’t take baths
11. Use the water running when shower is heating up, to water your plants
12. Use a handkerchief

Going Green and Saving Money At Work

1. Ask your boss if you can work from home a few days a week
2. Go paperless
3. Get ink cartridges refilled
4. If you need to print anything out, use “draft” mode on your printer
5. Print on both sides of the paper
6. Make your own scratch paper instead of buying it
7. Turn your computer off
8. Get a notebook or netbook, which uses less energy than a computer
9. Video conference, instead of attending meetings
10. Share printers, scanners, phones, etc… as much as possible
11. Bring your own silverware to work, instead of using plastic
12. Buy office furniture and equipment used
13. Get paid electronically (less you have to drive to the bank)
14. Take your lunch to work in a reusable container

Having Fun In Your Community By Going Green

1. Invite friends over for a potluck dinner, where everyone has to cook with ingredients they have on hand
2. Use your local library
3. Start a game board night
4. Watch any sporting events with your neighbors, instead of separately
5. Stop reading print newspapers and magazines, read them online
6. Watch less TV
7. Pay attention to what your local government is doing to promote sustainable living and get involved
8. Cut the cable and watch movies and shows online
9. Look in your local paper for free events to walk too
10. Next time you have a kegger, declare it “Bring your own cup night” instead of buying plastic cups
11. Get books from paper back swap
12. Get DVD’s that you will watch over and over again from DVD Swap

Giving Green Gifts

1. Give an experience (cook a 5-course meal) or a service (babysitting), over a physical object
2. Wrap gifts with leftover paper grocery bags or newspaper

1. Buy unisex clothes for the first child, so you can hand them down for the second
2. Try out cloth diapers
3. Give kids a bath together
4. Don’t spend money on entertainment with your children, just give them your attention
5. Breastfeed
6. Buy an awesome blender that will last a lifetime like the Vitamix, and make your own baby food
7. Don’t drive kids to school if there is public transportation available, even if that means they have to get up 10 minutes earlier

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